Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig; June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman who spent 17 seasons (1923–39) playing for the New York Yankees.
Gehrig retired in 1939 after contracting ALS
note and died three years later at the age of 37, after which the disease became commonly known (in North America, anyway) as "Lou Gehrig's disease".
He was married to Eleanor Gehrig (née Twitchell; 1904–1984) from 1933 until his death. They had no children, and she never remarried.
Gehrig is well known for playing in 2,130 consecutive games at first base for the Yankees from 1925–39, a record that earned him the nickname "The Iron Horse" and stood for 56 years.note He is also known for his memorable farewell speech given at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, from which the above quote is taken.
Lou Gehrig in media:
Film
- Speedy (1928): A Harold Lloyd comedy in which Gehrig can be briefly glimpsed in the background of a scene where Lloyd's character, a cab driver, drops his teammate Babe Ruth off at Yankee Stadium.
- Rawhide (1938): A Western movie in which Gehrig stars as himself.
- The Pride of the Yankees (1942): A biopic starring Gary Cooper as Gehrig and Teresa Wright as his wife Eleanor.
- A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story (1978): A Made-for-TV Movie starring Edward Herrmann as Lou and Blythe Danner as Eleanor.
- The Babe (1992): A biopic of Babe Ruth in which Michael McGrady appears as Gehrig.
