RIP Charles Gaines

 

Charles Gaines, author of Birmingham-based novel ‘Pumping Iron,’ dies at 84

AL.com

By Michaela Yielding

July 21, 2026

 

 

Charles Latham Gaines III, the Birmingham author whose book and documentary “Pumping Iron” helped launch Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career and bring bodybuilding into the mainstream, died at age 84 on July 21, 2026.

According to alabamaauthors.org, Gaines was born January 6, 1942, to Margaret Shook Gaines and Charles Latham Gaines in Jacksonville, Florida. When he was about 10, he and his family moved to Birmingham.

In Birmingham, Gaines attended Mountain Brook Grammar School, Indian Springs School and Birmingham University School, one of the institutions that later became the Altamont School, according to the American Museum of Fly Fishing.

According to the Notable People Project, in 1960, Gaines enrolled at Washington and Lee University but left the school to travel the country. He later enrolled at Birmingham-Southern College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963. Gaines married his wife Patricia Ellisor, an artist and the 1961 Miss Alabama, on June 20, 1963.

They were married for 63 years until his passing.

The alabamaauthors.org profile noted that Gaines and his wife spent two years living in Ireland, where he wrote and she painted and sculpted. In 1967, He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa Creative Writing Workshop.

Gaines had three children: Latham, Greta and Shelby. Since 2003, Gaines and his wife split their time between homes in Monastery, Nova Scotia and Argo, Alabama.

Gaines published numerous books throughout his career, including novels “Stay Hungry,” “Dangler” and “Survival Games.”

According to Alabama Public Radio, Gaines’ first novel, “Stay Hungry,” published in 1972, and set in Birmingham, drew on the bodybuilding culture he explored as a teenager. Gaines later wrote the screenplay adaptation, which became the 1976 film “Stay Hungry,” starring Jeff Bridges, Sally Field and Schwarzenegger.

The film was shot in Birmingham and featured several historical sites.

His non-fiction book, “Pumping Iron” and the later film of the same name, which he wrote and narrated, are credited with introducing competitive bodybuilding and Arnold Schwarzenegger to a wider audience, according to The Barbell.

Gaines and George Butler used the book as the basis for their 1977 documentary “Pumping Iron.” The film centers on the rivalry between Schwarzenegger and fellow bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno in the competition for the Mr. Olympia title.

According to IMDb, “Pumping Iron” became a box-office success, helping make Schwarzenegger a household name and popularized the bodybuilding culture, which became a fitness craze of the 1980s.

In 2023, Gaines wrote about the kidnapping of his friend, Birmingham businessman Elton B. Stephens Jr., in 2020.

The American Museum of Fly Fishing notes that Gaines was a lifelong bird hunter and angler who fished in more than 25 countries. He was a founding member of the U.S. Fly Fishing Team and competed in World Championship Fly Fishing events in New Zealand and Tasmania.

Gaines wrote scripts for two feature films, two award-winning documentaries and a PBS adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel “Summer.” He also wrote numerous segments for ABC’s “American Sportsman.”

Gaines was the recipient of two Emmys and two Cine Golden Eagle Awards for his television writing, according to Alabama Authors.

According to his client profile for InkWell management, he also wrote extensively for publications including Harper’s, GEO, Sports Illustrated, Town & Country, Architectural Digest, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, Men’s Journal and Esquire.

Gaines also served as a board member of the U.S. Fly Fishing Team and a U.S. National Council member of the Atlantic Salmon Federation.

Along with Hayes Noel and Bob Gurnsey, Gaines co-invented the game of paintball and co-founded the company National Survival Game. He received the Paintball Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Paintball Hall of Fame.

The Notable People Project wrote that he was inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame in 2018 and received the Truman Capote Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Literary Nonfiction in 2020. In 2026, he received the Heritage Award from the American Museum of Fly Fishing for his contributions to the sport and to fishery conservation.

Gaines was also named a Distinguished Alumnus by both The Altamont School, formerly Birmingham University School, and Birmingham-Southern College, according to The American Museum of Fly Fishing. He periodically taught as an associate professor in the Graduate Creative Writing Program at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky.

Gaines is survived by his wife, Patricia; children, Latham, Greta and Shelby Gaines; five grandchildren Cassidy and Ryder Haje, and Lucy Bo, Belle and Rose Gaines; and his sister, Hansell Burke, along with her children, Monte, Justin and Chris.

GAINES, Charles (Charles Latham Gaines III)

Born: 1/6/1942, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A.

Died: 7/21/2026, Trussville, Alabama, U.S.A.

 

Charles Gaines’ western – actor:

Thomasine & Bushrod - 1974 (bank customer)