Earl Maynard (born November 28, 1935) is a

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuse ...

and

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

as well as a film

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

, producer and director from

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate ...

Career

Bodybuilding

Maynard won the 1964 Universe - Pro - NABBA bodybuilding competition - part of the Universe Championships, the 1965 Universe - IFBB - now the World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships and the 1978 Masters Mr. America - AAU contest. He was also the winner of Mr. Europe 1959 and Mr. England 1960 early in his career.

Professional wrestling

Maynard started wrestling while he was in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

stationed on

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

. The sports facilities were very limited, so the implements for his weightlifting and conditioning had to be improvised with what materials he could find. While He was on Cyprus, a British wrestling promoter, who was there on vacation, spotted him and liked what he saw. Maynard became a professional wrestler in 1960. It was wrestling promoter Gus Karras who eventually brought Earl to the United States to continue his wrestling career there. By the late, 1960s, he was working in Pacific Northwest Wrestling, New York's WWWF and Canada's Stampede Wrestling. He was

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA began as a governing body for a ...

(NWA)'s America's Tag Team Champion twice (with Rocky Johnson in 1970 as well as with his longtime partner Dory Dixon in 1972). He went to wrestle in Mexico for EMLL Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in 1971, Japan for International Wrestling Association of Japan from 1971 to 1972 and New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1973. He would finished his career in San Francisco until he retired in 1978. All of his bodybuilding achievements were accomplished while he continued to wrestle professionally. He eventually became known in the wrestling circles as " Mr. Universe" because of being a two-time winner of that most prestigious of bodybuilding titles.

Acting

He made over 20 appearances as an actor in films. These include such films as '' Melinda'' (1972), '' Black Belt Jones'' (1974), '' Truck Turner'' (1974), '' Mandingo'' (1975), '' Swashbuckler'' (1976), '' The Deep'' (1977), '' Circle of Iron'' (1978), '' The Nude Bomb'' (1980), '' The Big Brawl'' (1980) and '' The Sword and the Sorcerer'' (1982).

Personal life

At the age of 17, Earl was 5’ 10” tall and weighed only 130 pounds. Maynard left the island when he was 18 and moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

where he completed his education. He earned a degree of M.S.F. in Physiotherapy in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. After retiring, Maynard returned to Barbados. He began to direct his own films and work in real estate.

Partial filmography

*'' Melinda'' (1972) - Karate Group *'' Black Belt Jones'' (1974) - Junebug *'' Truck Turner'' (1974) - Panama *'' Uptown Saturday Night'' (1974) - Waldorf bartender (uncredited) *'' Mandingo'' (1975) - Babouin *'' Swashbuckler'' (1976) - Bath Attendant *'' The Deep'' (1977) - Ronald *'' Circle of Iron'' (1978) - Black Giant *'' The Nude Bomb'' (1980) - Jamaican Delegate *'' The Big Brawl'' (1980) - Buster Mountie *'' The Sword and the Sorcerer'' (1982) - Morgan (final film role)

Championships and accomplishments

* NWA All-Star Wrestling ** NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship ''(Vancouver version)'' ( 1 time) - with Dean Higuchi * NWA Hollywood Wrestling ** NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outsid ...

) ** NWA Americas Tag Team Championship ( 3 times) – with Rocky Johnson (1),

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final p ...

(1) and Dory Dixon (1)

Bodybuilding contest history

* 1958 ** Mr. Universe - NABBA, Tall, 1st * 1959 **Universe - IFBB, Most Muscular, 1st **Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 1st * 1961 **Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 2nd * 1963 **Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 3rd * 1964 **Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 1st **Universe - Pro - NABBA, Overall Winner * 1965 ** Mr. Olympia - IFBB, 3rd **Universe - IFBB, Tall, 1st **Universe - IFBB, Overall Winner * 1977 **Masters Mr America - AAU, Tall, 1st **World Cup Pro Universe - PBBA, Masters, 3rd * 1978 **Masters Mr America - AAU, Tall, 1st **Masters Mr America - AAU, Overall Winner

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maynard, Earl 1935 births Barbadian professional wrestlers Male bodybuilders Living people Barbadian male film actors 20th-century male actors People associated with physical culture Stampede Wrestling alumni 20th-century professional wrestlers NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Champions NWA Americas Tag Team Champions