A man in his prime in 1930.

Anthony “Tony” Sansone was the first male physique icon and responsible for starting the fitness revolution.

It all started when he became seriously ill with scarlet and then typhoid fever as a child. He survived but it left him with a fragile build so he decided to pick up sports. Then at 16 he discovered the magazine Physical Culture and became interested in bodybuilding. So he hooked up with bodybuilders Benarr Macfadden and Charles Atlas and began training. Just a few years later he won a physique contest sponsored by Atlas. He never aspired for that traditional bulky bodybuilder frame – preferring a slender but sculpted physique.

Later he studied dance under ballet instructor Alexandre Gavrilov. You can see the dance influence with the way he styled his posing.

He went on to opened 3 gyms and had several of his fitness programs published.