Bob Paris

Bob Paris is a writer, actor, public speaker, social activist and former professional bodybuilder. He was born Robert Clark Paris on December 14th, 1959 and grew up in both Brown County and Columbus, Indiana. Starting as a boy, Paris was an enthusiastic outdoorsman - hiking and backpacking through the wooded hills of southern Indiana, riding his bike on the area's scenic back-roads and canoeing its rivers. He was also an artist and writer who won National Scholastic Awards for his drawing and painting, and wrote short-stories in his spare time. His interest in acting and the theater began early and by the time he was in high school he had performed in - among others - the musicals, Pajama Game and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He was a member of the International Thespian Society and a successful member of his school's debate team. He was also a well-regarded high school football player and was active in both track and field and golf. When he was a sophomore in high school he discovered a relatively unused, dusty weight-machine in a backroom of the basketball gym. He began experimenting with weight training and very quickly built both size and strength - to such a degree that he began to lose interest in team sports and dedicated both his athletic and artistic efforts toward the -- then highly misunderstood -- sport of bodybuilding. After high school graduation and a summer spent in U.S. Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, SC, Paris started college at Indiana State University, later transferring to Indiana University in Bloomington. He soon had the itch to see the world and set out for southern California to pursue his dream of becoming both an elite-level bodybuilder and a working actor, with an eye toward later becoming a successful writer. When first in California, Paris had no contacts or friends in the area and survived a time of hand-to-mouth existence, often living out of his car. However, within a short time, his efforts in bodybuilding caught fire. Two years of arriving in LA, he had won the Mr. Los Angeles and Mr. Southern California. In 1983 he won both the NPC National Championships (Mr. America) and the IFBB World Championships (Mr. Universe). Paris went on to become one of the greatest professional bodybuilders in the sport's history. He was highly outspoken regarding the rights of athletes and in the quest to bring legitimate drug testing to the sport. In 2006, the official publication of the IFBB, Flex Magazine, named Paris the most aesthetic athlete in the history of bodybuilding. He retired twice from competition. The first retirement was in 1985 and lasted only two years. He made his final retirement from the sport in 1991. Maintaining that early interest in acting and the theater, Paris spent his initial competitive retirement enrolled full-time in the advanced theater program at the famed Stella Adler Conservatory; he has also studied with other highly regarded acting coaches, including LA's Vincent Chase and Arthur Mendoza. Over the years he has performed to strong notices in a number of regional theater productions. In 1997, he made his New York stage debut in the Herbert Ross-directed production of the Cole Porter-Moss Hart musical Jubilee. He has recently returned to acting, having been cast in the recurring role of Bertram Rep on the Fox Television (2009) series, Defying Gravity. As a writer, Paris is the author of seven books. His fitness books include, Beyond Built, Flawless, Natural Fitness and Prime, and are considered to be among the most authoritative, expertly written and user-friendly fitness books ever published. He has also written three critically acclaimed works of personal memoir. His novelistic memoir, Gorilla Suit, has been called the greatest book ever written about coming of age in the world of bodybuilding. Bob is presently finishing the literary novel, The Preservationist. He is also writing a one hour TV drama, Grow. As a fitness and fashion model, Paris has been photographed by some of the world's leading photographers, including Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber. In July 1989, Bob Paris came-out as a gay man in an interview with Ironman Magazine. Although, Paris initially believed he would do this interview and then seamlessly return to his career, events of the day led him into several years of intense social activism. In addition to scores of media appearances, Paris built upon his already developed skills as a public speaker and began touring the world to lecture on civil rights and self-esteem issues, eventually being nominated Lecturer of the Year on the US University circuit. Today, Bob Paris lives with his spouse of nearly thirteen years, Brian. on an island near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.