Ken Maynard
Known For: Acting
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: July 21, 1895
Day of Death: March 23, 1973 (78 years old)
Place of Birth: Vevay, Indiana, USA
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.
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Actor Ken Masters
Strawberry Roan
Actor Cal Weston
The Lone Avenger
Actor Thunderbolt Kid
Phantom Thunderbolt
Actor Ken Cartwright
Drum Taps
Actor Captain Ken Kenton
King of the Arena
Actor Ken Benton
Fargo Express
Actor 'Fiddlin'
The Fiddlin' Buckaroo
Actor Ken Benton
The Trail Drive
Actor Ken Lance
Gun Justice
Producer
King of the Arena
Producer
Gun Justice
Director
The Fiddlin' Buckaroo
Producer
Strawberry Roan
Producer
The Fiddlin' Buckaroo
Producer
The Trail Drive
1932
Actor Ken
Tombstone Canyon
Actor Blaze Howell
Dynamite Ranch
Actor Ken Benson
Come On, Tarzan
Actor Self
Hollywood on Parade No. A-5
Actor Tim Kelly (archive footage) (uncredited)
Haunted Gold
Actor Jim Brandon
The Sunset Trail
Actor Bill Dane
Texas Gun Fighter
Actor 'Whistlin' Dan Savage Posing as Ed Black
Whistlin' Dan
Actor Ken 'Hell-Fire' Austin
Hell-Fire Austin
Actor Ken
Between Fighting Men
1931
1930
Actor Dan Barton
Fighting Thru
Actor Bud Rand
Parade of the West
Actor 'Lucky' Larkin
Lucky Larkin
Actor Ken McTavish
Mountain Justice
Actor Dave Hayes
The Fighting Legion
Actor Jim Brandon
Sons of the Saddle
Actor Juan Posing as El Lobo
Song of the Caballero
Producer
Parade of the West
Producer
Lucky Larkin
Producer
The Fighting Legion
Producer
Mountain Justice
Producer
Song of the Caballero
Producer
Sons of the Saddle