Steve Reeves
| Steve Reeves | |
|---|---|
Reeves in 1990
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| Born |
Stephen Lester Reeves January 21, 1926 Glasgow, Montana, United States |
| Died | May 1, 2000 (aged 74) Escondido, California, United States |
| Occupation | Bodybuilder, actor, philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) |
Sandra Smith (m. 1955; div. 1956) Aline Czartjarwicz (m. 1963; d. 1989) Deborah Ann Engelhorn (m. 1994) |
Stephen Lester "Steve" Reeves (January 21, 1926 – May 1, 2000) was an American professional bodybuilder, actor, and philanthropist. He traveled to Italy in the mid-1950s to star in a series of Italian-made peplum films featuring characters such as Hercules, Goliath, Sandokan and others. At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe.
Born in Glasgow, Montana in 1926, Reeves moved to California at age 10 with his mother Goldie Reeves, after his father Lester Dell Reeves died in a farming accident. Reeves developed an interest in bodybuilding in Castlemont High School and trained at Ed Yarick's gym in Oakland, California. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army during World War II, and served in the Philippines.
After his military service and winning the 1947 AAU Mr. America, Reeves became interested in pursuing an acting career. He studied acting under Stella Adler but after arguments was refunded his tuition. He was selected in 1948 by Cecil B. DeMille for the lead role in his Samson and Delilah, where he received extensive training. In order to look convincing on-camera, he was told to lose 15 pounds as the camera added weight, but turned the movie offer down because he could not compete in bodybuilding with the diminished weight.
In 1949 he filmed a Tarzan-type television pilot called Kimbar of the Jungle and in 1950 became Mr. Universe. In 1954 he had a small role in his first major motion picture, the musical Athena playing the boyfriend of Jane Powell's character. The same year Reeves had a small supporting role as a cop in the Ed Wood film Jail Bait. These two films are the only ones Reeves made in the United States where his actual voice was used — for the remainder of his career, Reeves acted in Italian-made films where all dialogue and sound effects were added in post-production.
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