About Dan Lurie : Dan Lurie (born April 1, 1923 in Brooklyn, New York City) is a founding father of bodybuilding and a physical fitness pioneer. A world-class bodybuilder in the 1940s, by 1949 he had won the Mr. America title of “America’s Most Muscular Man” four times.
In 1948, Lurie established the International Federation of Body Builders and he owns the Dan Lurie Gyms and Health Clubs, a gym which has attracted people such as Sylvester Stallone. On April 29, 2007, Lurie was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
His book, Heart of Steel: The Dan Lurie Story with foreword by Regis Philbin, chronicles how he overcame poverty to rise to success in the fitness industry and exposes the truth behind his relationships with other famed fitness industry men such as Joe Weider, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno.
Lurie appeared on the Sealtest Big Top Circus Variety Show on CBS. This was the first color television program in the USA. He played “Sealtest Dan, The Muscle Man”. Ed McMahon played a clown. He also appeared as “The Mighty Rewop” in the popular children’s TV series Captain Video.
