Berry DeMey Gallery

Berry de Mey Biography

Berry de Mey was born on February 23, 1962 in Rotterdam, a city in South Holland, the Netherlands, which has the largest cargo port in Europe. De Mey or The Flexing Dutchman, as was his moniker, broke into bodybuilding competition in 1980 at 18 years of age. In the early 1980s, De Mey won many national and international bodybuilding competitions and by 1985 he became world champion by beating London at the World Games among other rivals from the USA and Russia. De Mey achieved his greatest success at the 1989 IFBB Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition in Los Angeles, winning a bronze behind Lee Haney and second place finisher Rich Gaspari. In 1991 Berry de Mey joined WWF wrestling promoter Vince McMahon’s newly formed World Bodybuilding Federation where he took 3rd in their Grand Prix competition. The WBF folded after two events and De Mey went back to Weider’s IFBB for two more contests before retiring at age 32. What is now called the WWE was called the WWF until May 5, 2002 when they launched their “Get The F Out” marketing campaign and changed all references from “WWF” to “WWE” due to a legal “initialism” conflict with the World Wildlife Fund, or WWF)

One of De Mey’s amazing victories was the 1982 IFBB Mr. Europe when he won the title as a junior (20 years old only) in the seniors category heavyweights category. As of this writing,  Arnold Schwarzenegger and Berry de Mey are the only bodybuilders to have achieved this.

De Mey was inducted to the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2008 and in 2011 he founded his own food supplement company, Berry de Mey Nutrition.

Berry De Mey remains one of the uncommon bodybuilders who is over six feet in height, has a Hollywood looks, and an aesthetic frame.  An interesting side note is that the people of De Mey’s Holland have an average male height of over six feet where as American’s average male height is 5’9″. What’s amazing is that average male height in Holland, according to military records, has gained 20 cm (eight inches) in the last 150 years. The reason is not clearly known at this point and may require a separate Built Report article.

Berry De mey’s contest history is here.

Berry DeMey Bodybuilding Contest Results

1980

Mr Holland – NPBO, Junior, 2nd
Holland Hercules – NPBO, Junior, 1st
Holland Iron Man – NPBO, Junior, 1st

1981

European Championships – WABBA, Junior, 3rd
Mr Holland – BBBN, Junior, 1st

1982

European Amateur Championships – IFBB, HeavyWeight, 1st
Holland Grand Prix – NBBF, HeavyWeight, 1st

1983

World Amateur Championships – IFBB, HeavyWeight, 2nd

1984

World Amateur Championships – IFBB, HeavyWeight, 2nd

1985

Olympia – IFBB, 6th
World Games, HeavyWeight, 1st
World Games, Overall Winner

1986

Night of Champions – IFBB, 6th
Olympia – IFBB, 5th

1987

Grand Prix France – IFBB, 6th
Grand Prix Germany (2) – IFBB, 9th
Grand Prix Germany – IFBB, 6th
Olympia – IFBB, 6th

1988

Grand Prix England – IFBB, 3rd
Grand Prix France – IFBB, 3rd
Grand Prix Germany – IFBB, 2nd
Grand Prix Greece – IFBB, 3rd
Grand Prix Italy – IFBB, 4th
Grand Prix Spain (2) – IFBB, 3rd
Grand Prix Spain – IFBB, 3rd
Olympia – IFBB, 3rd

1990

Grand Prix Holland – IFBB, 4th

1991

WBF Grand Prix – WBF, 3rd

1993

Night of Champions – IFBB, 10th

1994

Arnold Classic – IFBB, 15th