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Steve Reeves (1926-2000)

Recently deceased actor who starred as 'Hercules' and was a former 'Mr. World' and 'Mr. Universe'. 8x10 b/w In Person signed shot as 'Hercules'.

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Mr. Universe 1950

Mr America c. 1947

Mentioned in the song 'Sweet Transvestite' from the film 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'

At the peak of his bodybuilding career at age 23, he was 6'1", 200 pounds, with a chest measuring 48 inches, a 29-inch waist, and had 17 1/2-inch biceps.

Various bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, and David Prowse, have credited Reeves as a role model from the bodybuilding world.

Though he did not possess a Herculean acting talent, bodybuilder Steve Reeves certainly had a Herculean physique, and made good use of it to play some of filmdom's most famous mythological heroes during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Reeves was born on a cattle ranch in Montana in 1926. His father died in a farming accident, and at age six months, Steve won his first fitness title as "Healthiest Baby of Valley County." His family moved to California later that year. He joined the Army, where his job was loading boxcars and trucks, and constantly worked out at the gym in his free time. His body developed quite rapidly and he decided to pursue bodybuilding professionally. Following Army service, he won "Mr. Pacific Coast" in Oregon in 1947 and, eventually, "Mr. America", "Mr. World" and "Mr. Universe". He traveled to New York, where he studied acting, and afterwards made his way to Hollywood. He didn't get many parts other than bulging pectorals in the background of various musical spectacles and costumers, although he did manage to snag a role as a detective in infamous director Edward D. Wood Jr.'s Jail Bait (1954). Small parts on TV came his way, but they too were mostly posing bits or walk-ons. Disappointed, luck finally came his way when Italian film director Pietro Francisci saw him play Jane Powell's boyfriend in Athena (1954) and persuaded him to go overseas to play the title role of Fatiche di Ercole, Le (1958) (US title: "Hercules"). Though critics dismissed the film as "muddled mythology" (and worse!), the public loved the sword-and-sandal epic despite its poorly-dubbed sound track and Steve became an "overnight" star. Sequels followed, none any better or worse. Reeves paved the way for other pumped-up hopefuls (Ed Fury, Mark Forest, Reg Park) to seek fame and fortune playing absurdly muscled mythological figures such as Samson, Ursus and Colossus, but nobody topped Steve in popularity. A shoulder injury forced his retirement, and he spent the remainder of his life promoting drug-free bodybuilding while living on a ranch and breeding horses. He died of lymphoma at age 74.

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