Steve Reeves(1926-2000)
- Actor
- Writer
Though he did not possess a Herculean acting talent by any stretch,
handsome bodybuilder Steve Reeves certainly had an enviable Herculean
physique, and made plenty good use of it in Europe during the late
1950s and early 1960s portraying some of filmdom's most famous bronzed
gods. Reeves was originally a Montana boy born on a cattle ranch in
1926. His destiny was revealed early in the game when, at the age of
six months, he won his first fitness title as "Healthiest Baby of
Valley County." His father Lester died in a farming accident when Steve
was just a boy, and his family moved to Oakland (California). He first
developed an interest in bodybuilding while in high school.
Steve joined the Army in his late teens where his job was loading
boxcars and trucks. He also worked out loyally at the gym during his
free time and the combination helped develop his body quite rapidly.
Following Army service (he served for a time in the Pacific), he
decided to pursue bodybuilding professionally. In 1946, at the age of
20, he won "Mr. Pacific Coast" in Oregon, which led to his titles of
"Mr. Western America" (1947), Mr. America" (1947), "Mr. World" (1948)
and, ultimately, "Mr. Universe" (1950).
With all the body-worshiping publicity he garnered, he decided to
travel to New York to study and pursue acting. He subsequently returned
to California...and Hollywood. There were not huge opportunities for a
muscleman in Tinseltown other than providing pectoral background. Steve
was, however, considered for the lead role in Cecil B. DeMille's biblical
costumer Samson and Delilah (1949), but refused when told by the legendary director he
would have to lose some of his musculature (about 15 lbs.). The part
instead went to Victor Mature. Steve did manage to snag the role of a
detective in infamous director Edward D. Wood Jr.'s Jail Bait (1954). Small parts on TV
also came his way, but they too were mostly posing bits or walk-ons. To
the Hollywood power players, Steve was just a body. Whether he could
act or not was not a concern or selling point. Fans just wanted to see
him take his shirt off.
Down on his luck, Steve's fortunes change when Italian film director
Pietro Francisci saw him play Jane Powell's boyfriend in the feature film Athena (1954)
and persuaded him to go overseas to star in Hercules (1958) (US title:
"Hercules"). Though critics dismissed the film as "muddled mythology"
while denigrating its cheapjack production values (including a
poorly-dubbed sound track), the public went crazy over the
sword-and-sandal epic and, in particular, Steve's marvelous beefcake
heroics. He became an "overnight" star. Sequels followed, none any
better or worse, with him going through the paces as a number
absurdly-muscled biblical and mythological figures. An able horseman,
he also performed many of his own stunts. Moreover, he paved the way
for other pumped-up acting hopefuls (Ed Fury, Mark Forest, Reg Park) to seek
their fame and fortune in Italy as a feature-length Samson, Ursus or
Colossus. Nobody, however, came close to topping Steve in popularity.
A shoulder injury forced Steve's retirement, spending the remainder of
his life promoting steroid-free bodybuilding while living on a ranch
and breeding horses. The more recent bodybuilders of fame such as
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno, both Hercules impersonators of yore, have given
Steve significant credit for their respective acting successes. Married
twice, Steve died in Southern California of lymphoma on May 1, 2000, at
age 74.
handsome bodybuilder Steve Reeves certainly had an enviable Herculean
physique, and made plenty good use of it in Europe during the late
1950s and early 1960s portraying some of filmdom's most famous bronzed
gods. Reeves was originally a Montana boy born on a cattle ranch in
1926. His destiny was revealed early in the game when, at the age of
six months, he won his first fitness title as "Healthiest Baby of
Valley County." His father Lester died in a farming accident when Steve
was just a boy, and his family moved to Oakland (California). He first
developed an interest in bodybuilding while in high school.
Steve joined the Army in his late teens where his job was loading
boxcars and trucks. He also worked out loyally at the gym during his
free time and the combination helped develop his body quite rapidly.
Following Army service (he served for a time in the Pacific), he
decided to pursue bodybuilding professionally. In 1946, at the age of
20, he won "Mr. Pacific Coast" in Oregon, which led to his titles of
"Mr. Western America" (1947), Mr. America" (1947), "Mr. World" (1948)
and, ultimately, "Mr. Universe" (1950).
With all the body-worshiping publicity he garnered, he decided to
travel to New York to study and pursue acting. He subsequently returned
to California...and Hollywood. There were not huge opportunities for a
muscleman in Tinseltown other than providing pectoral background. Steve
was, however, considered for the lead role in Cecil B. DeMille's biblical
costumer Samson and Delilah (1949), but refused when told by the legendary director he
would have to lose some of his musculature (about 15 lbs.). The part
instead went to Victor Mature. Steve did manage to snag the role of a
detective in infamous director Edward D. Wood Jr.'s Jail Bait (1954). Small parts on TV
also came his way, but they too were mostly posing bits or walk-ons. To
the Hollywood power players, Steve was just a body. Whether he could
act or not was not a concern or selling point. Fans just wanted to see
him take his shirt off.
Down on his luck, Steve's fortunes change when Italian film director
Pietro Francisci saw him play Jane Powell's boyfriend in the feature film Athena (1954)
and persuaded him to go overseas to star in Hercules (1958) (US title:
"Hercules"). Though critics dismissed the film as "muddled mythology"
while denigrating its cheapjack production values (including a
poorly-dubbed sound track), the public went crazy over the
sword-and-sandal epic and, in particular, Steve's marvelous beefcake
heroics. He became an "overnight" star. Sequels followed, none any
better or worse, with him going through the paces as a number
absurdly-muscled biblical and mythological figures. An able horseman,
he also performed many of his own stunts. Moreover, he paved the way
for other pumped-up acting hopefuls (Ed Fury, Mark Forest, Reg Park) to seek
their fame and fortune in Italy as a feature-length Samson, Ursus or
Colossus. Nobody, however, came close to topping Steve in popularity.
A shoulder injury forced Steve's retirement, spending the remainder of
his life promoting steroid-free bodybuilding while living on a ranch
and breeding horses. The more recent bodybuilders of fame such as
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno, both Hercules impersonators of yore, have given
Steve significant credit for their respective acting successes. Married
twice, Steve died in Southern California of lymphoma on May 1, 2000, at
age 74.