Discover
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.
Birth Name
Kenneth Olin Maynard
Born
Sunday, 21 July 1895
Died
Friday, 23 March 1973
Actor Filmography
Title | Character | Year |
---|
The West That Never Was | (archive footage) | 1987 |
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch | (archive footage) | 1976 |
The Marshal of Windy Hollow | Texas Ranger | 1972 |
Bigfoot | Mr. Bennett | 1970 |
Hollywood and the Stars | Self | 1963 |
Here's Hollywood | Self | 1960 |
Harmony Trail | Marshal Ken Maynard | 1944 |
Arizona Whirlwind | Ken Maynard | 1944 |
Westward Bound | Ken Maynard | 1944 |
Death Valley Rangers | Ken Maynard | 1943 |
Actor Filmography
Title | Character | Year |
---|
The West That Never Was | (archive footage) | 1987 |
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch | (archive footage) | 1976 |
The Marshal of Windy Hollow | Texas Ranger | 1972 |
Bigfoot | Mr. Bennett | 1970 |
Hollywood and the Stars | Self | 1963 |
Here's Hollywood | Self | 1960 |
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 'Trigge'r Morton / Jim 'Trigger' Morton | 1938 |
Whirlwind Horseman | Ken Morton | 1938 |
Rolling Caravans | Cowboy | 1938 |
Prairie Thunder | Rider | 1937 |
Trailing Trouble | Blackie Burke / John Friendly Fields / John 'Friendly' Fields | 1937 |
Boots of Destiny | Ken Crawford | 1937 |
Ranger Courage | Rider | 1937 |
The Fugitive Sheriff | Ken Marshall | 1936 |
The Cattle Thief | Ken / Ken Martin | 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 |
Rustlers of Red Dog | Rider | 1935 |
Mystery Mountain | Ken Williams | 1934 |
In Old Santa Fe | Ken - aka Kentucky / Ken aka 'Kentucky' | 1934 |
Smoking Guns | Ken Masters | 1934 |
Honor of the Range | Clem Bellamy / Sheriff Ken Bellamy / 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' / Fiddlin' | 1933 |
King of the Arena | Captain Ken Kenton | 1933 |
The Lone Avenger | Cal Weston | 1933 |
Phantom Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt Kid / Ken Peters | 1933 |
Drum Taps | Ken Cartwright | 1933 |
Tombstone Canyon | Ken | 1932 |
Haunted Gold | Rider | 1932 |
Between Fighting Men | Ken / Ken Thompson | 1932 |
False Faces | Ken Maynard - in Nightclub | 1932 |
Come on, Tarzan | Ken Benson | 1932 |
Dynamite Ranch | Blaze Howell | 1932 |
Whistlin' Dan | 'Whistlin' Dan Savage Posing as Ed Black / Whistlin' Dan Savage - Posing as Ed Black | 1932 |
Hell-Fire Austin | Ken 'Hell-Fire' Austin | 1932 |
Texas Gun Fighter | Bill Dane | 1932 |
Sunset Trail | Jim Brandon | 1932 |
The Pocatello Kid | Sheriff Jim Bledsoe / The Pocatello Kid | 1931 |
Branded Men | Rod Whitaker | 1931 |
Range Law | Hap Conners | 1931 |
The Arizona Terror | The Arizonian | 1931 |
Alias the Bad Man | Ranger Ken Neville - posing as Red River Gantz / Ranger Ken Neville | 1931 |
The Two Gun Man | Blackie Weed / 'Blackie' Weed | 1931 |
Fighting Thru; or, California in 1878 | 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 |
Trailing Trouble | John 'Friendly' Fields | 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 Branded Man | Rod Whitaker | 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 / Sir Arthur | 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 |
The Man Who Won | Conroy | 1923 |
Director Filmography
Title | Year |
---|
Producer Filmography
Title | Year |
---|
Smoking Guns | 1934 |
Honor of the Range | 1934 |
Wheels of Destiny | 1934 |
Gun Justice | 1933 |
Strawberry Roan | 1933 |
The Trail Drive | 1933 |
The Fiddlin' Buckaroo | 1933 |
King of the Arena | 1933 |
Sons of the Saddle | 1930 |
Song of the Caballero | 1930 |
Mountain Justice | 1930 |
The Fighting Legion | 1930 |
Lucky Larkin | 1930 |
Parade of the West | 1930 |
Señor Americano | 1929 |
The Wagon Master | 1929 |