Corinna "Cory" Everson (néeKneuer; born January 4, 1958) is an American female bodybuilding champion and actress. Everson won the Ms. Olympia contest six years in a row from 1984 to 1989.[1]
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.[3][4]
Bodybuilding career
Everson began to train seriously as a bodybuilder after her graduation, and made rapid progress. In the early years, she and her husband trained at Ernie's Gym on Sherman Avenue in Madison. She won the Ms. Olympia bodybuilding contest at her first participation and remained undefeated from 1984 to 1989 when she retired from competition.[5]
Contest history
1980 Ms. Mid America - 1st (tall and overall)
1980 American Couples - 3rd (with Jeff Everson)
1981 Ms. Midwest Open - 1st (tall & overall)
1981 Ms. Central USA - 1st (HW and overall)
1981 Couples America - 1st (with Jeff Everson)
1981 American Championships - 11th (MW)
1982 Ms. East Coast - 1st (MW)
1982 Bodybuilding Expo III - 2nd (MW)
1982 Bodybuilding Expo Couples - 2nd (with Jeff Everson)
After retiring from competition, Everson turned to acting with her first major movie appearance being Double Impact (1991) alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme.[9] She took a minor role in Natural Born Killers (1994). Then in Ballistic (1995), she reprised the evil musclewoman role, losing the final fight to Marjean Holden playing an undercover cop. Everson has made a number of guest appearances in television series, most notably playing Atalanta on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. She appeared in two episodes of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. with her sister, Cameo Kneuer. In 1991, Everson appeared on To Tell The Truth game show. Everson was the original host of the fitness show BodyShaping,[10] which she also produced. She also hosted her own exercise show on ESPN, Cory Everson's Gotta Sweat,[11] for seven years.
She married Jeff Everson in 1982. They divorced in 1996; however, she continues to use Everson as her stage name. In 1998, she married Dr. Steve Donia, a dentist; they have two children whom they adopted from Russia. She became active with Nightlight Christian Adoptions, an adoption agency that brings orphans from Russia and Belarus to the US to stay with families looking to adopt a child.[12]
Everson's sister, Cameo Kneuer, is a two-time Ms. National Fitness champion and a mainstay of the TV game series Knights and Warriors
Books authored
Strength Training for Beauty Volume 3 - Number 1Runner's World Magazine Company (1986)
Superflex: Ms. Olympia's Guide to Building a Strong & Sexy Body Contemporary Books (1987) ISBN0-8092-4865-4 with Jeff Everson
^ abHarrington, Richard (August 12, 1991). "Double Impact". Washington Post. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
^Rushin, Steve (July 17, 1989). "Are You Sweating Yet?". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
