| Cory Everson | |
|---|---|
| Personal Info | |
| Born | January 4, 1958 Racine, Wisconsin[1] |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | (In Season): 155-160 lbs. (Off-Season):160-165 lbs. |
| Professional Career | |
| Pro-debut | IFBB North American, 1982 |
| Best win | Undefeated in professional competition Ms. Olympia six consecutive times, 1984-1989 |
| Predecessor | Carla Dunlap |
| Successor | Lenda Murray |
| Active | Retired 1989 |
Corinna Kneuer (born January 4, 1958),[2] best known by her stage name Cory (or Corey) Everson, is an American female bodybuilding champion and actress. She won the Ms. Olympia contest six years in a row from 1984 to 1989.[3]
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Corinna Kneuer was born in Racine, Wisconsin and attended high school in Deerfield, Illinois. She attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she was a multi-sport standout (gymnastics, track & field and badminton).[4]
While attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison, she met Jeff Everson, a competitive bodybuilder who worked there as a strength coach. They married in 1982. While they were married, the Eversons built a successful mail-order clothing business called Sampson and Delilah.[5]
Everson, who adopted a Romanian child, is active with Nightlight Christian Adoptions, a charity that brings orphans from Russia and Belarus to the US to stay with families looking to adopt a child.[6]
Cory Everson began to train seriously as a bodybuilder after her graduation, and made rapid progress. In the early years, she and Jeff trained at Ernie's Gym on Sherman Avenue in Madison.
Everson is unique in having never lost a Ms. Olympia contest.[7]
In January 1999, Everson was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame, as part of the inaugural group.[8] She was inducted into the Muscle Beach Venice Body Building Hall of Fame on September 5, 2005.
At the 2007 Arnold Classic she became the first woman to be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2008, Everson was inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame.[9]
After retiring from competition, Everson began acting. Her first major movie appearance was in Double Impact (1991) alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme.[10] In it she plays Kara, a bone-crushing assassin to the main badguy.[11] This involves a number of impressive fight scenes. She took a minor role in Natural Born Killers (1994). Then in Ballistic (1995), (known in some countries as Fist of Justice) she reprised the evil musclewoman role with bravado. However she loses the final epic fight to Marjean Holden playing an undercover cop.
Everson has made a number of TV guest appearances, most notably playing Atalanta on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
Everson was the original host of the fitness show BodyShaping,[12] which she also produced. She also hosted her own exercise show on ESPN, Cory Everson's Gotta Sweat,[13] for seven years.
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1996 | Felony | Sondra | |
| 1995 | Ballistic | Claudia | |
| 1994 | Natural Born Killers | TV Mallory | |
| 1991 | Double Impact[10] | Kara | |
| 1986 | The Morning After | Miss Olympia |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Charmed | Hulk Paige | Episode: "Hulkus Pocus" as Corey Everson |
| 1998 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Atalanta | Episode: "If I Had a Hammer" |
| 1997 | Home Improvement | Herself | Episode: "Pump You Up" |
| 1996 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Atalanta | Episode: "Let the Games Begin" |
| Goode Behavior | Episode: "Goode Sport" | ||
| Tarzan: The Epic Adventures | Mara | Episodes: "Tarzan's Return: Part 1" and "Part 2" | |
| Strange Luck | Physik Receptionist | Episode: "Wrong Number" | |
| 1995 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Atalanta | Episode: "Ares" |
| 1994 | Renegade | Aurora | Episode: "Muscle Beach" |
| Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Amazon Woman #1 | Episode: "Wall of Sound" | |
| 1993 | The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. | Katrina Schwenke | Episodes: "No Man's Land" and "Steel Horses" |
Cory and Jeff Everson divorced in 1996; however, she kept 'Everson' as her stage name. She married Dr. Steve Donia, a cosmetic dentist, in 1998; they have two children that they adopted from Russia. Everson's sister, Cameo Kneuer, is a two-time Ms. National Fitness champion.
| Ms. Olympia | ||
| Preceded by: Carla Dunlap |
First (1984) | Succeeded by: Herself |
| Preceded by: Herself |
Second (1985) | Succeeded by: Herself |
| Preceded by: Herself |
Third (1986) | Succeeded by: Herself |
| Preceded by: Herself |
Fourth (1987) | Succeeded by: Herself |
| Preceded by: Herself |
Fifth (1988) | Succeeded by: Herself |
| Preceded by: Herself |
Sixth (1989) | Succeeded by: Lenda Murray |