Gene Simmons appears on Celebrity Apprentice
Gene Simmons has made millions marketing his rock band KISS and himself. But, will that endear him to the ultimate entrepreneur, Donald Trump? We will see as he appears on “Celebrity Apprentice” this season.
Gene was born Chaim Witz on August 25, 1949 in Israel. After his father abandoned the family, Gene and his mother immigrated to New York City when he was eight. He took his mother’s maiden name, Klein and adopted the first name Eugene, which was later shortened to Gene. It wasn’t an easy life though. Gene’s mother worked two jobs to support the family and Gene was often left alone. By the late 60’s, he had changed his last name again to Simmons.
Gene graduated from New York Statue University (NYSU) and City University (CUNY) with a bachelor’s degree in education. He taught sixth grade in Spanish Harlem. He also worked at both Glamour and Vogue.
Gene was a member of several bands (Lynx, The Missing Links, Bullfrog Beer, and Wicked Lester) in the late 60s/early 70s. While in Wicked Lester, he met future KISS band mate Paul Stanley. Those two were dissatisfied with Wicked Lester and left, eventually joining up with his KISS band mates Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, both of whom were found through ads.
The band formed in 1973 and inspired by the New York Dolls, they began experimenting with makeup. The band eventually came up with their trademark stage personas, with Gene being called “The Demon” because he spit blood and breathed fire. The band went on to have 24 gold albums and they have exceeded 95 million in album sales.
By the late 70s, spurred by their success, the band began marketing merchandise bearing their name, much of it orchestrated by Gene. The band has released comic books, a pinball machine, Halloween masks, KISS dolls, makeup kits, board games, even a KISS “kasket.” Between 1977 and 1979 alone, the merchandising made an estimated $100 million for the band.
Gene’s first brush with television was in 1978 when KISS appeared in a made for television movie, “KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park.” He appeared on an episode of “Miami Vice,” “The Hitchhiker,” “The Family Guy,” and three episodes of “Third Watch.” He has been the creative force behind shows such as “My Dad the Rock Star” and “Mr. Romance.” He has starred in two reality series of his own – “Rock School,” in which he teaches children about rock music, and “Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” a show about his family life. “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” premiered on A& E in 2006. It chronicled the every day home life of Gene, his girlfriend of 23 years Shannon Tweed, and their two children, 18-year-old son Nick (himself an aspiring rock star) and 15-year-old daughter Sophie. The third season of the show will begin soon.
Having been in the limelight for over 30 years, Gene has become a larger-than-life part of our pop culture. The US Post Office issued a Gene Simmons stamp. Gene has his own clothing line called Moneybag, his own recording company called Simmons Records, his own publishing company called Simmons Books, his own audio visual company called Simmons Audio Visual, and his own magazine called Gene Simmons Tongue. He also discovered the band Van Halen and produced their 15-song demo.
Read these other great entries