Henri Christophe Dickerson (August 25, 1939 – December 23, 2021) was an American professional bodybuilder.

Early life

Dickerson was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on August 25, 1939. He was the youngest of triplets. His mother, Mahala Ashley Dickerson, was a lawyer and civil rights advocate for women and minorities. He graduated high school at Olney Friends School in 1957. In 1959, he began attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, studying acting, singing, and ballet. There, a teacher recommended he strengthen his chest to strengthen his voice.

Bodybuilding career

One of the world's most titled bodybuilders, Dickerson's competitive career spanned thirty years; he was known for both his heavily muscled, symmetrical physique and for his skills on the posing dais. After seeing Mr. Universe Bill Pearl in a magazine, Dickerson changed his focus from acting to bodybuilding, and, at age 24, he began training at Pearl's Los Angeles gym. Dickerson first entered a bodybuilding competition in 1965 by taking third place at that year's Mr. Long Beach competition. He turned pro in 1973 and won a total of 15 professional bodybuilding titles across four organizations during his career. Bill Pearl trained and advised him throughout his career. Dickerson was the first African-American AAU Mr. America, the first openly gay winner of the IFBB Mr. Olympia contest, and one of only two bodybuilders (along with Dexter Jackson) to win titles in both the Mr. Olympia and Masters Olympia competitions. He won the Mr. Olympia once (1982), a distinction he shares with Samir Bannout (1983) and Dexter Jackson (2008) who have since retired, Shawn Rhoden (2018) who has since died, as well as Brandon Curry (2019) and Hadi Choopan (2022) who are currently active. Dickerson retired after winning the 50+ division at the 1994 Masters Olympia and was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2000. Dickerson lived in Florida where he continued to train, conduct seminars, and correspond with current athletes.

Modeling

During the 1960s, Dickerson did much physique modeling. His 1970s nude work for photographer Jim French is today considered some of the best in an admittedly limited field. He appeared in French's hardcover photo essay, Man (1972), and also posed for the photographer ten years later. These photos ran in an issue of Olympus, published by Colt Studios.

Personal life and death

Dickerson was gay, which was known in bodybuilding circles, but he did not often publicly discuss this at the height of his career. He later acknowledged that his sexual orientation, along with being black, was a barrier. Dickerson died on December 23, 2021, at age 82, from heart failure.

Bodybuilding titles