Steve Reeves | |
|---|---|
 Reeves inDuel of the Titans (1961) | |
| Born | Stephen Lester Reeves (1926-01-21)January 21, 1926 Glasgow, Montana, U.S. |
| Died | May 1, 2000(2000-05-01) (aged 74) Escondido, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1949–1968 |
| Spouses | |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
Stephen Lester Reeves (January 21, 1926 – May 1, 2000) was an Americanprofessional bodybuilder and actor. He was famous in the mid-1950s as a movie star in Italian-madesword-and-sandal films, playing muscular protagonists such asHercules,Aeneas, andSandokan. At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe.[1] Though best known for his portrayal of Hercules, he played the character only twice: inHercules (1958), and in its 1959 sequelHercules Unchained. By 1960, Reeves was ranked as the number-one box-office draw in 25 countries.[2]
Prior to his acting career, Reeves was a professional bodybuilder. Known for his symmetry,[3] he reigned asMr. America of 1947, Mr. World of 1948, andMr. Universe of 1950 in the pre-Mr. Olympia era. Credited with popularising bodybuilding on a global level, he is regarded as one of the most influential bodybuilders of all time.[4] He wrote three books on bodybuilding and physical training.
Born inGlasgow, Montana, in 1926,[1] Reeves moved toCalifornia at age 10 with his mother, Goldie Reeves, after his father, Lester Dell Reeves, died in a farming accident.[5] Reeves developed an interest inbodybuilding atCastlemont High School and trained at Ed Yarick's gym inOakland, California. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in theUnited States Army duringWorld War II, andserved in the Philippines. After his military service Reeves attended California Chiropractic College in San Francisco.[6]
As abodybuilder, Reeves trained three days a week. Every workout was afull-body workout, as opposed to asplit workout. He did the standard three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise.[3] During training he had no regard for time but worked until he had completed his routine, which took any time from two to four hours.[7] He reigned asMr. America of 1947, Mr. World of 1948, andMr. Universe of 1950 in the pre–Mr. Olympia era.[8] He was contacted by an agent who suggested he go into acting.[6]
Reeves wrote the bookPowerwalking[9] and two self-published books,Building the Classic Physique - The Natural Way[10] andDynamic Muscle Building.[11] George Helmer published a revised and updated edition of thePowerwalking book in 2013.[citation needed]
Reeves moved to New York where he studied acting underStella Adler, but after arguments he was refunded his tuition. He studied instead at the Theodora Irvin School of the Theatre. He began performing a vaudeville act with a comedian named Dick Burney. One ofCecil B. De Mille's talent scouts saw him and had him tested forSamson and Delilah (1949). Reeves received a seven-year contract withParamount.[6] Reeves stated that De Mille wanted to cast him in the lead role, but told Reeves he had to lose 15 pounds in order to look convincing on-camera. Reeves says he tried to lose the weight and worked on his acting in preparation for the role over three months. Then, De Mille told him he was going to give the role toVictor Mature.[6]
In 1949, Reeves filmed aTarzan-typetelevision pilot calledKimbar of the Jungle, and in 1950 he becameMr. Universe. He appeared on television inStars Over Hollywood in the episode "Prison Doctor" withRaymond Burr. He appeared on the TV seriesTopper (in the episode "Reducing").
In 1954, Reeves had a small supporting role as a policeman in theEd Wood filmJail Bait. It was his first film and earned him hisScreen Actors Guild card. "I had a suit on at all times," he later recalled. "I even had a tie. Only took my shirt off once. Those were the days, huh?"[6]
The same year Reeves was in the MGM musicalAthena,[5] playing the would-be boyfriend ofJane Powell's character.
Reeves guest-starred onThe George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as the owner of a gym.[12] In 1955, Reeves appeared in two Broadway shows,Kismet andThe Vamp. He had a costume test for the lead inLi'l Abner (1959) but lost the part toPeter Palmer. He worked for American Health Studios in public relations, opening up fitness studios. That same year he married his first wife, Sandra Smith.
