Mitch Gaylord
Mitch Gaylord serves as one of the judges of NBC’s new celeb-reality show “Celebrity Circus.” He is an accomplished gymnast who knows the tremendous athletic strength needed to perform some of the circus acts.
Mitch was born in Van Nuys, California on March 10, 1961. He attended Grant High School and Mitch was named the Los Angeles High School Athlete of the Year in 1979. He attended UCLA where he won the All-Around in both the 1983 and 1984 U.S. National Championships. He also won the All-Around in the 1984 NCAA Men’s Gymnastic Championship. He attended the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. That year, the men’s gymnastic team won the gold medal and Mitch became the first American gymnast to be awarded a score of a perfect 10.00 in the Olympic Games. At those same Olympics, Mitch also won a silver medal in the vault event, a bronze medal in the parallel bars event, and a bronze medal in the rings event.
Mitch invented two techniques for the horizontal bar that are still used by gymnasts today: the Gaylord Flip (a somersault) and the Gaylord II (a 1 ½ somersault). These two techniques are still considered to be extremely difficult yet stunning feats. After the Olympics, Mitch was named to President Ronald Reagan’s Council on Physical Fitness, for which he traveled the country giving speeches on the importance of physical fitness.
After retiring from gymnastics, Mitch turned his interests to acting. He made his debut in the movie American Anthem, which also starred actress Janet Jones. He appeared in the films Animal Instincts, Sexual Outlaws, Sledge: The Untold Story and recently wrapped up Confessions of an Action Star. Mitch was a stunt double for Chris O’Donnell in the movie Batman Forever. He also appeared in an episode of “The New Dragnet” in 1991 and “American Gladiators” in 1995 and frequently appeared on “Hollywood Squares.”
Mitch has made commercials for Levis, Diet Coke, Nike, Vidal Sassoon, Soloflex, and Texaco. He also endorsed the The Body Row, a fitness machine by Suzanne Somers, on the Home Shopping Network.
Mitch remains active in the fitness world, serving as a journalist/broadcaster, motivational coach, and fitness expert. He co-authored the book “Working Out Without Weights,” and created the Perfect 10 Workout. He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1988, the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Olympic Hall of Fame in 2006.
Mitch was married to actress and former Playboy Playmate Deborah Driggs from 1992 until 2003. The couple has three children. Mitch is now married to singer/songwriter Valentina Agius.
Read these other great entries