Bob Harper Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Bob Harper
OCCUPATION: Reality Television Star
BIRTH DATE: August 18, 1965 (Age: 47)
EDUCATION: Austin Peay State University
PLACE OF BIRTH: Nashville, Tennessee
ZODIAC SIGN: Leo

Best Known For

Bob Harper came to fame as a coach on the TV weight-loss competition The Biggest Loser

Quiz

Think you know about Biography?

Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.

Play Now

Print Cite This

Bob Harper

APA Style

Bob Harper. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 09:23, Jun 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/bob-harper-20728663.

Harvard Style

Bob Harper. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/bob-harper-20728663 [Accessed 18 Jun 2013].

MLA Style

"Bob Harper." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 18 2013, 09:23 http://www.biography.com/people/bob-harper-20728663.

MHRA Style

"Bob Harper," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/bob-harper-20728663 [accessed Jun 18, 2013].

Chicago Style

"Bob Harper," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/bob-harper-20728663 (accessed Jun 18, 2013).

CBE/CSE Style

Bob Harper [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/bob-harper-20728663.

Bluebook Style

Bob Harper, http://www.biography.com/people/bob-harper-20728663 (last visited Jun 18, 2013).

AMA Style

Bob Harper. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/bob-harper-20728663. Accessed Jun 18, 2013.

Synopsis

Raised on a cattle farm, Bob Harper was born on August 18, 1965. He discovered his passion for fitness after college, and later moved to Los Angeles. There, Harper trained such celebrities as Ben Stiller and Ellen DeGeneres. In 2004, he started working on the TV weight-loss competition The Biggest Loser. The hit show has made Harper one of the country's most famous fitness experts.

Quotes

I have a real passion for what I do ... I'm the luckiest trainer in the world.

– Bob Harper

Profile

One of America's most famous fitness experts, Bob Harper has been the coach for countless contestants on the hit reality competition The Biggest Loser. But while he's now known for his physical fitness expertise, Harper wasn't always interested in sports. As a child, Harper grew up on a cattle farm in Nashville, Tennessee. He found his current career path after college, becoming a certified fitness instructor.

Moving to Los Angeles in the early 1990s, Harper soon developed a celebrity clientele. Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh was one of his first famous clients. He met comedienne Ellen DeGeneres at a party, and began working with her as well. Harper was then asked to audition for a makeover show called The Swan, but he refused, saying later that he didn't like its emphasis on plastic surgery as a means of personal transformation.

In 2004, Harper became a national fitness personality after landing a job on a new show called The Biggest Loser. He and Jillian Michaels served as coaches for a group of extremely overweight individuals seeking to turn their lives around. While Michaels took more of a hard-line approach with her trainees, Harper had a gentler demeanor with his contestants.

Even after 12 seasons on the show, Harper has not lost his enthusiasm for what he does. "Every single season . . . is ever changing. Contestants are coming in for the very first time and you're embarking on this journey." The show's contestants respond well to his friendly manner and his "inside-out" exercise philosophy; Harper strives to help each trainee achieve mind, body and spiritual fitness.

Through his work on The Biggest Loser, Harper has become a celebrity in his own right. He has written several books, including 2008's Are You Ready!: Take Charge, Lose Weight, Get in Shape, and Change, and produced numerous work-out DVDs. In 2011, Harper also launched a line of nutritional supplements.

Harper lives in Los Angeles with his dog Karl. Despite his hectic schedule, he still finds time to teach exercise classes in the area.