Ben Weider

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Canadian sports businessman (1923–2008)

title: "Ben Weider" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1923-births", "2008-deaths", "anglophone-quebec-people", "bodybuilding", "businesspeople-from-montreal", "jewish-canadian-non-fiction-writers", "canadian-people-of-polish-jewish-descent", "canadian-sports-businesspeople", "canadian-recipients-of-the-legion-of-honour", "knights-of-the-national-order-of-quebec", "officers-of-the-order-of-canada", "commanders-of-the-order-of-st-john", "sportspeople-from-montreal", "strength-training-writers", "canadian-army-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "6th-duke-of-connaught's-royal-canadian-hussars", "royal-canadian-hussars", "burials-at-baron-de-hirsch-cemetery,-montreal"] description: "Canadian sports businessman (1923–2008)" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Weider" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Canadian sports businessman (1923–2008) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameBen Weider
honorific_suffix
imageBenWeiderPortrait.jpg
image_size225px
birth_date
birth_placeMontreal, Quebec, Canada
death_date
death_placeMontreal, Quebec, Canada
other_namesThe President
known_forCo-creating the IFBB
occupationPresident of the IFBB
height5 ft
relativesJoe Weider
(brother, deceased)
Eric Weider (son)
website
::

| name = Ben Weider | honorific_suffix = | image = BenWeiderPortrait.jpg | image_size = 225px | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | death_date = | death_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | other_names = The President | known_for = Co-creating the IFBB | occupation = President of the IFBB | height = 5 ft | relatives = Joe Weider (brother, deceased) Eric Weider (son) | website = | footnotes =

Benjamin Weider, (1 February 1923 – 17 October 2008) was a Canadian soldier, author, historian (Napoleonic history), fitness proponent, benefactor of the arts, and entrepreneur. He co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) alongside his brother Joe Weider. The Weiders also founded many successful businesses including gyms, nutritional supplements and magazines such as Muscle & Fitness.

He wrote several books about Napoleon, including best seller The Murder of Napoleon, translated to 45 languages.

Family

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Ben_Weider,_Canadian_Military,_1942.jpg" caption="Ben Weider during his service in the [[6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars]], 1942."] ::

Benjamin Weider was born 1 February 1923 in the old Jewish immigrant quarter ("the Main") of Montréal (Quebec, Canada), the third son of Louis and Anna Weider, Polish Jewish emigrants from the town of Kurów (Poland). Ben left school at 13 to work in restaurants and factories.

Military service

In 1942, he enlisted in the Canadian Army, serving in the 6th Duke of Connaught's Royal Canadian Hussars, in which he did intelligence work as a member of the Canadian Intelligence Corps. Ben Weider served in the Canadian Army during World War II.

Fitness business

Weider and his brother, started a mimeographed magazine (Your Fitness) to promote weightlifting and sell exercise equipment, which expanded into other titles including Flex, Muscle & Fitness, Men's Fitness, and Fit Pregnancy. The magazines were sold in 2003 to American Media.

The brothers are attributed with creating bodybuilding as a sport, where the focus was on the form and fitness of the body shaped by the exercise. In 1965 the brothers formed the first Mr Olympia contest at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York City, New York, United States), an alternative to the Mr. Universe competition.

In 1968, the brothers brought Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was then an unknown Austrian bodybuilder, to California.

He co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFBB) along with brother Joe Weider, and was its president until he announced his retirement on 29 October 2006. He also co-founded (1936) and ran a physical fitness and sporting goods business from Montreal with his brother, which bears their family name.

Ben Weider opened a number of gyms around the world, including in Lebanon.

Historical research

Weider was known as an advocate of the theory that Napoleon was assassinated with arsenic poisoning by a member of his entourage during his exile in Saint Helena. Weider had even obtained authenticated Napoleon hair samples and arranged for forensic tests that showed that Napoleon had been poisoned with arsenic. He co-authored several Napoleonic history books including, Assassination at St. Helena, Assassination at St. Helena Revisited and The Murder of Napoleon. The Murder of Napoleon became one of the best-selling history books of all time, now with editions in 45 languages.

Weider also founded the International Napoleonic Society, of which he was the president, and wrote numerous articles for this organization.

Weider owned an extensive collection of Napoleon memorabilia. He donated this collection to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, making it one of the largest collections of its kind in the world.

In 2006, the Weider History Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Weider Health and Fitness Inc, acquired Civil War Times in an acquisition of eleven history-related magazines from another magazine chain, along with America's Civil War, Armchair General, Civil War Times, Vietnam, etc. These acquisitions caused controversies over a change in editorial direction, including the resignation of the *Civil War Times*s editor (Chris Lewis), and general criticisms of anti-Palestine bias.

Religion

Weider was a Jewish Anglophone. He financially assisted the rebuilding of Montreal's Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral. Jean-Claude Turcotte, the Roman Catholic Cardinal, said of him that Ben Weider was "One of the greatest Montrealers I ever knew".

