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