Bruce Jenner
Encyclopedia
William Bruce Jenner is a former U.S. track and field athlete, motivational speaker
, socialite and television personality. He won the gold medal
for decathlon
in the Montreal
1976 Summer Olympics
.
Following his Olympic victory and the related recognition, his professional career evolved into being a television celebrity. By 1981 he had starred in several made for TV movies and was Erik Estrada
's replacement on the top rated TV series CHiPs
. Since the 2007 debut of Keeping Up with the Kardashians
he has appeared as the step-father of the Kardashian sisters.
. He attended Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut
, after spending a year at Sleepy Hollow High School in Sleepy Hollow, New York
. Jenner earned a football
scholarship and attended Graceland College (now Graceland University
) in Iowa, but a knee injury forced him to stop playing football and he switched to the decathlon
. He was mentored by Graceland's track coach L. D. Weldon, who was the first to recognize Jenner's potential and encouraged him to pursue the decathlon. Jenner debuted in the decathlon at the Drake Relays
in 1970, placing fifth.
at the 1972 U.S. Olympic trials and finished in tenth place at the 1972 Munich games
. His success prompted him to devote himself to an intense training regimen, while also selling insurance outside training hours. He acknowledged that he was supported and subsidized by his then wife, Chrystie Crownover, who worked as an airline stewardess. In the era before professionalism was allowed in athletics, this kind of training was unheard of. During that period he spent eight hours a day at the San Jose City College
track. Centered around Bert Bonnano, the coach at SJCC, San Jose
at the time was a hotbed for training aspiring Olympic athletes, including Jenner, along with Millard Hampton
, Andre Phillips
, John Powell
, Mac Wilkins
, Al Feuerbach
and others. In 1974 and 1976, Jenner was the American champion in the event.
At the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal, he won the gold medal in the Decathlon, setting the world record of 8,618 points. The world record
was broken by just 4 points by Daley Thompson
in 1980. In 1985, the IAAF Decathlon scoring table was changed, so Jenner's winning score has been reevaluated against that table and reported as 8634 for comparative purposes. As of 2011, Jenner is #25 on the world all-time list and the #9 American.
As a result of winning the Olympic decathlon, Jenner was a national hero. He was the 1976 recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award
as the top amateur athlete in the United States. Jenner was also the Associated Press
Male Athlete of the Year in 1976. He was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
, the Connecticut Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame
in 1980.
San Jose City College hosted the "Bruce Jenner Invitational" (frequently shortened to "Jenner") as a televised, annual stop on the United States Track and Field Circuit (a meet equivalent in stature to the Prefontaine Classic
) for the better part of two decades. Records were set at the meet, with Jenner frequently hosting the telecasts.
. Winning 'back' the decathlon title made Jenner an American hero. After his Olympic success, Jenner set out to cash in on his celebrity (requiring him to give up any future Olympic appearances). He left his vaulting poles in the stadium, having no intention of ever using them again. Quickly after the Games, Jenner appeared on the front of Wheaties
brand breakfast cereal
as a "Wheaties champion." Of several hundred athletes who have been so featured, Jenner is one of seven Wheaties "spokesmen." He was invited to the White House
to meet with President Gerald R. Ford, who autographed a political cartoon that featured the pair.
In 1977, the Kansas City Kings selected Jenner with the 139th pick of the NBA Draft
. Jenner had not actually played basketball since high school; the closest he came to a roundball career came when he sank a basket in the "YMCA" sequence of the film Can't Stop The Music
in 1980. (The disco
-era comedy about the singing group The Village People gave Jenner a starring role, but the movie was a flop; it remains his only appearance in a theatrical film.)
Jenner decided to try for a television career, and had some success, starring in TV movies "The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story" (1980) and "Grambling's White Tiger" (1981). In 1981–82 he became a semi-regular on the police series CHiPs
, guest-starring as Officer Steve McLeish (substituting for star Erik Estrada
, who was lodged in a contract dispute with NBC
and MGM), for a half-dozen episodes.
His "hero shot," the finish of the final event of 1976 Olympic decathlon, was parodied by John Belushi
on Saturday Night Live
endorsing "Little Chocolate Donuts" instead of Wheaties
.
