Victor Mature
Victor Mature was an American actor who achieved fame and success during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was born on January 29, 1913, in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Mature's rugged good looks and strong physical presence made him a popular leading man in the 1940s and 1950s.
Mature began his acting career in the late 1930s, initially appearing in small roles and working his way up in the industry. He gained attention for his performance in the film One Million B.C. (1940), where he played the lead role of Tumak, a caveman. The film's success propelled Mature into stardom and established him as a matinee idol.
Throughout the 1940s, Mature appeared in a variety of films, including historical dramas, adventure films, and film noirs. Notable among his early works were My Darling Clementine (1946), in which he portrayed Doc Holliday opposite Henry Fonda's Wyatt Earp, and Kiss of Death (1947), where he delivered a memorable performance as a menacing gangster alongside Richard Widmark.
Mature's career reached new heights in the 1950s with his role as Samson in Cecil B. DeMille's epic biblical film Samson and Delilah (1949). The film became a huge box office success and solidified Mature's status as a leading actor. He continued to star in several successful films throughout the decade, including The Robe (1953), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), and The Big Circus (1959).
In addition to his acting career, Mature had a passion for golf and was known for his skills on the golf course. He even briefly left the film industry in the early 1960s to focus on professional golf but eventually returned to acting.
As the 1960s progressed, Mature's film career slowed down, and he transitioned to television and stage work. He appeared in various TV shows and had a successful run in the theater, including his role as Jett Rink in the stage adaptation of Giant.
Victor Mature retired from acting in the early 1970s, and he spent his later years living a relatively private life. He passed away on August 4, 1999, in Rancho Santa Fe, California, at the age of 86.
Victor Mature's strong presence and masculine charm made him a popular leading man of his time. While he may be best remembered for his roles in biblical epics and adventure films, his versatility as an actor and his contributions to film noir and other genres should not be overlooked. He left a lasting legacy in the world of classic Hollywood cinema.
Mature began his acting career in the late 1930s, initially appearing in small roles and working his way up in the industry. He gained attention for his performance in the film One Million B.C. (1940), where he played the lead role of Tumak, a caveman. The film's success propelled Mature into stardom and established him as a matinee idol.
Throughout the 1940s, Mature appeared in a variety of films, including historical dramas, adventure films, and film noirs. Notable among his early works were My Darling Clementine (1946), in which he portrayed Doc Holliday opposite Henry Fonda's Wyatt Earp, and Kiss of Death (1947), where he delivered a memorable performance as a menacing gangster alongside Richard Widmark.
Mature's career reached new heights in the 1950s with his role as Samson in Cecil B. DeMille's epic biblical film Samson and Delilah (1949). The film became a huge box office success and solidified Mature's status as a leading actor. He continued to star in several successful films throughout the decade, including The Robe (1953), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), and The Big Circus (1959).
In addition to his acting career, Mature had a passion for golf and was known for his skills on the golf course. He even briefly left the film industry in the early 1960s to focus on professional golf but eventually returned to acting.
As the 1960s progressed, Mature's film career slowed down, and he transitioned to television and stage work. He appeared in various TV shows and had a successful run in the theater, including his role as Jett Rink in the stage adaptation of Giant.
Victor Mature retired from acting in the early 1970s, and he spent his later years living a relatively private life. He passed away on August 4, 1999, in Rancho Santa Fe, California, at the age of 86.
Victor Mature's strong presence and masculine charm made him a popular leading man of his time. While he may be best remembered for his roles in biblical epics and adventure films, his versatility as an actor and his contributions to film noir and other genres should not be overlooked. He left a lasting legacy in the world of classic Hollywood cinema.
Quotes:
"Actually, I am a golfer. That is my real occupation. I never was an actor. Ask anybody, particularly the critics."
[about the movie Head (1968)] "I don't understand it. All I know is it makes me laugh."
[on Samson and Delilah (1949)] "Samson wasn't exactly bad for me. How can you go wrong in a picture that is going to pull in 17 million and maybe as high as 20? Why, I'm getting fan mail from places all over the world that I've never heard of before."
"Kiss of Death (1947) and then Samson and Delilah (1949) were very important to my career. The success of Death, I'm sure, helped me to get Samson and Delilah (1949), and Delilah led to many good roles in pictures like The Robe (1953) and Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)."
"I wasn't pampered the way a Tyrone Power was. Zanuck would say to producers, "If you're not careful, you son of a bitch, I'll give you Mature for your next picture."
- Victor Mature
Trivia:
Making use of his powerful physique, he became associated with "beefcake" scenes involving bondage and torture: in Samson and Delilah (1949), he was blinded and forced to turn a gristmill; in The Robe (1953), he suffered while stretched out on a torture-table inside a Roman dungeon; in Zarak (1956), he endured two separate floggings; and in Timbuktu (1958), he found himself staked out, spreadeagle style, under a dangling tarantula.
Applying for membership in the swank Los Angeles Country Club at the height of his fame, Mature was turned down and told that the golfing facility did not accept actors as members. His response: "I'm not an actor - and I've got 64 films to prove it!".
He was supposed to fight the lion bare-handed in Samson and Delilah (1949), but he managed to convince Cecil B. DeMille to use a stunt double (Kay Bell) instead. "I had no love for the lion," the actor told Movieland Magazine, "and he wasn't carrying any torch for me. In the scene in which I was supposed to be stalking him, Cecil DeMille kept urging me to get closer, and I was calling out, 'Nice kitty, nice kitty.' Didn't do any good. . . A stunt man finally tackled the lion".
Applying for membership in the swank Los Angeles Country Club at the height of his fame, Mature was turned down and told that the golfing facility did not accept actors as members. His response: "I'm not an actor - and I've got 64 films to prove it!".
He was supposed to fight the lion bare-handed in Samson and Delilah (1949), but he managed to convince Cecil B. DeMille to use a stunt double (Kay Bell) instead. "I had no love for the lion," the actor told Movieland Magazine, "and he wasn't carrying any torch for me. In the scene in which I was supposed to be stalking him, Cecil DeMille kept urging me to get closer, and I was calling out, 'Nice kitty, nice kitty.' Didn't do any good. . . A stunt man finally tackled the lion".
