Juliette Bergmann

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Juliette Bergmann (born November 30, 1958) is a Dutch professional bodybuilder known as the Grecian Ideal. She was born in Vlaardingen, Netherlands, to a Dutch mother and an Indonesian father, and is one of five children. Her early life was marked by family loss, which she says helped shape her discipline. She studied financial management, journalism, and fitness training, and she married in 1975 (the name Meijer) before divorcing in 1985.

Bergmann began bodybuilding in 1981 to lose weight with her ex-husband, after seeing a female bodybuilding contest. She entered her first competition in 1982 and won. She decided to pursue bodybuilding seriously after a 1983 contest. She won the Dutch National Championship in 1984 and 1985.

Her pro career kicked off with the 1985 Ms. Olympia, where she finished 14th. In 1986 she won the Pro World Championship, placed second in the Ms. International by one point, and finished sixth at Ms. Olympia. In 1988, at the World Pro Championships, she was disqualified after testing positive in a drug test.

After a planned return in 1991 was delayed by a badly broken ankle from a dog attack, Bergmann worked as a pro judge and served as secretary/treasurer of the Dutch bodybuilding federation. In 2001 she returned to competition after a 12-year break and won the lightweight class of Ms. Olympia, defeating the heavyweight class winner Iris Kyle to take the overall title—the only time a lightweight winner has won Ms. Olympia overall. She won the lightweight class again in 2002 and 2003, but Lenda Murray won the overall title both years, and Bergmann retired after the 2003 Ms. Olympia.

In 2009 she was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame. She has served as president of the Dutch IFBB, director of IFBB Thailand, a member of the IFBB executive council, and chairwoman of the EBFF fitness committee. Bergmann has lived in the Netherlands and Thailand, continues to work in the fitness world, and remains one of the most successful Dutch bodybuilders.