Gene Simmons Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American artist famous for his fire breathing hard rock band, KISS. Apart from being the co-founder of this group, he is also a singer, musician, TV personality, actor, entrepreneur, and songwriter.

Simmons traveled to New York when he was young. Similar to many other American teenagers of the 1960s era, Simmons too was inspired by rock & roll music, thriller movies, and superheroes of comic books.

As a result, in January 1973, Simmons co-founded a hard rock band KISS with rhythm guitarist and singer Paul Stanley.

Born Name

Chaim Witz

Nick Name

The Demon, Gene the Nazarene, The God of Thunder, Genie, Dr. Love, Reginald Van Helsing

Sun Sign

Virgo

Born Place

Tirat Carmel, Haifa, Israel

Residence

Los Angeles, California, United States

Nationality

Education

Gene Simmons went to Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, which is a Jewish religious school. He went to Newtown High School (Queens) to complete his high school studies. After that, he attended Richmond College and Sullivan County Community College.

Occupation

Musician, TV personality, songwriter, singer

Family

• Father – Ferenc “Feri” Yehiel Witz (Carpenter)
• Mother – Florence Klein
• Siblings – None
• Others – Kobi Witz (Half-Brother), Drora Witz (Half-Sister), Sharon Witz (Half-Sister), Ogenia Witz (Half-Sister), Jeno Klein/Kovacs (Maternal Grandfather), Eszter Blau (Maternal Grandmother)

Manager

Doc McGhee of McGhee Entertainment.

Genre

Hard Rock, Heavy Metal

Instruments

Bass guitar, Vocals

Labels

Gene has released the music via Casablanca, Mercury, Roadrunner Records, Kiss, and Universal Music Group.

Build

Muscular

Height

6 ft 2 in or 188 cm

Weight

108 kg or 238 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Gene Simmons has dated –

1. Linda Johansen – Gene has claimed that he had an intimate encounter with Linda Johansen. She was a beautiful model of that era who later turned into a Norwegian businesswoman.
2. Wendy O. Williams – Wendy Orlean Williams and Gene had a lot of things in common. She was a lead singer in the punk rock and metal group. They had dated for a short period.
3. Bonnie Large – American model Bonnie Large has also declared her romantic encounter with Gene Simmons.
4. Connie Hamzy – Gene shared sweet moments with Connie Hamzy too. However, their bonding didn’t last long.
5. Liza Minnelli – During the late 1980s, Simmons used to work as a recording manager for Liza Minnelli. At that time, several rumors emerged that Minnelli and Simmons had a secret relationship, which was a bit more than just being business partners.
6. Liv Ullmann – In the 1970s, Simmons started dating Liv Johanne Ullman, a famous Norwegian screenwriter, actress, and director. However, the new bonding couldn’t continue beyond a few dates.
7. Jessica Hahn – Jessica Hahn is another name in the list. Gene used to date former actress and model Jessica.
8. Georgeann Walsh Ward (1971-1974) – Georgeann Walsh Ward was the girlfriend of Gene Simmons during the late 1970s.
9. Katey Sagal (1972-1978) – Even though Gene Simmons had an unstable relationship with Katey Sagal, their relationship lasted for years. Katey used to work in a diner. She fell in love with Simmons at the age of 18 when the KISS team visited the restaurant after finishing one of their concerts.
10. Cher (1978-1980) – Gene had an open relationship with an iconic pop singer and actress Cher. They were in a relationship for almost two years, from 1978 to 1980.
11. Diana Ross (1980-1983) – The KISS bassist started dating singer Diana Ross in 1980. However, Simmons used to appear in public with his signature makeup. Thus, while giving photographs with his newest girlfriend, Simmons used to cover the below half portion of his face with a handkerchief.
12. Star Stowe – After three years of relationship with Diana, an American model Star Stowe grabbed the eye of Simmons. They were in an open relationship and dated each other for an untold period.
13. Shannon Tweed (1983-Present) – Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed are in a relationship since 1983. She is a model, actress, and reality star. After a long relationship of almost 28 years, the couple decided to get married on October 1, 2011. Gene has two children from Shannon Tweed; daughter Sophie Simmons (b. July 7, 1992) and son Nick Simmons (b. January 22, 1989).

Race / Ethnicity

White

Simmons belongs to the Hungarian Jewish family. He has Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.

Hair Color

Black

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Multi-talented artist
• Has over 7-inches long tongue
• Often wears sunglasses

Brand Endorsements

Some of the popular TV commercials that have Gene’s striking appearance include Dr. Pepper Cherry soda (2009), Pepsi, and Nike, Universal Studios Florida (2003), etc.

Religion

Judaism

Best Known For

• Playing bass guitar and his large tongue
• His fire spitting and stage blood vomiting demonic character

First Album

As a solo artist, Gene Simmons released the album Gene Simmons in 1978.

As a member of the band KISS, his first album with them was KISS released in February 1974. It was certified as Gold in Canada and U.S.

First Film

In 1984, Gene made his debut theatrical film appearance in the science fiction action film Runaway in the role of Dr. Charles Luther.

First TV Show

Along with his KISS bandmates, Gene first appeared in a daytime talk show called The Mike Douglas Show in 1974.

Personal Trainer

Gene takes good care of his health. He likes simple walking exercise. He usually prefers long-drawn hikes that are as long as 5 miles.

Furthermore, he doesn’t prefer music or the use of a cellphone while doing his daily exercises. Gene also feels proud of having a big house that has three floors, with no elevators which also adds up some daily steps.

Gene Simmons Favorite Things

• Food – French bread, especially those extra-long sandwiches that have a little mayo. He likes the combination of spicy food with Swiss cheese. When it comes to desserts, Simmons like jelly rolls, jams, chocolates, and chewy pastries.

Source – Food and Wine, Food and Wine

Gene Simmons Facts

1. He was a teacher in an elementary school before starting the band ‘KISS’.
2. He designed the axe-shaped customized bass guitar.
3. Gene is also the owner of a men’s lifestyle magazine called “Gene Simmons’ Tongue” which he started in 2002.
4. In August 2002, he launched the fashion label called “Gene Simmons – Dragonfly.”
5. He never smoked, used drugs, or drank alcohol throughout his career.
6. He is one of the best fire-breathers who can hit almost 15 feet high flame.
7. He supports various social causes such as the environment, women’s rights to abortion, etc.
8. He can speak multiple languages that include English, Japanese, Hungarian, German, and Hebrew.
9. He does a lot of hard work, whether it is for the launch of his own brands of cola, diet cola, and root beer or any other third party project.
10. He believes that fans should pay for the music.
11. He has had a dog named ‘Snippy’.
12. In May 2016, he told The Sun that he had slept with over 4,800 groupies during his crazy times and he had polaroids with most of them. But, his wife Shannon Tweed made him burn all of them.
13. In March 2021, Gene and Shannon Tweed bought a 3,700-square-foot house in Malibu, California for $5.8 million. Later, in May 2021, the couple purchased an 11,000 square foot house in Henderson, Nevada, for $8.2 million.
14. In August 2021, it was revealed that Gene had been tested positive for COVID-19.

Featured Image by Jason Hargrove / Flickr / CC BY 2.0