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. 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 and persuaded him to go overseas to play the title role of Hercules (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.


His wife, Aline, died of complications from a stroke in 1989. He wrote "Building the Classical Physique -- The Natural Way". Through his Steve Reeves International Society Web site, he promoted supplements and powders with natural ingredients. He moved to Oakland with his family as a child and began lifting weights when he was 16 years old. Mr. America 1947. 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. Often confused with, and is not related to, George Reeves, who played Superman on TV in the 1950s. While working on a studio next to the set where the Superman series was filmed, producers once threatened to fire George after an argument and replace him with Steve. He loved horses and was a great rider himself. Italian producers later found that to be an advantage, since Reeves usually did his own stunts in his films and they didn't have to hire a horse riding double for him. After retiring from films due to a shoulder injury, Reeves bought a ranch and took up breeding horses professionally. His voice was dubbed in his Italian epics. The only films where his real voice is heard are Jail Bait (1954) and Athena (1954). His mother was a nutritionist. Took him 4 weeks to get into contest shape for his Mr. America victory. Served in the Philippines during WWII, contracted malaria, and served his remaining time under Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the occupation of Japan. While filming Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei (1959) (a remake of The Last Days of Pompeii (1935)), the chariot he was driving struck a tree and he dislocated his shoulder. This put an end to his more intense exercise routines and caused problems in the following years. He was played by Michael J. Nelson in the episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (1988) that showed his film Ercole e la regina di Lidia (1959). Almost paradoxically, Reeves' impressive physique prompted filmmakers to put him into a variety of "bondage" situations. Two such situations are cited in the book: "Lash! The Hundred Greatest Scenes of Men Being Whipped in the Movies." Ranking 7th is Reeves' flogging in Romolo e Remo (1961) and ranking 24th is his flogging in Agi Murad il diavolo bianco (1959). Took up power walking (which combined swinging hand held weights in both hands while walking) in order to compensate for the damage done to him by his shoulder injury. Is credited by Sylvester STallone for inspiring Stallone to work out and build up his body and later became friends with Reeves after he became famous.