In Italy, directorPietro Francisci wanted to make a film aboutHercules but could not find anyone suitable to play the role. His daughter recommended Reeves on the basis of his appearance inAthena and Francisci offered him the role and a plane ticket to Italy. Reeves at first did not think he was serious but eventually agreed and flew to Italy to make the film. His fee was $10,000.[6]Hercules was a relatively low-budget epic based loosely on the tales ofJason and theArgonauts, though insertingHercules into the lead role.[5]
The film proved popular in Europe. What made it an international sensation was that US distribution rights were bought byJoseph E. Levine, who promoted it and turned it into a major box-office success, grossing $5 million in the United States in 1959.[13] However this did not happen until Reeves had already made four more films in Europe.[6][14]
The first was a sequel toHercules,Hercules Unchained (1959), again directed by Francisci. Reeves was paid the same fee, although his wage would double from then on. This film was another huge success, being the third most popular film in Britain in 1960.[15] Nonetheless Reeves would not play Hercules again, despite his identification with the role.[6] Reeves' third film as star wasThe White Warrior (1959), based onHadji Murat, the novel byLeo Tolstoy. He playedHadji Murad, a 19th-centuryAvarnaib who led his warriors in raids against the Russians invading his homelands in the North Caucasus (modern-dayDagestan andChechnya).[16]
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Reeves played Emiliano inTerror of the Barbarians, about theLombard invasion of Italy.American International Pictures bought US rights and retitled itGoliath and the Barbarians (1959), with Reeves's character renamed "Goliath". The film earned $1.6 million in North America during its initial release, when it wasdouble billed withSign of the Gladiator.[17]
Reeves portrayed Glaucus Leto inThe Last Days of Pompeii (1959), based on the novel by SirEdward Bulwer-Lytton. It co-starredChristine Kaufmann andFernando Rey and was mostly directed bySergio Leone. During the filming, Reeves dislocated his shoulder when hischariot slammed into a tree;[1][5] he re-injured it while swimming in a subsequent underwater escape scene. The injury would be aggravated by his stunt work in each successive film, ultimately leading to his retirement from filmmaking.[5][18]
Reeves followed this withThe Giant of Marathon (1959) where he was cast asPheidippides, the famous wartime messenger of the Battle ofMarathon. By now Reeves' success was such that his films would use Hollywood directors:Marathon was directed byMario Bava andJacques Tourneur. According to MGM records the film earned $1,335,000 in the US and Canada and $1.4 million elsewhere resulting in a profit of $429,000.[19]
Reeves had a change of pace inMorgan the Pirate (1960) where he played pirate and occasional governor of Jamaica, CaptainHenry Morgan.Andre de Toth andPrimo Zeglio directed.He then did an "Eastern",The Thief of Baghdad (1961), playing Karim, directed byArthur Lubin. InThe Trojan Horse (film) (1961) Reeves playedAeneas ofTroy, oppositeJohn Drew Barrymore. He co-starred with his fellow body builderGordon Scott inDuel of the Titans (1961), the two playingRomulus andRemus respectively.Sergio Corbucci directed. Reeves played Randus, the son ofSpartacus, inThe Slave (1962) then reprised his role as Aeneas inThe Avenger (1962) (a.k.a.The Legend of Aeneas).
Reeves playedSandokan in two films, both directed byUmberto Lenzi:Sandokan the Great (1963) andPirates of Malaysia (1964). Reeves said that by this stage his fee was $250,000 a film.[6] In 1968, Reeves appeared in his final film, aspaghetti Western he co-wrote, titledI Live For Your Death! (later released asA Long Ride From Hell).[5] "I ended up with an ulcer from that," he said later. "That was my last."[20]
Reeves reportedly turned down theJames Bond role inDr. No (1962)[1] because of the low salary the producers offered.[21] Reeves also declined the role that finally went toClint Eastwood inA Fistful of Dollars (1964) because he did not believe that Italians could make awestern out of a Japanese samurai film.[1][18]
George Pal contacted Reeves for the role ofDoc Savage inDoc Savage: The Man of Bronze, the first of what was meant to be afilm series, but when filming was about to begin a Hollywood writers' strike put the film on hold with Reeves and the original director replaced.[22] Reeves's last screen appearance was in 2000 when he appeared as himself in the made-for-televisionA&E Biography:Arnold Schwarzenegger – Flex Appeal.