Jenner also appears in the video games Olympic Decathlon
(1981) and Bruce Jenner's World Class Decathlon
(1996).
(International Motor Sports Association
) in the 1980s. His first victory came in the 1986
12 hours of Sebring
in the IMSA GTO class driving the 7-Eleven
Roush Racing
Ford Mustang
with co-driver Scott Pruett
, not only winning their class but finishing 4th overall in the 12 hour endurance race. His most successful year was also 1986 finishing second in the championship to Pruett.
in an episode of ABC
's The American Sportsman
. The program featured Gresham hunting, fishing, or shooting in exotic spots with celebrities. In the early 1990s he was the host of an infomercial
for a stair-climbing exercise machine called the Stair Climber Plus.
In January 2002, Jenner participated in an episode of the American series of The Weakest Link featuring Olympic athletes. In February and March 2003, he was part of the cast of the American series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, and made a cameo on a season three episode of The Apprentice that originally aired in May 2005. He was partnered with Tai Babilonia for Skating with Celebrities
that aired January–March 2006 (they were eliminated during the fifth of seven episodes). Jenner has additionally served as a guest judge on Pet Star
on Animal Planet
, and appeared on NBC's game show Identity
as well as Celebrity Family Feud
with his family.
Additional television and talk show appearances by Jenner include Nickelodeon
's made-for-TV film Gym Teacher: The Movie
as well as episodes of Murder She Wrote, Family Guy
, Pet Star
on Animal Planet
, Identity
and Celebrity Family Feud
as well as such talk shows as Hannity
and The Bonnie Hunt Show
.
reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians
, along with wife Kris Jenner
, stepdaughters Kourtney
, Kim
, Khloé
, and stepson Rob
(from Kris' marriage to attorney Robert Kardashian
), and daughters Kylie
and Kendall
. Season two had an average of 1.6 million viewers, an increase over the previous cycle.
At the start of its fourth season in late 2009, Keeping Up with the Kardashians set ratings records. Its second episode earned a total of 4.2 million viewers and briefly held the record as the cable network's most-watched telecast to date, superseding the 2002 premiere of The Anna Nicole Show
.
Kardashians wrapped its fifth season on October 24, 2010 with an audience of 4.1 million viewers, short of the series-record 4.8 million viewers for its fourth-season finale on February 28, 2010. The latter episode featured the birth of Kourtney's child with Scott Disick.
Three spin-off series have been produced focusing on specific members of the Kardashian clan, and for which Jenner makes periodic cameos: Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami
aired its first season between August and October, 2009. A second season ran from June 13 to August 15, 2010. In October 2010, it was announced that a second spin-off titled Kourtney and Kim Take New York
would premiere in January 2011 on the E! network.
Jenner was the marketing name for Bruce Jenner's Westwood Centers for Nautilus & Aerobics in the early '80s. Jenner had no ownership in the centers. The fitness centers were owned by David Cirotto and Chin Yi. The centers were sold to Super Fitness Centers, owned by martial arts expert Paul Snow. Chin Yi later became the founder of LA Fitness. Jenner also was diagnosed with dyslexia
as a young child—he appeared on the sitcom Silver Spoons
where he revealed his condition to the Stratton family—and after retiring from sports, built a successful career as a motivational speaker and television sports commentator (making an appearance on the series Learn To Read).
In his first marriage to Chrystie Crownover (December 15, 1972 – January 2, 1980) he had two children, first son Burton William "Burt" Jenner (b. September 6, 1978) and daughter Cassandra Lynn "Casey" Jenner (b. June 10, 1980). His second marriage was from 1981–1985 to Linda Thompson (actress). Their two sons together Brandon Thompson (b. June 4, 1981) and Brody (born August 21, 1983) appeared in their own reality show The Princes of Malibu
; which also featured them living with their stepfather David Foster
. Brody was also on the reality show The Hills
.
