Lisa Lyon
Lisa Lyon (June 1, 1953 - September 8, 2023) studied art at the University of California at Los Angeles. There she became accomplished in the Japanese art of fencing, kendo, but found herself lacking sufficient upper body strength so she began weight training. This eventually led her into bodybuilding.
Lyon entered and won the first International Federation of BodyBuilders Women’s World Pro Bodybuilding Championship in Los Angeles on June 16, 1979. This was the only bodybuilding competition of her career. She appeared in many magazines and on television talk shows, promoting bodybuilding for women. She also wrote a book on weight training for women titled Lisa Lyon’s Body Magic, which was published in 1981.
Although Lyon is often cited as the first female bodybuilder to appear in Playboy (in October 1980), she was actually predated by stripper and bodybuilder Kellie Everts, who appeared in a May 1977 pictorial called "Humping Iron".
Lyon modeled for Helmut Newton, American fine art photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (between 1980 and 1983, Mapplethorpe created over 150 photographs of her, resulting in the 1983 book Lady: Lisa Lyon), and Marcus Leatherdale, who published two pictures of her in his first catalogue book at Molotov. Lyon's work with Mapplethorpe was notable owing to Mapplethorpe's depiction of her body as simultaneously traditionally feminine and strong in a conventionally masculine sense.
She was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2000 for being a one-woman media-relations activist on behalf of the sport and Elevating bodybuilding to the level of fine art.
Lisa Lyon also had a short acting career.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 3.619 |
Birthday | 1953-06-01 |
Place of Birth | Los Angeles, California, USA |
Also Known As |
1986
Vamp
5.9/154
Two fraternity pledges go to a sleazy bar in search of a stripper for their college friends, unaware it is occupied by vampires.
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Vamp
1983
Three Crowns of the Sailor
7.3/33
Shortly after murdering his professor, a young man encounters a sailor who offers him a position on his ship in exchange for 3 Danish crowns and his a...
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Three Crowns of the Sailor
1986
Hollywood Erotic Film Festival
5.2/2
Ten erotic vignettes from eight different directors.
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Hollywood Erotic Film Festival
1984
Getting Physical
2/1
The world of female bodybuilding provides the backdrop for this tale of an aspiring young actress who initially becomes interested in the sport as a m...
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Getting Physical
1980
The Hustler of Muscle Beach
4.7/3
A slick promoter in the bodybuilding subculture of Venice Beach, California, finds what he considers a diamond in the rough: a dedicated but somewhat...
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The Hustler of Muscle Beach
1982
Lisa Lyon: A Portrait of Power
0/0
Lisa Lyon won the first World Women's Bodybuilding Championship in 1980. She was a pioneer in this area, and went on to appear world-wide as a propone...
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Lisa Lyon: A Portrait of Power
1984
Lisa Lyon: Graphite Woman
0/0
On January 25, 1984, at Long Beach State Art Gallery, Lisa called this performance Graphite Woman, as she was coated in this substance, and she recrea...
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