American body-builder who won the Mr. Universe contest five times (1953, 1956, 1961, 1967, 1971) and was named “World’s Best-Built Man of the Century”.
In addition to competing, Pearl gave posing and strongman exhibitions all around the world. His strongman act included blowing up hot water bottles, bending tent spikes, breaking chains, and tearing up license plates.
Pearl became a lacto-ovo vegetarian at age 39. He mentions the benefits of vegetarian bodybuilding in his book Getting Stronger: Weight Training for Sports, published in 2005.
His other books include Getting Stronger: Weight Training for Men and Women, which has been translated into four other languages, and Keys To The INNER Universe. In 2003 with co-author Kim Shott, Pearl published his autobiography, Beyond the Universe: The Bill Pearl Story.
During the 1980s, Pearl served as a mentor, trainer, and training partner to many of the top professionals that were still competing, including Mr. Olympia, Chris Dickerson. In 2004, Pearl was awarded the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic Lifetime Achievement Award for significantly impacting the world of bodybuilding.
Pearl was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2016. He died on the morning of 14 September 2022 at age 91 at his home in Phoenix, Oregon. He was survived by his wife, Judy.
Link to Wikipedia biography