Half man, half god…ALL HERO!
Hercules’ mother was a mortal, but his father was Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. Jealous of Hercules, Zeus' wife, the goddess Hera, tried to kill him as a baby by sending serpents into his crib. But Hercules was a born fighter and crushed them with his bare hands. Throughout time and around the world, Hercules has been depicted in ancient art, tapestries, statues, paintings, comics, cartoons, and feature films.
Of the countless iterations, there is one that stands out as being the most iconic, indelible and imitated. It is Steve Reeves as Hercules! Reeves iconic portrayal of Hercules set the standard for this heroic character, launched a genre of ‘sword & sandals’ films, and defined the modern day action star.
Hollywood legend Steve Reeves film, stage, and television career spanned three decades. Off screen, Steve Reeves inspired thousands worldwide as an internationally titled bodybuilder, philanthropist, and proponent of health and fitness.
"Steve Reeves is a great man and has contributed much to the sport of bodybuilding, Steve was a great inspiration to me". ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
"After seeing Goliath and the Barbarians, I decided to start bodybuilding and look like Steve." ~ Lou Ferrigno
Sylvester Stallone walked out of the theater after seeing Hercules and couldn't believe what he had just seen. He said to himself, "Sly, do want to be a bum or be like Steve Reeves?”. He decided to follow Steve doing action films.
