Steve Reeves, an iconic professional bodybuilder and actor, was born on January 21, 1926. He became very famous in the mid-1950s for starring in “sword-and-sandal films”, playing the roles such as Hercules, Goliath, and Sandokan. Hailing from Montana, USA, Reeves rose to prominence as a bodybuilder in the mid-20th century. His chiseled physique and remarkable strength earned him the title of Mr. America in 1947 and later Mr. Universe in 1950.
I don’t believe in bodybuilders using steroids. If a man doesn’t have enough male hormones in his system to create, a nice hard, muscular body, he should take up ping pong.
Steve Reeves
Reeves moved to New York and started to learn acting at the Theodora Irvin School of the Theatre. He was supposed to do Cecil B. De Mille’s Samson and Delilah (1949) but could not fully prepare in time. In 1954, Reeves had a small supporting role as a cop in the Ed Wood film Jail Bait & in MGM musical Athena.
He came prominence with his portrayal of Hercules in director Pietro Francisci’ “Hercules” (1958), which catapulted him to international fame. Reeves’s charismatic presence and physical prowess set new standards for the portrayal of mythological heroes, he gors on to do many more such films including Hercules Unchained (1959), The White Warrior (1959), Goliath and the Barbarians (1959), The Last Days of Pompeii (1959), The Giant of Marathon (1959), The Thief of Baghdad (1961), The Slave (1962), Sandokan the Great (1963) and Pirates of Malaysia (1964). In 1968, Reeves appeared in his final film, a spaghetti Western he co-wrote, titled “I Live For Your Death!”
When your arms are bigger than your head, something is wrong.
Steve Reeves
Reeves reportedly turned down the James Bond role in Dr. No (1962), the role that finally went to Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
Steve Reeves remains a revered figure in fitness industry, influencing countless individuals to pursue bodybuilding as a means of achieving strength and health. Much before Before Arnold Schwarzenegger, Reeves’s legacy endures as an embodiment of physical excellence and as a trailblazer in the intersection of bodybuilding and entertainment. Steve Reeves passed away on May 1, 2000, but his impact on the worlds of fitness and film remains immortal.
