Steve Reeves

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Steve Reeves with Melissa Palmer (1990)

Steve Reeves (born January 21, 1926 in Glasgow , Montana , USA ; † May 1, 2000 in Escondido , California , USA ) was an American film actor and bodybuilder .

biography

Steve Reeves was born to a farm couple on a farm in Montana ; his father died shortly afterwards in an accident. At six months of age, Reeves was named Valley County's Healthiest Baby .

When Reeves was a year old, his mother, a nutritionist , moved with him to California . In the course of his life he was hit by a car, kicked by a horse, and survived an earthquake and later a malaria infection while sleeping .

After attending school, Reeves served as a soldier in World War II . He was deployed in the Philippines , where his job was to provide ammunition to trucks and tanks. After suffering from malaria, he was placed on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur in the occupation of Japan .

Reeves began to train his body during the war and took part in a bodybuilding event on his return to the USA. In 1946 he received his first award, Mr. Pacific Coast , which he successfully defended in 1947. Also in 1947 Reeves was named Mr. America and Mr. Western America . A year later followed the title of Mr. World and victory in the class over 1.82 m in height at the NABBA-Mr. Universe . While Reeves was still defeated by his compatriot John Grimek in the jump-off for the overall victory , two years later he triumphed over the other class winners and was named Mr. Universe . With the win of the then most prestigious title in world bodybuilding Reeves ended his sporting career.

In the late 1940s, Reeves moved to New York City and began studying acting. In 1953 - after he had missed a leading role in Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah due to alleged weight problems - his unnoticed screen debut as a member of the US Olympic team in the Howard Hawks classic blondes was preferred . Reeves, who acted in a total of 20 films, was best known for his portrayal of Hercules , although he only played this role in three films. Especially Italian sandal films are what one associates Reeves with. Another well-known role was the title role in the movie Sandokan ("Sandokan, la Tigre di Mompracem", Italy 1963, directed by Umberto Lenzi ). He also wrote the script for the film I'm an escaped chain convict , his only western .

Reeves married for the first time on January 31, 1955. But his marriage to Sandra Smith was divorced after only 19 months. Eight years later, on June 24, 1963, Reeves married Aline Czartjawicz, a native of Poland. She died 26 years later, on July 24, 1989, after a stroke . Both marriages remained childless.

The aftermath of a shoulder injury sustained while filming The Last Days of Pompeii in 1959 (his chariot drove into a tree) forced Reeves to quit acting in the late 1960s. He dedicated the last three decades of his life to advocating drug and steroid-free bodybuilding. He wrote fitness books and marketed the “ power walking ” system he developed .

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films honored him with the 1994 Life Career Award .

In mid-March 2000, Reeves was diagnosed with lymphoma and died six weeks later at the age of 74.

Movies

literature

  • Milton T. Moore, Jr .: Steve Reeves, one of a kind . MT Moore, Dallas 1983, 192 pp., ISBN 0-9608138-0-2

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Reeves, Steve
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film actor and bodybuilder
DATE OF BIRTH January 21, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Glasgow , Montana , USA
DATE OF DEATH May 1, 2000
Place of death Escondido , California , USA