Gladys Portugues is a famous American bodybuilder in the 80s, the author of several books on bodybuilding and an actress. And she is twice the wife of a martial artist, actor and director Jean-Claude Camille Francois Van Warenberg, better known to the public under the stage name Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Biography
Gladys was born in New York Manhattan on the last day of September 1957. At school, she was a little fond of sports, but did not stand out with any achievements, and after receiving secondary education she went to study at Marymount College in New York.
And once, in her student years, Gladys Portugues saw on TV a cult star of that time, Rachel McLish, who had been dreaming of ballet since childhood, but became a bodybuilder and won the title "Miss Olympia - 1982". From that moment, everything was decided once and for all for Gladys, she chose fate for herself and took up strength training.
Career
Upon graduating from college, Portugues seriously took up her career in bodybuilding, she became a professional fitness model and began to participate in various competitions, twice being in the top ten participants in Miss Olympia.
In 1985, Portuguese played herself in the documentary "Pumping Iron 2: Women." And in 1986, Gladys first appeared in the feature film, playing the bodybuilder in the film "The Next Morning." During these years, the actress and athlete was famous, one of the outstanding figures in fitness, performed under the pseudonym "Tigress" and constantly appeared on the covers of sports and glossy magazines.
In 1986, Gladys released the autobiographical book Hard Bodies, where she described her journey from an ordinary American girl to an icon of bodybuilding. The second and final work in cinema was the role of Shladys in the 1987 horror film It's Alive III: Island of the Alive. But still she takes part in TV projects and shows on American television, including with the participation of her legendary husband.