Jenner is currently married to Kris
(née Houghton). After dating for five months, they married on April 21, 1991. Kris was previously married to lawyer Robert Kardashian
. Jenner has two daughters with Kris, Kendall Nicole
(b. November 3, 1995) and Kylie Kristen
(b. August 10, 1997). He is also the stepfather of Kim
, Khloé
, Kourtney
and Rob Kardashian
. In 2009 Jenner became a grandfather to Francesca, his daughter Casey's first child. He became a step-grandfather for the first time on December 14, 2009, when his stepdaughter Kourtney gave birth to her first child Mason.
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
, socialite and television personality. He won the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
for decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
in the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
.
Following his Olympic victory and the related recognition, his professional career evolved into being a television celebrity. By 1981 he had starred in several made for TV movies and was Erik Estrada
Erik Estrada
Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada is an American police officer and actor, known for his co-starring lead role in the 1977–1983 United States police television series CHiPs...
's replacement on the top rated TV series CHiPs
CHiPs
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
. Since the 2007 debut of Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Keeping Up with the Kardashians is an American reality television series that airs on E!. The series premiered in October 2007. It focuses on the personal and professional lives of the members of the Kardashian and Jenner family. There will be a 7th Season to premiere in 2012.As of September 2011,...
he has appeared as the step-father of the Kardashian sisters.
Early life
Bruce Jenner is originally from Mount Kisco, New YorkMount Kisco, New York
Mount Kisco is a community that is both a village and a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Mount Kisco is coterminous with the village. The population was 10,877 at the 2010 census.- History :...
. He attended Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut
Newtown, Connecticut
Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 27,560 at the 2010 census. Newtown was founded in 1705 and incorporated in 1711.-Government:...
, after spending a year at Sleepy Hollow High School in Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow, New York
Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line.Originally...
. Jenner earned a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
scholarship and attended Graceland College (now Graceland University
Graceland University
Graceland is not ranked by U.S. News & World Report, being deemed a Tier 3 institution. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission as a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.-Housing System:...
) in Iowa, but a knee injury forced him to stop playing football and he switched to the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
. He was mentored by Graceland's track coach L. D. Weldon, who was the first to recognize Jenner's potential and encouraged him to pursue the decathlon. Jenner debuted in the decathlon at the Drake Relays
Drake Relays
The Drake Relays is an annual outdoor track and field event held in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, in Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University...
in 1970, placing fifth.
Olympic career
Jenner placed third in the decathlonDecathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
at the 1972 U.S. Olympic trials and finished in tenth place at the 1972 Munich games
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
. His success prompted him to devote himself to an intense training regimen, while also selling insurance outside training hours. He acknowledged that he was supported and subsidized by his then wife, Chrystie Crownover, who worked as an airline stewardess. In the era before professionalism was allowed in athletics, this kind of training was unheard of. During that period he spent eight hours a day at the San Jose City College
San Jose City College
San Jose City College, founded in 1921, is a community college located in the city of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California.San Jose City College was originally called San Jose Junior College and operated in downtown San Jose, California...
track. Centered around Bert Bonnano, the coach at SJCC, San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
at the time was a hotbed for training aspiring Olympic athletes, including Jenner, along with Millard Hampton
Millard Hampton
Millard Frank Hampton, Jr. is a former American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay and the individual silver medal in the 200 meters at the 1976 Summer Olympics....
, Andre Phillips
Andre Phillips
André Lamar Phillips is a retired American Track and Field athlete who is best known for winning the 400 metres hurdles gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games....
, John Powell
John Powell
John Powell is a British composer, best known for his scores to motion pictures. He has been based in the United States since 1997 and has composed the scores to over fifty feature films. He rose to fame in the late 1990s and 2000s, scoring numerous animated films, and collaborating with...
, Mac Wilkins
Mac Wilkins
Maurice "Mac" Wilkins is an American athlete, who competed mainly in the discus throw. He was born in Eugene, Oregon....
, Al Feuerbach
Al Feuerbach
Allan Dean Feuerbach is a former track and field athlete from the United States, who competed for his native country in the men's shot put event at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1972. On...
and others. In 1974 and 1976, Jenner was the American champion in the event.
