Reeves, Steven

▪ 2001

      American bodybuilder and actor (b. Jan. 21, 1926, Glasgow, Mont.—d. May 1, 2000, Escondido, Calif.), reigned as Mr. America of 1947, Mr. World (1948), and Mr. Universe (1950) before parlaying his spectacular physique into a bonanza at the box office. The first of his 18 films, the Italian Le fatiche di Ercole (1957), was dubbed into English, titled Hercules (1959), and set the stage for a series of swashbuckling sword-and-sandal epics that showcased Reeves as a heroic strongman. Other Italian American hits included Diavolo bianco (1959; The White Warrior, 1961), Gli ultimi giorni di Pompeii (1959; The Last Days of Pompeii,1960), Il terrore dei barbari (1959; Goliath and the Barbarians, 1960), and La battaglia di Maratona (1959; The Giant of Marathon, 1960). Although Reeves was reportedly the highest-paid actor in Europe in 1967, he retired two years later to an estate in California, where he raised horses.

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