Awards

Weider was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1975 (subsequently promoted to Officer in 2006), a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2000, a Knight of the French Legion of Honor on 12 October 2000 (for his research work into Napoleon's death), a member of the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame, and a Commander of the Venerable Order of St. John (for his charitable work promoting youth fitness and health worldwide). In 1984, Ben Weider was also nominated for a Nobel Peace prize. The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Studies program of Florida State University's History Department created the Ben Weider Eminent Scholar Chair in Napoleonic History and the Ben Weider Chair of French Revolutionary History, supported by Weider's bequests.

From 1998 to 2005, Weider was Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the 62nd (Shawinigan) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA. In 2005, he was promoted to Honorary Colonel of that military unit.

In 2003, he received the first Lifetime Achievement Award from Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro in 2003.

In 2008, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 20th Anniversary Arnold Classic.

In 2014, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame along with Joe and Betty Weider.

Death

Weider died on October 17, 2008, at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal.

In popular culture

The film Bigger was released in 2018 on the life of Ben Weider and his brother Joe Weider.

Published works

Books

  • Weider B., and Forshufvud S., Assassination At St. Helena: The Poisoning of Napoleon Bonaparte (1978).
  • Weider B., and Hapgood D. The Murder of Napoleon (1982).
  • Weider, B., and Kennedy, R. Superpump!: Hardcore Women's Bodybuilding (1986).
  • Weider, B. and Forshufvud, S. Assassination at St. Helena Revisited (1995).
  • Weider, B. The Murder of Napoleon (1998).
  • Weider, B. Louis Cyr: Amazing Canadian (2000).
  • Weider, B., Weider, J., and Gastelu, D., The Edge (2002). Weider, B. Napoleon: The Man that Shaped Europe (2003).
  • Weider B., Weider J., Schwarzenegger A., Brothers of Iron: Building the Weider Empire (2006)

Journal articles

  • Weider B., and Fournier J.H., Activation analyses of authenticated hairs of Napoleon Bonaparte confirm arsenic poisoning (1999).
  • Weider B., and Fournier J., The Death of Napoleon (1999).

References

References

  1. Jerry D. Morelock. (20 October 2008). "In Memory of Ben Weider, 1923-2008".
  2. [[CTV News]] Staff. (18 October 2008). "Montreal body building guru Ben Weider dies".
  3. Grimes, William. (20 October 2008). "Ben Weider, 85, a Bodybuilding Pioneer". New York Times.
  4. Carlson, Michael. (2 December 2008). "Ben Weider".
  5. (2008-10-20). "Bodybuilding Legend Ben Weider Dies".
  6. "About".
  7. (2005). "New Ben Weider Gym Opens in Lebanon". [[Flex (magazine).
  8. (19 October 2008). "Ben Weider".
  9. (2026-01-31). "Activation Analyses of Authenticated Hairs of Napoleon... : The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology".
  10. Weider, Ben. "Napoleon and the Jews".
  11. Hustak, Alan. (23 September 2008). "Bonaparted".
  12. (21 October 2008). "1,000 mourners honour Weider". [[Montreal Gazette]].
  13. Weir, Alison. (6 December 2012). "The Empire Behind World's Largest History Magazine Chain: How American History Magazine Censored Palestine". If America Knew.
  14. (21 October 2008). "Governor General Announces New Appointments to the Order of Canada". [[Montreal Gazette]].
  15. (19 October 2008). "Bodybuilder Created an Empire". [[Montreal Gazette]].
  16. "About the Institution". History Department of Florida State University.
  17. "The Ben Weider Story".
  18. "Ben Weider".
  19. Dr. Robert Goldman. (March 11, 2014). "2014 International Sports Hall of Fame Inductees".
  20. "Bigger".
  21. (1 June 1978). "The Murder of Napoleon". I B D Ltd.
  22. (1982). "The Murder of Napoleon". New York: Congdon & Lattes : Distributed by St. Martin's Press.
  23. (1 September 2002). "Edge". Sterling Publishing Co Inc..
  24. (25 October 1995). "Assassination at St. Helena Revisited". [[John Wiley & Sons]].
  25. Weider, Ben. (1 December 1998). "The Murder of Napoleon". [[iUniverse]].
  26. Weider, Ben. (1 December 2000). "Louis Cyr: Amazing Canadian". Ironmind Enterprises.
  27. (1 September 2002). "Edge". Avery Publishing Group Inc..
  28. Weider, Ben. (22 September 2003). "Napoleon: The Man That Shaped Europe". Spellmount Publishers.
  29. (December 1999). "Activation analyses of authenticated hairs of Napoleon Bonaparte confirm arsenic poisoning". American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology.
  30. (September 2000). "The Death of Napoleon". American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology.

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