Kermit Maynard (September 20, 1897 – January 16, 1971) was an American actor and

stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

Early years

Born in Vevay,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Maynard and a

lookalike A look-alike, double, or doppelgänger is a person who bears a strong physical resemblance to another person, excluding cases like twins and other instances of family resemblance. Some look-alikes have been notable individuals in their own right, ...

younger brother of actor Ken Maynard; they were frequently assumed to be identical twins. Maynard was a 1916 graduate of Columbus High School in Columbus, Indiana. He graduated with a degree in engineering from Indiana University and played college football as a lineman for the

Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Ath ...

in the early 1920s. While at the university, he lettered in three sports in one year. After he finished college, Maynard worked as a claims agent for the George H. Hormel Meat Packing Company.

Career

Often billed as Tex Maynard early in his career, he appeared in 280 films between 1927 and 1962. In the mid- to late-1930s, Maynard starred in films produced by Ambassador Pictures, a Maurice Conn company that began operations in 1934. He starred in 18 Ambassador films in 1935–1937. After the last of those, '' Roaring Six Guns'', he resumed doing stunt work and acting in supporting roles. Maynard also competed as a rider in rodeo competition. In 1933, he won a Pacific Coast trick-riding championship in the

Pendleton Round-Up The Pendleton Round-Up is a major annual rodeo in the northwestern United States, at Pendleton in northeastern Oregon. Held at the Pendleton Round-Up Stadium during the second full week of September each year since 1910, the rodeo brings roug ...

Death

On January 16, 1971, Maynard died at his home in

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

. He was 72 years old. Survivors included his wife and a son.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maynard, Kermit 1897 births 1971 deaths Male actors from Indiana American male film actors American male television actors Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Indiana Hoosiers football players American stunt performers Male Western (genre) film actors 20th-century American male actors People from Vevay, Indiana