Steve Reeves
Steve Reeves was an American bodybuilder and actor, born on January 21, 1926, in Glasgow, Montana. After losing his father at a young age, he and his mother relocated to Oakland, California, where he began developing his physical strength as a teenager. His journey into bodybuilding took off after he trained under Ed Yarick, one of the top bodybuilding coaches of the time, leading him to significant accomplishments, including winning the Mr. America title in 1947. Following World War II, he not only excelled in bodybuilding but also transitioned into acting, securing the lead role in the 1957 film "Hercules," which propelled him to stardom. Over his film career, Reeves starred in sixteen movies, primarily in the "sword-and-sandal" genre, captivating audiences with his impressive physique. Unfortunately, a serious shoulder injury during filming led to his early retirement from acting. Later in life, he married a Polish countess and shifted his focus to horse breeding while adopting alternative exercise methods. Reeves remains an iconic figure in bodybuilding and fitness, inspiring generations with his dedication to a healthy lifestyle.
Steve Reeves
Actor
- Born: January 21, 1926
- Birthplace: Glasgow, Montana
- Died: May 1, 2000
- Place of death: Escondido, California
Sport: Bodybuilding
Early Life
On January 21, 1926, Steven Reeves was born in Glasgow, Montana, a tiny town a few miles from the Canadian border, where the northern plains stretch for miles in every direction. Steve’s father, Lester, was a farmer who worked the stubborn Montana soil. He was killed in a farming accident before his son was two years old, leaving Steve’s mother, Golden, with a young son and an uncertain future.
The Road to Excellence
When Steve was ten years old, he and his mother moved to Oakland, California. In an attempt to bolster the family finances, Steve found employment as a newspaper delivery boy. Even while he was on the job, Steve found time to exercise his young muscles. He pedaled his bicycle furiously up the steep Oakland hills attempting to build his calf muscles. He practiced his coordination by throwing his papers precisely on the top step of every porch.
Steve enjoyed wrist wrestling and could beat every opponent who challenged him except for one smaller rival who had a strength far in excess of his stature. Steve was mystified until he visited his adversary’s home one day and found him working out with weights in his backyard. This was Steve’s first encounter with barbells, and it made a great impression on him.
Steve began to work out with his friend, but his serious weightlifting had to wait until he entered Castlemont High School, where he began working out with weights on a regular basis. Steve found that his young muscles responded quickly to the exercise, but he needed more direction than his school coaches could give him.
By a stroke of luck, Oakland was also the home of Ed Yarick, who ran one of the best bodybuilding gymnasiums in the world. Yarick took Steve under his wing and began training him. After two years of intensive instruction under Ed’s care, Steve began to put on more muscle than ever before.
World War II put a temporary halt to Steve’s career. As soon as he graduated from high school, he joined the U.S. Army and was sent to fight in the Philippines. Nothing could stop Steve’s meteoric rise, however, and when he returned from fighting in 1946, he came back to Yarick’s gym and redoubled his efforts. His hard work began to pay off when he won the Mr. Pacific Coast title in both 1946 and 1947.
The Emerging Champion
Steve’s greatest triumph in bodybuilding occurred in 1947, when he won the top prize in the world of bodybuilding at that time. In that year, he was crowned Mr. America. Suddenly, the handsome young athlete became a celebrity. Photographs showing his broad shoulders, massive arms, and slender waist seemed to be everywhere.
Steve did not escape the notice of filmmakers. One of the first to contact him was Cecil B. De Mille, the director of many screen epics. He needed someone to play the biblical hero Samson in his next extravaganza, and Steve seemed just the one for the job.
When De Mille asked him to shed 20 pounds of hard-earned muscle, however, Steve rebelled, and the role was given to someone else. Despite this setback, Steve continued to pursue bodybuilding and to hope for a career in films. In 1948, he placed second in both the Mr. Universe and Mr. USA contests and gained top honors in the Mr. World competition. Two years later, he traveled to London, England, and was judged Mr. Universe for 1950.
Continuing the Story
After Steve won these competitions, he was pursued again by filmmakers, this time with greater success. In 1954, he played a small but important part in Athena, but it was not until 1957 that Steve finally graduated to lead roles. In that year, he was asked to play the muscular lead in an Italian production called Hercules, and from then on, his career as a film muscleman went full speed ahead.
Most of the films Steve starred in were “sword-and-sandal” pieces set in the time of ancient Greece and Rome and full of action and special effects. The films were instant hits with the fans, and Steve devoted most of his energy to satisfying the public’s demand for more of these popular films. In all, Steve starred in sixteen motion pictures between 1954 and 1968.
Unknown to his many fans, however, was that the muscular movie star had suffered from a terrible injury. During the 1959 filming of The Last Days of Pompeii (1960), Steve’s chariot slammed into a tree, dislocating his shoulder. Despite the agonizing pain, Steve was able to snap the shoulder back into its socket. He continued filming, but at a terrible price. From then on, each stunt he performed in every succeeding movie injured the shoulder a little more until finally he was forced to retire forever from his strenuous film career.
Steve returned to the West Coast after his cinematic career was cut short. In 1963, he had married a Polish countess, Aline Czarzawicz, and the two retired to a ranch in Southern California, where they began to breed Morgan horses.
Because he could no longer work out with heavy weights, Steve devised other methods of exercise. He became interested in “power walking,” his term for strenuous walking while swinging light weights in either hand.
Summary
As a bodybuilder and later as a popular film star, Steve Reeves demonstrated that a muscular build and a healthy lifestyle can translate into a successful career. His masculine good looks, combined with his powerful physique, provided a model for the young bodybuilders of an entire generation.
Bibliography
Dowling, Dave, and George Helmer. Steve Reeves: His Legacy in Films. Malibu, Calif.: Classic Image, 2003.
LeClaire, Chris. Steve Reeves: Worlds to Conquer, An Authorized Biography. Chatham, Mass.: Monomoy Books, 1999.
Moore, Milton T., Jr. Steve Reeves: A Tribute. Dallas, Tex.: Author, 1982.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Steve Reeves: One of a Kind. Dallas, Tex.: Author, 1983.
Reeves, Steve, John Little, and George Helmer. Dynamic Muscle Building. Malibu, Calif.: Classic Image, 2003.
Reeves, Steve, John Little, and Bob Wolff. Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way. 2d ed. Malibu, Calif.: Steve Reeves International, 1995.
Reeves, Steve, and James A. Peterson. Power Walking. Indianapolis, Ind.: Bobbs-Merrill, 1982.