Joseph Hubertus Pilates (1880 - 1967)

Born near Dusseldorf, Germany grew up a sickly child suffering from rickets, asthma and rheumatic fever. At a young age he began to study anatomy and various forms of exercise to improve his health and physique. At aged 14 he had been so successful in his endeavors that he was asked to model for anatomy charts.
An accomplished pugilist, gymnast, skier and diver he traveled to the UK and during World War I was interned in a camp for enemy aliens. During his internment time he used his knowledge to help rehabilitate bedridden patients, using bedsprings as equipment. Rumor has it that his efforts were so successful that when the 1918 flu epidemic swept the world, not one of his followers died, even though thousands of others in the UK succumbed!
He returned to Germany after the war but in 1925 he was invited to train the New German Army but decided to head for the US instead. It was on this journey that he met his future wife, Clara.
Upon their arrival in New York City they opened a gym close to a number of Ballet and Dance Schools and in doing so found a captive audience.
Joseph Pilates was a determined man and a health fanatic, he was also a little eccentric (who else would you describe someone who runs down the street in a bikini - and in the winter!) He was also renowned for his liking of cigars, whiskey, and women - something of a 'hands on' kind of teacher!
He died in 1967, at aged 87. His wife Clara, continued to teach and run the studio until her death 10 years later.