Steve Reeves, actor, 74

["Deathwatch Central" <cdw@slick.org>]

Wednesday May 3 9:09 PM ET 

Actor Steve Reeves, Who Played Greek Gods, Dies
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor and bodybuilder Steve Reeves, who made a
career out of playing Greek gods in low-budget Italian films, inspiring
such future Hollywood strongmen as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold
Schwarzenegger, has died at 74, associates said on Wednesday.

They said Reeves, best known for his portrayal of Hercules in a series of
dubbed imports, died Monday at a hospital in a San Diego suburb of what
appears to have been a blood clot after complications resulting from
lymphoma, a type of cancer.

Before retiring from acting in 1969, Reeves starred in 19 films, including
the one as the famous Greek hero that made him in 1959 the most popular
box office star in the world, next to Sophia Loren. He was ahead of such
stars as Doris Day, John Wayne and Rock Hudson.

Almost all his films were ``sword and sandal epics,'' bearing such titles
as ``Fatiche di Ercole'' (''Labors of Hercules'' 1957), ``Terrore dei
Barbari II'' (''Goliath and the Barbarians'' 1959), ``The Thief of
Baghdad'' (1961), ``The Trojan Horse'' (1962) and ``Romolo e Remo''
(''Duel of the Titans'' 1963).

Short on plot, production values and dialogue, but long on action and
shots of bare, rippling muscle, they displayed the brawn that earned
Reeves the titles of Mr. America in 1947, Mr. World and Mr. Universe in
1948 and Mr. Universe again in 1950.

Most of the movies were shot in Italy, made by producer Joseph E. Levine,
and shown dubbed in the United States. While everyone admitted that the
quality was poor, some of the films founds fans in high places, including
President John F. Kennedy.

Reeves made his film debut in ``Athena,'' with Debbie Reynolds and Jane
Powell in 1954 after a career as a featured player on television.
Ironically that film poked fun at body building.

Reeves, however, continued his devotion to physical fitness, long after he
left the movies. He wrote ``Building the Classical Physique -- The Natural
Way'' and through his Steve Reeves International Society Web site, he
promoted supplements and powders with natural ingredients.

He was diagnosed eight weeks ago with lymphoma, longtime friend Troy
Bertelsen told the San Diego Union-Tribune. Reeves' wife, Aline, died of
complications from a stroke in 1989.

Reeves was born in Glasgow, Mont., moved to Oakland with his family as a
child and began lifting weights when he was 16 years old.

According to one story that had gone around Hollywood, producer Cecil B.
DeMille had picked Reeves to star in ``Samson and Delilah,'' but when the
then body builder refused to lose weight for the role, it went to Victor
Mature.

While his movies lacked critical acclaim, Reeves is considered a pioneer
in the action-hero genre of movies made famous by actors Sylvester
Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Another longtime friend and business associate, George Helmer, told the
Union-Tribune: ``Stallone has a gym in his home with Steve's photos for
inspiration.'' 




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