At the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal, he won the gold medal in the Decathlon, setting the world record of 8,618 points. The world record
Decathlon world record progression
The first world record in the decathlon was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1922.As of June 21, 2009, 35 men's world records have been ratified by the IAAF in the event...
was broken by just 4 points by Daley Thompson
Daley Thompson
Francis Morgan Ayodélé "Daley" Thompson CBE , is a former decathlete from England. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four times....
in 1980. In 1985, the IAAF Decathlon scoring table was changed, so Jenner's winning score has been reevaluated against that table and reported as 8634 for comparative purposes. As of 2011, Jenner is #25 on the world all-time list and the #9 American.
As a result of winning the Olympic decathlon, Jenner was a national hero. He was the 1976 recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award
James E. Sullivan Award
The James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the American Amateur Athletic Union , is awarded annually in April to "the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Often referred to as the Oscar of sports awards, it was first presented in 1930. The award is named for the AAU's founder and past...
as the top amateur athlete in the United States. Jenner was also the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Male Athlete of the Year in 1976. He was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame honors sports figures who have made a significant impact in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization is a section 501 non-profit, that was created by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce in 1979.-Inductees:...
, the Connecticut Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame
National Track and Field Hall of Fame
The National Track and Field Hall of Fame located within the Armory Foundation at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, between 168th and 169th Streets, in Washington Heights, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field...
in 1980.
San Jose City College hosted the "Bruce Jenner Invitational" (frequently shortened to "Jenner") as a televised, annual stop on the United States Track and Field Circuit (a meet equivalent in stature to the Prefontaine Classic
Prefontaine Classic
The Prefontaine Classic is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.-History:...
) for the better part of two decades. Records were set at the meet, with Jenner frequently hosting the telecasts.
Celebrity
In the 1970s, Olympic athletes were considered amateur and were absolutely not allowed to seek or accept payment for their position as a sports celebrity. In 1972, three major Olympic titles (basketball, 100 meters and decathlon), were won by Soviet athletes during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Winning 'back' the decathlon title made Jenner an American hero. After his Olympic success, Jenner set out to cash in on his celebrity (requiring him to give up any future Olympic appearances). He left his vaulting poles in the stadium, having no intention of ever using them again. Quickly after the Games, Jenner appeared on the front of Wheaties
Wheaties
Wheaties is a brand of General Mills breakfast cereal. It is well known for featuring prominent athletes on the exterior of the package, and has become a major cultural icon...
brand breakfast cereal
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
as a "Wheaties champion." Of several hundred athletes who have been so featured, Jenner is one of seven Wheaties "spokesmen." He was invited to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
to meet with President Gerald R. Ford, who autographed a political cartoon that featured the pair.
In 1977, the Kansas City Kings selected Jenner with the 139th pick of the NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
. Jenner had not actually played basketball since high school; the closest he came to a roundball career came when he sank a basket in the "YMCA" sequence of the film Can't Stop The Music
Can't Stop the Music
Can't Stop the Music is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker. It is a pseudo-biography of disco's Village People which bears only a vague resemblance to the actual story of the group's formation...
in 1980. (The disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
-era comedy about the singing group The Village People gave Jenner a starring role, but the movie was a flop; it remains his only appearance in a theatrical film.)
Jenner decided to try for a television career, and had some success, starring in TV movies "The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story" (1980) and "Grambling's White Tiger" (1981). In 1981–82 he became a semi-regular on the police series CHiPs
CHiPs
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
, guest-starring as Officer Steve McLeish (substituting for star Erik Estrada
Erik Estrada
Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada is an American police officer and actor, known for his co-starring lead role in the 1977–1983 United States police television series CHiPs...
, who was lodged in a contract dispute with NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and MGM), for a half-dozen episodes.
His "hero shot," the finish of the final event of 1976 Olympic decathlon, was parodied by John Belushi
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
endorsing "Little Chocolate Donuts" instead of Wheaties
Wheaties
Wheaties is a brand of General Mills breakfast cereal. It is well known for featuring prominent athletes on the exterior of the package, and has become a major cultural icon...
.
