Anthony Sawyer Horton Jr. (born July 2, 1958),[1] known professionally as Tony Horton, is an American personal trainer, author, and former actor. He is best known as the creator of the commercial home exercise regimen P90X.
Tony Horton | |
|---|---|
 Horton in 2010 | |
| Born | Anthony Sawyer Horton Jr. July 2, 1958 Westerly, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Personal trainer, author |
| Known for | Creating P90X |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Spouse |
Shawna Brannon (m. 2015) |
| Website | tonyhortonlife |
Early life
editTony Horton was one of 3 children born in Westerly, Rhode Island to Anthony Sawyer Horton (Sr.) and Jean (née Gencarelli) Horton, and was raised in Trumbull, Connecticut. He has two sisters. His family is Roman Catholic.[2][3] He was a self-described "98-pound weakling" with a speech impediment.[4]
By the time he was 10-years old, his family had moved more than five times. His father served three years in the Army as a 1st Lieutenant, and the family was stationed at various bases around the U.S. His father was a minor league baseball player, golfer, and yachtsman. Tony Horton became interested in fitness when he took a weightlifting class while attending the University of Rhode Island and was a member of Phi Kappa Psi. After graduation, he moved to Southern California and worked various jobs, including as a stand-up comedian and gofer for 20th Century Fox.[4]
Career
editAfter moving to California in 1980, Horton became a personal trainer to an executive at 20th Century Fox, working out of his garage and charging $20 per lesson. His clientele grew, eventually including Bruce Springsteen, Usher, Tom Petty, Billy Idol and Annie Lennox.[4][5]
He did some improv and worked as an actor.[6] He appeared in a ThighMaster infomercial[7] and a Shakeology commercial and as a spokesperson for NordicTrack.[6] He starred in a number of exercise videos including Power 90, which was marketed by BeachBody.[8] He later created several sequels: P90X (Power 90 Extreme), which was his breakout hit; P90X2, and P90X3.[8]
In 2017 Horton revealed that he was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome type 2.[9]
References
edit- ^ Profile, imdb.com; accessed July 7, 2015.
- ^ Jean (née Gencarelli) Horton obituary, legacy.com; accessed July 9, 2015.
- ^ Anthony Sawyer Horton (Sr.) obituary, legacy.com; accessed July 7, 2015.
- ^ a b c Profile, nytimes.com; accessed July 7, 2015.
- ^ Pfeifer, Stuart (1 January 2012). "Tony Horton: Personal trainer to the masses". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Q&A with P90X Creator and Fitness Guru Tony Horton". Time. August 30, 2012.
- ^ "P90X The All-Star Workout Video - ABC News2.mp4". YouTube. December 4, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
- ^ a b Haupt, Angela (12 September 2013). "Tony Horton, P90X Creator, On What He Eats For Breakfast And How Yoga Saved His Life". HuffPost. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ Miller, Korin (October 26, 2017). "P90X Founder Tony Horton Reveals He's Been Diagnosed With Ramsay Hunt Syndrome". Self.