Victor Mature (1913-1999)

In an age when many leading men in movies were given macho sounding names like "Steel", "Troy", "Tab", "Rock" or "Power", it comes as a refreshing change to learn that one of the most macho of leading men was genuinely called " Victor Mature". No extra macho name was needed. And Victor was certainly equipped to be a leading man.

. He was 6ft 3inches tall with a sculpted torso, a mane of jet black hair and rugged, handsome features. He rose to prominence in biblical epics of the 1940s and 50s, such as 'Samson and Delilah' and 'The Robe' and was helped in no small way by the advent of Cinemascope and Technicolor.

Biography

He was born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 29, 1913. His mother was Kentucky-born and his father was a knife sharpener and cutler who came from the Italian Tyrolean region of Trentino. He had an older brother and younger sister who both died young.

Mature attended St. Xavier High School[5] in Louisville, Kentucky, but had to finish his education at 14, after being expelled from there and from most of the schools he attended. He then joined the Kentucky Military Institute, followed by the Spencerian Business School. As a teenager, for a short time, he worked alongside his father as a salesman for butcher supplies but he had developed a deep ambition to become an actor, and after moving to California in his late teens, he was able to study free of charge at the Pasadena Playhouse Drama School in California. He also lived very close to the Playhouse for three years, living in a tent in the backyard of a fellow student.

He gained valuable experience in Pasadena, appearing in some 60 productions, and whilst appearing in 'To Quito and Back', his potential and looks impressed an agent for producer, Hal Roach. In September, 1939 the young Mature signed a seven-year contract with the Hal Roach Studios.

Early Film Career

Roach was looking for an actor with the physique to play a caveman in 'One Million BC' but first gave Victor a small role as a gangster in the black comedy 'The Housekeeper's Daughter' in 1939. The public loved the young actor and he received 20,000 letters from his new fans. This led to his first leading man role in the caveman movie in 1940, paired with Carole Landis.

After two more films, he returned to Broadway in the hit musical 'Lady in the Dark' in 1941, appearing with major stars such as Gertrude Lawrence and Danny Kaye. The musical was a big hit and his performance was well received. It also brought him a new contract, this time with 20th Century-Fox. After 'The Shanghai Gesture' also in 1941, he made four musicals, all released in 1942: 'Song of the Islands' and 'Footlight Serenade', both with Betty Grable, 'Seven Days Leave', with Lucille Ball, and 'My Gal Sal', with Rita Hayworth. All the musicals were popular at the box office and Victor's stock rose with every success.

WWII 1942

In July 1942, Victor was rejected by the U.S. Navy for color blindness. He took a different eye test the same day and was accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard. He was assigned to USCGC Storis, which was part of the Greenland Patrol.and after 14 months he was promoted to the rating of chief boatswain's mate.

In 1944, he did a series of war bond tours and in April of that year he began to help the Coast Guard recruiting efforts by being a featured actor in the musical revue 'Tars and Spars', which toured the United States. The following year he was assigned to the troop transport ship Admiral Mayo. His service carried him to the North Atlantic, including Normandy, the Mediterranean, Caribbean and many islands in the South Pacific. He was on Okinawa when the A-bomb was dropped on Japan. Victor was honorably discharged from the Coast Guard in November 1945 and he was able to resume his acting career

Postwar Career

Mature returned to Fox and was cast by John Ford in 'My Darling Clementine', playing Doc Holliday opposite Henry Fonda's Wyatt Earp. It is regarded by many to be one of his finest performances.

Samson and Delilah

After two excellent crime dramas 'Kiss Of Death' in 1947 and 'Cry Of The City' the following year, which helped to further boost his career, Victor played one of his best remembered roles as Samson in 'Samson and Delilah' in 1949.The movie became the most popular film of the 1940s, and was responsible for introducing a popular new 'Sandals' genre into Hollywood. It helped further Mature's career as he was a natural for Bible epics.

Over the next few years he appeared in several such films, including 'Androcles and the Lion' in 1952, 'The Robe' in 1953 and 'Demetrius and the Gladiators' the following year. All were successful . Mature was now one of the top names in Hollywood.

Later Career

After appearing in the thriller 'Violent Saturday' in 1955 Victor left Fox to freelance and many of his movies after this were made in Europe. They were mainly mediocre action movies, such as 'Safari' in 1956, 'Zarack' and 'The Long Haul' the following year and 'No Time To Die' in 1958.

He returned to the United States but his career continued to wane with the disappointing 'China Doll' in 1958, and 'Escort West' in 1959.

After 'The Bandit of Zhobe' and 'The Big Circus' Victor made two movies in Italy, 'Hannibal' in 1960 and 'I Tartari' the following year. He then retired from full time movie making. He was an extremely rich man from his business ventures and he enjoyed what he referred to as "loafing". He occasionally reappeared on screen as in 'After the Fox' in 1966 and 'Every Little Crook and Nanny' in 1972.

Personal

Mature had an active social life and was married and divorced five times. He had a passionate affair with Esther Williams, his co-star in 'Million Dollar Mermaid' in 1952 and he was also engaged to actresses Rita Hayworth and Anne Shirley. His last marriage, to Loretta Gaye Sebena, an opera singer, in 1974, produced one child, daughter Victoria, who also became an opera singer.

A wealthy man, having invested in property, restaurants and electronics, he enjoyed his retirement on his luxury ranch near San Diego. "I loaf very gracefully," he commented.

Victor Mature died of leukemia on August 4, 1999 at his California home. and was buried at St. Michael Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. He was 86 years old.

Victor Mature Academy Awards

No Nominations

Victor Mature Filmography