American leading man, Victor Mature was born in Louisville, Kentuck. Mature was educated at parochial schools, the Kentucky Military Institute and the Spencerian Business School. He briefly sold candy and operated a restaurant before moving to California.
Discovered while on stage at the Pasadena Community Playhouse, his first leading role was as a fur-clad caveman in "One Million B.C." (1940), after which he joined 20th Century Fox to star opposite actresses such as Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth. He was cast by John Ford in "My Darling Clementine", playing Doc Holliday opposite Henry Fonda's Wyatt Earp.
For the next decade, Mature settled into playing hard-boiled characters in a range of genres such as Westerns and Biblical films, "The Robe" with Richard Burton and Jean Simmons and its popular sequel, "Demetrius and the Gladiators" with Susan Hayward. Both films deal with the fate of the robe worn by Jesus before the crucifixion. Mature also starred with Hedy Lamarr in Cecil B. DeMille's Bible epic, "Samson and Delilah" (1949) He reportedly stated he was successful in Biblical epics because he could "make with the holy look".
He also starred with Esther Williams in "Million Dollar Mermaid" (1952), and had a romantic relationship with her. Williams, relates in her autobiography that during the filming, the actor made love to her, the whole night long on a beach, while the rest of the team and the cast slept.
Actually he was one of the greatest Hams in the history of Hollywood.
Here are some of his Personal Quotes:
"I'm no actor, and I've got 64 pictures to prove it."
"If you're so concerned about fucking privacy, don't become a fucking actor!"
"Actually, I am a golfer. That is my real occupation. I never was an actor. Ask anybody, particularly the critics."
Victor John Mature died of leukemia in 1999, at his Rancho in Santa Fe, California, at the age of 86. H.C.
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