Jenner also appears in the video games Olympic Decathlon
Olympic Decathlon
Olympic Decathlon aka Microsoft Decathlon is a computer game where the player participates in a Decathlon....
(1981) and Bruce Jenner's World Class Decathlon
Bruce Jenner's World Class Decathlon
Bruce Jenner's World Class Decathlon is a 1996 computer game where the player participates in a Decathlon.The gold medalist for decathlon in the Montreal 1976 Summer Olympics, Bruce Jenner, also appears in the 1981/1982 game Olympic Decathlon/Microsoft Decathlon...
(1996).
Auto racing career
Jenner was a successful race car driver in the IMSA Camel GT seriesIMSA GT Championship
IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada.-History:...
(International Motor Sports Association
International Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
) in the 1980s. His first victory came in the 1986
1986 IMSA GT Championship season
The 1986 Camel GT Championship season was the 16th season of the IMSA GT Championship auto racing series. It was for GTP and Lights classes of prototypes, as well as Grand Tourer-style racing cars which ran in the GTO and GTU classes...
12 hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
in the IMSA GTO class driving the 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
Roush Racing
Roush Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
with co-driver Scott Pruett
Scott Pruett
Scott Donald Pruett is an American race car driver who has competed in NASCAR, Champ Car, IMSA, Trans-Am and Grand-Am. He and his wife Judy have three children, and are children's book authors....
, not only winning their class but finishing 4th overall in the 12 hour endurance race. His most successful year was also 1986 finishing second in the championship to Pruett.
Further TV appearances
Jenner has appeared as himself on a variety of game shows and reality TV programs. He starred with Grits GreshamGrits Gresham
Claude Hamilton "Grits" Gresham, Jr. was an internationally-known American sportsman, author, photographer and television personality who hosted ABC's The American Sportsman series from 1966-1979...
in an episode of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The American Sportsman
The American Sportsman
The American Sportsman was a television series from 1965 to 1986 on ABC which presented filmed highlights of hunting and/or fishing trips involving the program's hosts and celebrities. It was typically presented on Sunday afternoons, frequently following coverage of live sporting events...
. The program featured Gresham hunting, fishing, or shooting in exotic spots with celebrities. In the early 1990s he was the host of an infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
for a stair-climbing exercise machine called the Stair Climber Plus.
In January 2002, Jenner participated in an episode of the American series of The Weakest Link featuring Olympic athletes. In February and March 2003, he was part of the cast of the American series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, and made a cameo on a season three episode of The Apprentice that originally aired in May 2005. He was partnered with Tai Babilonia for Skating with Celebrities
Skating with Celebrities
Skating with Celebrities is a celebrity reality television show that began airing on the Fox network on January 18, 2006. The show also aired in Australia on Network Ten in early 2006 and in New Zealand in October 2008. The show was the U.S. version of Dancing on Ice, which also aired in the U.K....
that aired January–March 2006 (they were eliminated during the fifth of seven episodes). Jenner has additionally served as a guest judge on Pet Star
Pet Star
Pet Star was a show on Animal Planet hosted by Mario Lopez.The show is a contest between owners and their trained pets who perform tricks. The tricks are graded by three celebrity judges on a scale of one to 10....
on Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
, and appeared on NBC's game show Identity
Identity (game show)
Identity is a reality/game show, hosted by Penn Jillette and produced by Reveille where contestants could win money by matching 12 strangers one-by-one to phrases about their identities.-Format:A contestant is introduced to twelve strangers...
as well as Celebrity Family Feud
Celebrity Family Feud
Celebrity Family Feud is a spin-off game show created by NBC, and hosted by television weather anchor Al Roker. The announcer was Burton Richardson. Celebrity Family Feud pitted two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100...
with his family.
