Joe Gold (born Sydney Gold, March 10, 1922 in Los Angeles, California, died - July 11, 2004 in Marina del Rey, California) was an American bodybuilder and businessman. He was the founder of Gold's Gym and World Gym. He has been credited with being the father of the bodybuilding and the fitness craze.
He sold the gym in 1970 to join the merchant marine. Under new owners, Gold's Gym became a franchise operation with hundreds of sites. At the time of his death, Gold's Gym International had 2.5 million members.
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Gold's Gym was made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger during his bodybuilding days. When Pumping Iron (1977) came out, the original Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, CA, became a mecca for bodybuilders.
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Over the years the Gold's Gym chain increased to 43 in the United States and 25 in foreign countries.
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Founder and original owner of Gold's Gym. Later co-owned World Gym International with long-time friend Gordon Mitchell.