Reeves decided to retire for several reasons: stress, his injury, and the decline in the market for his sort of movies. He had earned enough to retire and moved to the 360-acre (150 ha) Suncrest Stock Ranch he purchased inJacksonville just outside ofMedford, Oregon – 33 miles (53 km) north of the California border.[18][23] He later purchased a ranch inValley Center, California. It would be his home for the rest of his life.[24] Reevesbred horses and promoteddrug-free bodybuilding.[1][5] The last two decades of his life were spent in Valley Center, where he lived with his second wife, Aline, until her death in 1989.[1][5][24]
Reeves' authorized biography,Steve Reeves – One of a Kind, was published in 1983 by Milton T. Moore. Moore worked with Reeves and Steve's wife at the time, Aline, for over 12 years before receiving publishing approval. Reeves was reportedly to promote the book at public appearances.[25]
In 1991, the writer Chris LeClaire began writing and researching Steve Reeves's life and career for a biography.[26][non-primary source needed] In 1999, LeClaire publishedWorlds To Conquer, which LeClaire described as anauthorized biography. Deborah Reeves Stewart, Reeves's companion during the book's development phases, who assisted him in reviewing drafts, stated that Reeves never approved or authorizedWorlds to Conquer for final publication or release, because of inaccuracies, careless writing, and failure to add Reeves's final comments.[27]
In 1994, Reeves, with his long-time friend and business partner George Helmer, started the Steve Reeves International Society.[25][28]
Rod Labbe, a freelance writer, interviewed Reeves in 1997, and the article appeared inFilms of the Golden Age magazine, summer 2011.[21]
Reeves hadexploratory surgery late Friday afternoon on April 28, 2000, while being treated forlymphoma, and died shortly before noon from a blood clot on Monday, May 1, 2000. He died at Palomar Hospital inEscondido, California, where his second wife had also died.[5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Olympic Team Member | Uncredited |
| 1954 | Jail Bait | Lieutenant Bob Lawrence | Hollywood film directed byEd Wood Jr. |
| 1954 | Athena | Ed Perkins | Hollywood film directed byRichard Thorpe |
| 1958 | Hercules | Hercules | released in Italy in 1958, released in U.S. in 1959; a.k.a.Le fatiche di Ercole /The Labors of Hercules |
| 1959 | Hercules Unchained | Hercules | released in USA 1960; a.k.a.Ercole e la regina di Lidia /Hercules and the Queen of Lydia |
| 1959 | The White Warrior | Hadji Murad | directed byRiccardo Freda; a.k.a.Hadji Murad il Diavolo Bianco /Hadji Murad, The White Devil |
| 1959 | Goliath and the Barbarians | Goliath[a] | a.k.a.Il terrore dei barbari /Terror of the Barbarians |
| 1959 | The Last Days of Pompeii | Glaucus Leto | a.k.a.Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei /The Last Days of Pompeii |
| 1959 | The Giant of Marathon | Phillipides | a.k.a.La battaglia di Maratona /The Battle of Marathon |
| 1960 | Morgan, the Pirate | Henry Morgan | a.k.a.Morgan, il pirata/Morgan, the Pirate |
| 1961 | The Thief of Baghdad | Karim | a.k.a.Il Ladro di Bagdad |
| 1961 | The Trojan Horse | Aeneas | a.k.a.La guerra di Troia/The Trojan War |
| 1961 | Duel of the Titans | Romulus | a.k.a.Romolo e Remo /Romulus and Remus |
| 1962 | The Slave | Randus (son ofSpartacus) | a.k.a.Il Figlio di Spartaco /Son of Spartacus |
| 1962 | The Avenger | Aeneas | a.k.a.La leggenda di Enea /The Legend of Aeneas) (also released asThe Last Glory of Troy); it is a sequel toThe Trojan Horse |
| 1963 | The Shortest Day | Himself | a.k.a.Il giorno più corto |
| 1963 | Sandokan the Great | Sandokan | directed byUmberto Lenzi; a.k.a.Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem/Sandokan, the Tiger of Mompracem |
| 1964 | Pirates of Malaysia | Sandokan | directed by Umberto Lenzi; a.k.a.I Pirati della Malesia; a.k.a.Sandokan, the Pirate of Malaysia /Pirates of the Seven Seas; this is a sequel toSandokan the Great |
| 1968 | A Long Ride from Hell | Mike Sturges | spaghetti western directed by Camillo Brazzoni, produced and co-written by Steve Reeves; a.k.a.Vivo per la tua morte/I Live for Your Death! |
Please note figures are rentals as opposed to total gross