Additional television and talk show appearances by Jenner include Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's made-for-TV film Gym Teacher: The Movie
Gym Teacher: The Movie
Gym Teacher: The Movie is a 2008 Nickelodeon Original Movie. It stars Christopher Meloni, Nathan Kress, Amy Sedaris, David Alan Grier and Chelah Horsdal.-Plot:...
as well as episodes of Murder She Wrote, Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, Pet Star
Pet Star
Pet Star was a show on Animal Planet hosted by Mario Lopez.The show is a contest between owners and their trained pets who perform tricks. The tricks are graded by three celebrity judges on a scale of one to 10....
on Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
, Identity
Identity (game show)
Identity is a reality/game show, hosted by Penn Jillette and produced by Reveille where contestants could win money by matching 12 strangers one-by-one to phrases about their identities.-Format:A contestant is introduced to twelve strangers...
and Celebrity Family Feud
Celebrity Family Feud
Celebrity Family Feud is a spin-off game show created by NBC, and hosted by television weather anchor Al Roker. The announcer was Burton Richardson. Celebrity Family Feud pitted two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100...
as well as such talk shows as Hannity
Hannity
Hannity is a television show on the Fox News network, a replacement to the long-running show Hannity & Colmes. It is hosted by conservative political pundit Sean Hannity....
and The Bonnie Hunt Show
The Bonnie Hunt Show
The Bonnie Hunt Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted by Bonnie Hunt. It premiered on September 8, 2008. It is the second show featuring Bonnie Hunt to have that title. The first was a sitcom that ran for one season in 1995 and was retitled Bonnie when it returned after a mid-season hiatus...
.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Beginning in late 2007, Jenner starred in the E!E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Keeping Up with the Kardashians is an American reality television series that airs on E!. The series premiered in October 2007. It focuses on the personal and professional lives of the members of the Kardashian and Jenner family. There will be a 7th Season to premiere in 2012.As of September 2011,...
, along with wife Kris Jenner
Kris Jenner
Kristen Mary "Kris" Jenner is an American television personality, socialite and businesswoman. She also is the manager for all of her family members, including Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian...
, stepdaughters Kourtney
Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Mary Kardashian is an American businesswoman, socialite, model, actress and reality television personality who gained fame as a cast member of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami.She is the oldest child of Kris Jenner and...
, Kim
Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian is an American socialite, television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is known for the E! reality series that she shares with her family—Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and its spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York...
, Khloé
Khloe Kardashian
Khloé Kardashian Odom is an American businesswoman, television personality, radio host, socialite, and model...
, and stepson Rob
Rob Kardashian
Robert Arthur "Rob" Kardashian is an American television personality. He is best known for appearing on his family's reality television shows, such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Khloé & Lamar. Kardashian competed and placed second on the thirteenth season of Dancing with the Stars...
(from Kris' marriage to attorney Robert Kardashian
Robert Kardashian
Robert George Kardashian was an American attorney and businessman. He gained national recognition as O. J. Simpson's friend and defense attorney during the latter's 1995 murder trial...
), and daughters Kylie
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Kristen Jenner is an American model and reality television personality. She became known to the public as a cast member on Keeping Up With The Kardashians a reality television series on the E!.-Personal life:...
and Kendall
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Nicole Jenner is an American model and television personality, who is featured on the E! reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians along with the rest of her family.-Modeling career:...
. Season two had an average of 1.6 million viewers, an increase over the previous cycle.
At the start of its fourth season in late 2009, Keeping Up with the Kardashians set ratings records. Its second episode earned a total of 4.2 million viewers and briefly held the record as the cable network's most-watched telecast to date, superseding the 2002 premiere of The Anna Nicole Show
The Anna Nicole Show
The Anna Nicole Show is an American reality sitcom starring former model and Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith. The series debuted on August 4, 2002 on the E! entertainment television network and ran for two seasons.-Synopsis:...
.
Kardashians wrapped its fifth season on October 24, 2010 with an audience of 4.1 million viewers, short of the series-record 4.8 million viewers for its fourth-season finale on February 28, 2010. The latter episode featured the birth of Kourtney's child with Scott Disick.
Three spin-off series have been produced focusing on specific members of the Kardashian clan, and for which Jenner makes periodic cameos: Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami
Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami
Khloé and Malika Take Miami, , is an American reality/spin-off television series, produced by Ryan Seacrest, which debuted on E! on August 16, 2009....
aired its first season between August and October, 2009. A second season ran from June 13 to August 15, 2010. In October 2010, it was announced that a second spin-off titled Kourtney and Kim Take New York
Kourtney and Kim Take New York
Kourtney and Kim Take New York is an American reality television series, produced by Ryan Seacrest, that debuted on E! in the United States and Canada on January 23, 2011...
would premiere in January 2011 on the E! network.
