Steve Reeves, 74, 'Hercules' actor/bodybuilder
LandonEx
ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- Steve Reeves, the famous bodybuilder who parlayed
his muscular stature and chisled good looks into a screen career as Hercules
and other legendary characters, died Monday from complications due to
lymphoma. He was 74.
Reeves, via numerous bodybuilding titles and articles and pictorial features in
physique and health magazines, inspired an entire generation to take up
weights and exercise to attain a muscular body and a healthy lifestyle.
Reeves was born in Glasgow, Montana, a small town near the Canadian
border, on January 21, 1926.
His father was a farmer who was killed in a farming accident before his son
was two years old. At ten, young Reeves and his mother moved to Oakland,
California.
Reeves enjoyed wrist wrestling and could beat every opponent who
challenged him except for one smaller rival who had a strength far in
excess of his stature. He was mystified until he visited his adversary's
home one day and found him working out with weights in his
backyard. This was Reeve's first encounter with barbells, and it made a
great impression.
Reeves began working out with weights on a regular basis. His training
began to pay off when he won the Mr. Pacific Coast title in both 1946
and 1947. Reeve's greatest triumph in bodybuilding was in 1947 when
he was crowned Mr. America.
He placed second in both the 1948 Mr. Universe and the Mr. USA contest
and gained top honors in the Mr. World competition that same year.
In 1954, Reeves played a small but important part in "Athena," a film that,
ironically, poked fun at the national health and fitness movement then
sweeping the country. It starred Debbie Reynolds and Vic Damone.
In 1957 Reeves was signed to play the title role in an Italian production
of "Hercules," and from then on his career as a film muscleman went into
high gear.
Most of the subsequent films Reeves starred in were action pictures set
in ancient Greece and Rome, and full of strength feats and special
effects. He starred in 18 motion pictures between 1954 and 1968.
In 1963, he married a Polish countess, Aline Czarzawicz, and
the couple retired to a ranch near San Diego to raise horses.
04-02-00 / 14:54 EDT
=L=
Matthew Hubbard
>
> Bodybuilder, 'Hercules' Actor Steve Reeves Dead at 74
>
> ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- Steve Reeves, the famous bodybuilder who parlayed
> his muscular stature and chisled good looks into a screen career as
> Hercules and other legendary characters, died Monday from
> complications due to lymphoma. He was 74.
Are they absolutely sure it wasn't Agnes Moorehead?
Duluth, bunky? You can get Tierra Del Fuego!
MattH
David Shepherd
Matthew Hubbard wrote:
Happy motoring, back on the freeway, which is already in progress!
Bb
Short for Bunnyboy
For followup: alt.comedy.firesgn-thtre
Frequency Man
He had muscles in his ear... wasn't he superman's bro?
I coulda swore he were older than that... oh well...
Jim Beaver
Frequency Man <r_fro...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ou1Q4.4840$wb7.4...@news.flash.net...
> >> > Bodybuilder, 'Hercules' Actor Steve Reeves Dead at 74
>
>
> He had muscles in his ear... wasn't he superman's bro?
> I coulda swore he were older than that... oh well...
Steve 'Hercules' Reeves and George 'Superman' Reeves were not related. The
Superman actor's real name was not Reeves.
Jim Beaver
Jim Beaver
Frequency Man <r_fro...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:z25Q4.6496$wb7.4...@news.flash.net...
>
>
> >Steve 'Hercules' Reeves and George 'Superman' Reeves were not related.
The
> >Superman actor's real name was not Reeves.
>
>
> Yeah... it was something like Bosco... or Bostich... oh well ... it's
kind
> of ironic that two Supermen had Reeve in their last name... very very
> strange...
Coincidental, not ironic.
George Reeves was born George Brewer, then took his stepfather's last name
Bessolo.
Jim Beaver
Frequency Man
>Steve 'Hercules' Reeves and George 'Superman' Reeves were not related. The
>Superman actor's real name was not Reeves.
Yeah... it was something like Bosco... or Bostich... oh well ... it's kind
of ironic that two Supermen had Reeve in their last name... very very
strange...
"I love planetariums... to be without planetariums will cause me great
pain..."
Freq
Joey Morris
>>Steve 'Hercules' Reeves and George 'Superman' Reeves were not related. The
>>Superman actor's real name was not Reeves.
> Yeah... it was something like Bosco... or Bostich... oh well ... it's kind
> of ironic that two Supermen had Reeve in their last name... very very
> strange...
Looks like it was Brewer. Looking at his filmography.....
1939 The Return of Doctor X *and* Gone with the Wind (Stuart Tarleton)
1942 Sex Hygiene (1st pool player)
1943 Buckskin Frontier *and* The Leather Burners -- these must be sequels to SH
1959 Suicide (plays self)
Something's happened to your nose....
--
Joe Morris, SysAdmin and Not Insane
Atlanta stories: http://www.mindspring.com/~jolomo/atlanta.html
Del Stanley
>
> Frequency Man <r_fro...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:z25Q4.6496$wb7.4...@news.flash.net...
> >
> >
> The
> > >Superman actor's real name was not Reeves.
> >
> >
> > Yeah... it was something like Bosco... or Bostich... oh well ... it's
> kind
> > of ironic that two Supermen had Reeve in their last name... very very
> > strange...
>
>
> George Reeves was born George Brewer, then took his stepfather's last name
> Bessolo.
>
> Jim Beaver
Leave it to Beaver.**
** Okay I know it is probably well worn by now, but I couldn't
resist. What is this, about the one millionth time? (:>)