Ken Maynard
Born 1895 (age 77) · Vevay, Indiana, USA
Appears in 96 titles

From Wikipedia Kenneth Olin "Ken" Maynard (July 21, 1895 – March 23, 1973) was an American motion picture stuntman and actor. Maynard served in the United States Army during World War I. After the war, Maynard returned to show business as a circus rider with Ringling Brothers. When the circus was playing in Los Angeles, California, actor Buck Jones encouraged Maynard to try working in the movies. Maynard soon had a contract with Fox Studios. He first appeared in silent motion pictures in 1923. Maynard's work included stunt performance. His horsemanship and rugged good looks made Maynard a cowboy star. He and his white stallion, "Tarzan," became famous. His two recorded songs with Columbia Records, "The Lone Star Trail" and "The Cowboy's Lament," made him one of the first of the singing cowboys. Maynard moved to Universal Studios, where he made his first films with a musical soundtrack. He sang two songs in Sons of the Saddle in 1930. In 1931 and 1932, Maynard worked for Tiffany Productions and Sono Art-World Wide Pictures before moving back to Universal in 1933. Maynard played several musical instruments, and was featured that year on the violin in The Fiddlin' Buckaroo, and on the banjo in The Trail Drive. Maynard moved to Mascot Pictures in 1934. Maynard appeared in more than ninety films in twenty years with his white cowboy hat, fancy shirt, and a pair of six-shooters, but alcoholism so severely affected his life that his acting career ended in 1944. He made appearances at state fairs and rodeos. He owned a small circus operation featuring rodeo riders but eventually lost it to creditors. His substantial wealth had vanished, and he lived a desolate life in a rundown trailer. During these years, Maynard was supported by an unknown benefactor, long thought to be Gene Autry. More than twenty five years after his last starring role, Maynard returned to the screen two small roles, in 1970 and 1972, the more notably in The Marshal of Windy Hollow. Maynard died of stomach cancer in 1973 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California. He was interred at Forest Lawn Cypress Cemetery in Cypress, California. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ken Maynard has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6751 Hollywood Blvd.

Filmography

Haunted Gold
5.1
Haunted Gold
1932
as Tim Kelly (archive footage) (uncredited)
Bigfoot
3.3
Bigfoot
1970
as Mr. Bennett
Cameo Kirby
6.0
Cameo Kirby
1923
as (uncredited)
Six Shootin' Sheriff
6.3
Six Shootin' Sheriff
1938
as Jim 'Trigger' Morton
Phantom Thunderbolt
4.7
Phantom Thunderbolt
1933
as Thunderbolt Kid
Tombstone Canyon
4.0
Tombstone Canyon
1932
as Ken
Harmony Trail
5.3
Harmony Trail
1944
as Marshal Ken Maynard
In Old Santa Fe
5.8
In Old Santa Fe
1934
as Ken aka 'Kentucky'
Wild Horse Stampede
4.5
Wild Horse Stampede
1943
as Marshal Ken Maynard
Whistlin' Dan
4.5
Whistlin' Dan
1932
as 'Whistlin' Dan Savage Posing as Ed Black
Phantom Rancher
4.6
Phantom Rancher
1940
as Ken Mitchell
The Law Rides Again
6.8
The Law Rides Again
1943
as U.S. Marshal Ken Maynard
Branded Men
6.0
Branded Men
1931
as Rod Whitaker
The Phantom City
5.5
The Phantom City
1928
as Tim Kelly
Death Valley Rangers
7.5
Death Valley Rangers
1943
as Ken Maynard
Alias: The Bad Man
5.5
Alias: The Bad Man
1931
as Ranger Ken Neville
$50,000 Reward
5.5
$50,000 Reward
1924
as Tex Sherwood
Lightning Strikes West
5.3
Lightning Strikes West
1940
as Lightning Ken Morgan
Strawberry Roan
6.0
Strawberry Roan
1933
as Ken Masters
Honor of the Range
6.3
Honor of the Range
1934
as Sheriff Ken / Brother Clem