Bonomo was born to Esther and Albert Bonomo,
Sephardic Jewish immigrants from
Smyrna, Turkey. His mother emigrated to the United States in 1890 or 1893 and his father in 1894; both lived for a time in France before sailing to their respective emigrations. As a child Bonomo built himself into a strongman, winning the "Mr. Modern Apollo" contest of 1921, for which the prizes included a ten-week movie contract. He began as a
stunt double, soon doubling for
Lon Chaney in
The Hunchback of Notre Dame and then playing a variety of roles. He lost the role of
Tarzan in
Tarzan the Mighty when he injured himself before shooting. Bonomo took interest in
dieting and
physical culture. His 1954 book
Power Plus Cable Course was endorsed by
Bernarr Macfadden. In 1951 he authored
Calorie Counter and Control Guide, which sold 17 million copies. ==Selected filmography==