Bruce Jenner Life

William Bruce Jenner

One of the most beloved athletes of the 1970s, track athlete Bruce Jenner won a gold medal and set a world record in the decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Since then, he's appeared on the popular reality show 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'. He first made headlines when he won a gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games, now Bruce Jenner is making headlines for his dramatic transformation before the public eye. Take a look back at the jaw-dropping evolution of an American icon

Early Life and Career

Born William Bruce Jenner on October 28, 1949, in Mount Kisco, New York, Bruce Jenner struggled with dyslexia and sought success through sports in his youth. In high school, Jenner excelled in water skiing, football, basketball and track. He accepted a football scholarship from Graceland College in Iowa, but after a knee injury took him out of the game, he switched to track and field. His college track coach, L.D. Weldon, convinced Jenner to train for the Olympic decathlon. Little did the athlete know then that he would go on to become one of the most beloved athletes of the 1970s.

Bruce Jenner interview

Bruce Jenner's rumored plans to become a woman spread around the world like wildfire.

Speculation ensued, and photos of his evolving appearance popped up constantly.

In February, Jenner's mother Esther spoke to the Associated Press about the news, saying he is "at peace with what he is and what he's doing."

She further elaborated.

"He said, 'I want to be honest about my identity and I know this is coming out in the press,' " his mother says. "He started by saying, 'We need to have a long, serious talk.' "

The talking has just begun, as a long-awaited interview between Diane Sawyer and Bruce Jenner finally has an air date — and it's quite ironic.

"Bruce Jenner — The Interview" is set to air on Friday, April 24. It happens to be the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and his Kardashian counterparts will be overseas at that time.

Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, who are half Armenian, will be there with their mother Kris, although sources say the visit is not tied to the anniversary.

Either way, this keeps all eyes on Jenner for what promises to be a very telling two hours.

Sources tell TMZ that the interview will be intimate and compelling, chronicling Jenner's early years identifying as a woman, to the present where he is reportedly deep into the transformation.

The interview will air on ABC as a special edition of "20/20."

The network won't release details, other than the fact the Sawyer conducted a "far-ranging, exclusive interview."

TV Career

Jenner has had some success in a television career. He starred in the made-for-TV movies The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story (1980) and Grambling's White Tiger (1981). From 1981 to 1982, he became a semi-regular cast member on the police series CHiPs, guest-starring as Officer Steve McLeish (substituting for star Erik Estrada, who was lodged in a contract dispute with NBC and MGM), for six episodes. He also appeared on an episode of the sitcom Silver Spoons called "Trouble with Words", wherein he revealed his dyslexia in a storyline that dealt with a teenaged recurring character dealing with the same problem. He appeared on the series Learn To Read and in the video games Olympic Decathlon (1981) and Bruce Jenner's World Class Decathlon (1996).

His "hero shot", the finish of the final event of 1976 Olympic decathlon, and Wheaties cover were parodied by John Belushi on Saturday Night Live endorsing "Little Chocolate Donuts".

Jenner has appeared as himself on a variety of game shows and reality television programs. He starred with Grits Gresham in an episode of ABC's The American Sportsman. The program featured Gresham hunting, fishing, or shooting in exotic spots with celebrities. In the early 1990s, Jenner was the host of an infomercial for a stair-climbing exercise machine called the Stair Climber Plus.

In January 2002, Jenner participated in an episode of the American series, The Weakest Link, featuring Olympic athletes. In February and March 2003, he was part of the cast of the American series,I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. He had a cameo appearance in a season-three episode of The Apprentice, which aired in May 2005. He was partnered with Tai Babilonia for Skating with Celebrities in an episode that aired January–March 2006 (they were eliminated during the fifth of seven episodes). Jenner served as a guest judge on Pet Star on Animal Planet, and appeared on NBC's game show Identity, as well as Celebrity Family Feud with his family. In November 2010, a photograph of Jenner played the role of a janitorial resume in an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Other television and talk show appearances by Jenner include Nickelodeon's made-for-TV film Gym Teacher: The Movie as well as episodes of Murder, She Wrote, Family Guy, Pet Star on Animal Planet, Identity, Lingo Olympic Winners episode and Celebrity Family Feud as well as such talk shows as Hannity and The Bonnie Hunt Show.

Since late 2007, Jenner has starred in the E! reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians along with wife Kris Jenner, stepdaughters Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and stepson Rob (from Kris' marriage to attorney Robert Kardashian), and daughters Kylie and Kendall. Season 2 had an average of 1.6 million viewers, an increase over the previous cycle. Jenner has also made cameo appearances on the show's spinoff series.

Auto-racing career

Jenner was a successful race car driver in the IMSA Camel GT series (International Motor Sports Association) in the 1980s. His first victory came in the 1986 12 hours of Sebring in the IMSA GTO class driving the 7-Eleven Roush Racing Ford Mustang with co-driver Scott Pruett, not only winning their class but finishing 4th overall in the 12-hour endurance race. His most successful year was also 1986, when he finished second in the championship to Pruett.

"I was a lot more badass runner than I was a driver."

—Jenner

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