Reg Park

Reg Park (born June 7, 1928 in Yorkshire , England , † November 22, 2007 in Sandton , South Africa ) was a British bodybuilder and actor .

Life

Park followed in the footsteps of his father, who owned a gym. At the age of 18 he faced the election of "Mister Britain". He won the competition in 1949 and became " Mister Europe " the following year . In 1951 he won the title of " Mister Universum " in the amateur version, in 1958 and 1965 also in the pro version. He took part in competitions until the 1970s.

As early as 1951, he had success in developing and selling fitness accessories, which he continued to sell after getting married and moving to South Africa and used them in his chain of fitness studios. From 1954 to 1959 he was also the editor of a trade journal (The Reg Park Journal).

In the late 1960s he trained Arnold Schwarzenegger and helped pave his way into the film business. Park was committed to bodybuilding until the last few years before his death in November 2007 as a result of skin cancer. B. as a judge at competitions.

Acting

Park only appeared in a few films between 1961 and 1966 before returning to his main job. He benefited from the boom in the Italian Hercules films. So he was one of the successors of Steve Reeves in this role, which he played three times; once he played Ursus , once Maciste .

Movies

• 1961: Hercules conquers Atlantis (Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide)
• 1962: Vampires against Heracles (Ercole al centro della terra)
• 1964: Maciste nelle miniere di Re Salomone
• 1964: Ursus and the devil's slave (Ursus il terrore dei Kirghisi)
• 1965: The Challenge of Hercules (La sfida dei giganti)

Web links

• Reg Park at Brian's Drive-Inn Theater
• Reg Park in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• “Bodybuilder Reg Park dies in Johannesburg” , Mail & Guardian online, November 22, 2007