Acting
114
Man
Jul 21, 1895
Mar 23, 1973 (77)
Vevay, Indiana, USA
Ken Maynard
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.
Year | Movie / TV show / Other | Role |
---|---|---|
— | The Voice of Hollywood No. 9 | |
1976 | Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch | (archive footage) |
1972 | The Marshal of Windy Hollow | Texas Ranger |
1970 | Bigfoot | Mr. Bennett |
1944 | Harmony Trail | Marshal Ken Maynard |
1944 | Arizona Whirlwind | Ken Maynard |
1944 | Westward Bound | Ken Maynard |
1943 | Wild Horse Stampede | Marshal Ken Maynard |
1943 | The Law Rides Again | U.S. Marshal Ken Maynard |
1943 | Death Valley Rangers | Ken Maynard |
1943 | Blazing Guns | Marshal Ken Maynard |
1940 | Phantom Rancher | Ken Mitchell |
1940 | Lightning Strikes West | Lightning Ken Morgan |
1939 | Death Rides the Range | Ken Baxter |
1939 | Flaming Lead | Ken Clark |
1938 | Six Shootin' Sheriff | Jim 'Trigger' Morton |
1938 | Whirlwind Horseman | Ken Morton |
1937 | Trailing Trouble | John 'Friendly' Fields |
1937 | Boots of Destiny | Ken Crawford |
1936 | Avenging Waters | Ken Morley |
1936 | Heroes of the Range | Ken Smith |
1936 | The Fugitive Sheriff | Ken Marshall |
1936 | The Cattle Thief | Ken |
1935 | Western Courage | Ken Baxter |
1935 | Western Frontier | Ken Masters |
1935 | Heir to Trouble | Ken Armstrong |
1935 | Lawless Riders | Ken Manley |
1934 | In Old Santa Fe | Ken aka 'Kentucky' |
1934 | Honor of the Range | Sheriff Ken / Brother Clem |
1934 | Wheels of Destiny | Ken Manning |
1934 | Mystery Mountain | Ken Williams |
1934 | Smoking Guns | Ken Masters |
1933 | Phantom Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt Kid |
1933 | Strawberry Roan | Ken Masters |
1933 | Drum Taps | Ken Cartwright |
1933 | The Lone Avenger | Cal Weston |
1933 | King of the Arena | Captain Ken Kenton |
1933 | Fargo Express | Ken Benton |
1933 | The Fiddlin' Buckaroo | 'Fiddlin' |
1933 | The Trail Drive | Ken Benton |
1933 | Gun Justice | Ken Lance |
1932 | Haunted Gold | Tim Kelly (archive footage) (uncredited) |
1932 | Tombstone Canyon | Ken |
1932 | Whistlin' Dan | 'Whistlin' Dan Savage Posing as Ed Black |
1932 | Dynamite Ranch | Blaze Howell |
1932 | Between Fighting Men | Ken |
1932 | Come On, Tarzan | Ken Benson |
1932 | The Sunset Trail | Jim Brandon |
1932 | Texas Gun Fighter | Bill Dane |
1932 | Hell-Fire Austin | Ken 'Hell-Fire' Austin |
1932 | Hollywood on Parade No. A-5 | Self |
1931 | Branded Men | Rod Whitaker |
1931 | Alias: The Bad Man | Ranger Ken Neville |
1931 | The Two Gun Man | 'Blackie' Weed |
1931 | The Pocatello Kid | The Pocatello Kid / Sheriff Jim Bledsoe |
1931 | Range Law | Hap Conners |
1931 | The Arizona Terror | The Arizonian |
1930 | Mountain Justice | Ken McTavish |
1930 | Fighting Thru | Dan Barton |
1930 | Parade of the West | Bud Rand |
1930 | Lucky Larkin | 'Lucky' Larkin |
1930 | The Fighting Legion | Dave Hayes |
1930 | Sons of the Saddle | Jim Brandon |
1930 | Song of the Caballero | Juan Posing as El Lobo |
1929 | The California Mail | Bob Scott |
1929 | Cheyenne | Cal Roberts |
1929 | The Lawless Legion | Cal Stanley |
1929 | The Royal Rider | Dick Scott |
1929 | The Wagon Master | The Rambler |
1929 | Señor Americano | Lieutenant Michael Banning |
1928 | The Phantom City | Tim Kelly |
1928 | The Canyon of Adventure | Steven Bancroft |
1928 | The Wagon Show | Bob Mason |
1928 | The Glorious Trail | Pat O'Leary |
1928 | The Code of the Scarlet | Bruce Kenton |
1928 | The Upland Rider | Dan Dailey |
1927 | The Red Raiders | Lieutenant John Scott |
1927 | The Devil's Saddle | Harry Morrel |
1927 | The Overland Stage | Jack Jessup |
1927 | The Land Beyond the Law | Jerry Steele |
1927 | Gun Gospel | Granger Hume |
1926 | Haunted Range | Terry Bladwin |
1926 | The Grey Vulture | Bart Miller |
1926 | Senor Daredevil | Don Luis O'Flaherty |
1926 | The Unknown Cavalier | Tom Drury |
1925 | North Star | Noel Blake |
1925 | The Demon Rider | Billy Dennis |
1925 | Fighting Courage | Richard Kingsley |
1924 | $50,000 Reward | Tex Sherwood |
1924 | Janice Meredith | Paul Revere |
1923 | Cameo Kirby | (uncredited) |
1923 | Somebody Lied | |
1923 | The Man Who Won | Conroy |
1923 | Brass Commandments | (uncredited) |
1923 | The Gunfighter | (uncredited) |
Year | Movie / TV show / Other | Role |
---|---|---|
1935 | Western Frontier | Story |
1935 | Heir to Trouble | Story |
1934 | Honor of the Range | Producer |
1934 | Wheels of Destiny | Producer |
1934 | Smoking Guns | Story |
1933 | Strawberry Roan | Producer |
1933 | King of the Arena | Producer |
1933 | Gun Justice | Producer |
1933 | The Fiddlin' Buckaroo | Director |
1933 | The Fiddlin' Buckaroo | Producer |
1933 | The Trail Drive | Producer |
1930 | Mountain Justice | Producer |
1930 | Parade of the West | Producer |
1930 | Lucky Larkin | Producer |
1930 | The Fighting Legion | Producer |
1930 | Song of the Caballero | Producer |
1930 | Sons of the Saddle | Producer |
1929 | The Wagon Master | Producer |
1929 | Señor Americano | Producer |