Steve Reeves

Reeves moved to New York where he studied acting under Stella 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 of Cecil B. De Mille's talent scouts saw him and had him tested for Samson and Delilah (1949). Reeves received a seven-year contract with Paramount.[4]

Reeves says 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 to Victor Mature.[4]

In 1949, he filmed a Tarzan-type television pilot called Kimbar of the Jungle, and in 1950 became Mr. Universe.

Reeves appeared on television in Stars Over Hollywood in the episode "Prison Doctor" with Raymond Burr. He appeared on the TV series Topper ("Reducing").

In 1954, Reeves had a small supporting role as a cop in the Ed Wood film Jail Bait. It was his first film and earned him his Screen 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?"[4]

The same year Reeves was in the MGM musical Athena,[3] playing the boyfriend of Jane Powell's character.

These two films are the only ones Reeves made in the United States where his actual voice was used; Reeves acted in Italian-made films for the remainder of his career, where all dialogue and sound effects were added in post-production.

Reeves guest-starred on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as the owner of a gym.[5] On December 17, 1954, Reeves guest-starred in the ABC sitcom Where's Raymond?, starring Ray Bolger as Raymond Wallace, a song-and-dance man. Reeves played a well-built office employee whom Wallace sees in the company of Wallace's girlfriend, Susan.[6]

In 1955 Reeves appeared on two Broadway shows, Kismet and The Vamp.

Pictures of Reeves' costume test for the lead in Li'l Abner (1959) can be easily found on the web.

He then decided to quit acting and worked for American Health Studios in public relations, opening up fitness studios.[4]

Steve Reeves in Hercules

In Italy, director Pietro Francisci wanted to make a film about Hercules but could not find anyone suitable to play the role. His daughter recommended Reeves on the basis of his appearance in Athena 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.[4]

Hercules was a relatively low-budget epic based loosely on the tales of Jason and the Argonauts, though inserting Hercules into the lead role.[3]

The film proved popular in Europe. What made it an international sensation was when US distribution rights were bought by Joe E. Levine who spent over $1 million promoting it, turning the film into a major box-office success, grossing $5 million in the United States in 1959.[7] However this did not happen until Reeves had already made four more films in Europe.[4][8]

The first of these was a sequel to Hercules, Hercules Unchained (1959), again directed by Pietro 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.[9] Nonetheless Reeves would not play Hercules again, despite his identification with the role.[4]

Reeves' third film as star was The White Warrior (1959), based on Hadji Murat, the novel by Leo Tolstoy. He played Hadji Murad, a 19th-century Chechen chieftain who led his warriors in a fight against the invading Russians.

Goliath and the Barbarians, a film poster by Reynold Brown

Reeves was then in Terror of the Barbarians playing Emilio, about the Lombard invasion of Italy. American International Pictures bought US rights and retitled it Goliath and the Barbarians (1959), with Reeves' character renamed "Goliath". The film earned $1.6 million in North America during its initial release where it was double billed with Sign of the Gladiator[10]

Reeves was Glaucus Leto in The Last Days of Pompeii (1959), based on the novel by Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton. It co-starred Christine Kaufmann and Fernando Rey and was mostly directed by Sergio Leone.

During the filming, Reeves dislocated his shoulder when his chariot slammed into a tree;[1][3] 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.[3][11]

Reeves followed this with The Giant of Marathon (1959) where he was cast as Pheidippides, the famous wartime messenger of the Battle of Marathon. By now Reeves' success was such that his films would use Hollywood directors: Marathon was directed by Mario Bava and Jacques 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.[12]

Reeves had a change of pace in Morgan, the Pirate (1960) where he played pirate and self-proclaimed governor of Jamaica, Captain Henry Morgan. Andre De Toth and Primo Zeglio directed.

He then did an "Eastern", The Thief of Baghdad (1961), playing Karim, directed by Arthur Lubin.

In The Wooden Horse of Troy (1961) Reeves played Aeneas of Troy, opposite John Drew Barrymore.

He co-starred with fellow body builder Gordon Scott in Duel of the Titans (1961), playing Romulus and Remus respectively. Sergio Corbucci directed.

Reeves played Randus, the son of Spartacus in The Slave (1962) then reprised his role as Aeneaus in War of the Trojans (1962) aka The Avenger.

Virna Lisi and Steve Reeves in Duel of the Titans (1961)

Reeves played Sandokan in two films, both directed by Umberto Lenzi: Sandokan the Great (1963) and Pirates of Malaysia (1964). Reeves said that by this stage his fee was $250,000 a film.[4]

In 1968, Reeves appeared in his final film, a spaghetti Western he co-wrote, titled I Live For Your Death! (later released as A Long Ride From Hell).[3] "I ended up with an ulcer from that," he said later. "That was my last."[13]

Reeves reportedly turned down the James Bond role in Dr. No (1962)[1] because of the low salary the producers offered.[14]

Reeves also turned down the role that finally went to Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars (1964) because he did not believe that Italians could make a western out of a Japanese samurai film.[1][11]

George Pal contacted Reeves for the role of Doc Savage in Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, the first of what was meant to be a film series, but when filming was about to begin a Hollywood writers strike put the film on hold with Reeves and the original director replaced.[15]

His last screen appearance was in 2000 when he appeared as himself in the made-for-television A&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 in Jacksonville just outside of Medford, Oregon – 33 miles (53 km) north of the California border.[11][16] He later purchased a ranch in Valley Center, California. It would be his home for the rest of his life.[17] Reeves bred horses and promoted drug-free bodybuilding.[1][3] The last two decades of his life were spent in Valley Center, California where he bought a ranch with savings from his film career and lived there with his second wife, Aline, until her death in 1989.[1][3][17]