Personal life
Jenner has a younger sister named Lisa. His younger brother, Burt was killed in an auto accident in Canton, Connecticut shortly after Jenner's success in the Olympics, so Jenner named his first son after his deceased brother. His company, Bruce Jenner Aviation, sells aircraft supplies to executives and corporations. Jenner was the business development vice president for a staffing industry software application known as JennerNet, which was based on Lotus Domino technology.Jenner was the marketing name for Bruce Jenner's Westwood Centers for Nautilus & Aerobics in the early '80s. Jenner had no ownership in the centers. The fitness centers were owned by David Cirotto and Chin Yi. The centers were sold to Super Fitness Centers, owned by martial arts expert Paul Snow. Chin Yi later became the founder of LA Fitness. Jenner also was diagnosed with dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
as a young child—he appeared on the sitcom Silver Spoons
Silver Spoons
Silver Spoons is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982 to May 11, 1986 and in first-run syndication from September 15, 1986 to March 4, 1987...
where he revealed his condition to the Stratton family—and after retiring from sports, built a successful career as a motivational speaker and television sports commentator (making an appearance on the series Learn To Read).
In his first marriage to Chrystie Crownover (December 15, 1972 – January 2, 1980) he had two children, first son Burton William "Burt" Jenner (b. September 6, 1978) and daughter Cassandra Lynn "Casey" Jenner (b. June 10, 1980). His second marriage was from 1981–1985 to Linda Thompson (actress). Their two sons together Brandon Thompson (b. June 4, 1981) and Brody (born August 21, 1983) appeared in their own reality show The Princes of Malibu
The Princes of Malibu
The Princes of Malibu is an American reality show that aired on the Fox Network, premiering on July 10, 2005.-Synopsis:The series follows Brandon and Brody Jenner, the adult sons of Olympic champion Bruce Jenner and former Miss Tennessee USA Linda Thompson, and their friend, Spencer Pratt, as they...
; which also featured them living with their stepfather David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
. Brody was also on the reality show The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
.
Jenner is currently married to Kris
Kris Jenner
Kristen Mary "Kris" Jenner is an American television personality, socialite and businesswoman. She also is the manager for all of her family members, including Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian...
(née Houghton). After dating for five months, they married on April 21, 1991. Kris was previously married to lawyer Robert Kardashian
Robert Kardashian
Robert George Kardashian was an American attorney and businessman. He gained national recognition as O. J. Simpson's friend and defense attorney during the latter's 1995 murder trial...
. Jenner has two daughters with Kris, Kendall Nicole
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Nicole Jenner is an American model and television personality, who is featured on the E! reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians along with the rest of her family.-Modeling career:...
(b. November 3, 1995) and Kylie Kristen
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Kristen Jenner is an American model and reality television personality. She became known to the public as a cast member on Keeping Up With The Kardashians a reality television series on the E!.-Personal life:...
(b. August 10, 1997). He is also the stepfather of Kim
Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian is an American socialite, television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is known for the E! reality series that she shares with her family—Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and its spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York...
, Khloé
Khloe Kardashian
Khloé Kardashian Odom is an American businesswoman, television personality, radio host, socialite, and model...
, Kourtney
Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Mary Kardashian is an American businesswoman, socialite, model, actress and reality television personality who gained fame as a cast member of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami.She is the oldest child of Kris Jenner and...
and Rob Kardashian
Rob Kardashian
Robert Arthur "Rob" Kardashian is an American television personality. He is best known for appearing on his family's reality television shows, such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Khloé & Lamar. Kardashian competed and placed second on the thirteenth season of Dancing with the Stars...
. In 2009 Jenner became a grandfather to Francesca, his daughter Casey's first child. He became a step-grandfather for the first time on December 14, 2009, when his stepdaughter Kourtney gave birth to her first child Mason.