Earl Maynard
Encyclopedia
Earl Maynard is a bodybuilder and professional wrestler as well as a film actor
, producer and director from Barbados
.
, 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.
stationed on Cyprus
. 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
and Canada's Stampede Wrestling
. He was National Wrestling Alliance
(NWA)'s America's Tag Team Champion
twice (with Rocky Johnson
in 1970 as well as with his longtime partner Dory Dixon
in 1972).
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.
(1974), Truck Turner
(1974), Mandingo
(1975), Swashbuckler (1976), The Deep
(1977), Circle of Iron (1978), The Nude Bomb
(1980) and The Sword and the Sorcerer
(1982).
where he completed his education. He earned a degree of M.S.F. in Physiotherapy in London
.
After retiring, Maynard returned to Barbados. He began to direct his own films and work in real estate.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, producer and director from Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
.
Bodybuilding
Maynard won the 1964 Universe - Pro - NABBA bodybuilding competition - part of the Universe ChampionshipsUniverse Championships
The Universe Championships are an annual bodybuilding event organised by the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association . It has a number of competitions: NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe, Miss Figure, and Miss Toned Figure....
, the 1965 Universe - IFBB
International Federation of BodyBuilders
The International Federation of BodyBuilders is a competitive bodybuilding organization founded in 1946 by brothers Ben and Joe Weider and is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world. Currently, the IFBB consists of seven different sub-divisions for different competitors ,...
- now the World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships
World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships
The World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships is a male bodybuilding contest organised by the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness and first held in 1959. The name was changed in 1976 to avoid confusion with the NABBA Mr...
and the 1978 Masters Mr. America
AAU Mr. America
AAU Mr. America was a bodybuilding competition started by the Amateur Athletic Union . It was first held on 4 July 1939 and the winner was named "America's Best Built Man". In 1940 this was changed to what is now known as the Mr. America contest....
- AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
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 ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
stationed on Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. The sports facilities were very limited, so the implements for his weightlifting
Weight training
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...
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
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
and Canada's Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
. He was National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(NWA)'s America's Tag Team Champion
NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
The NWA Americas Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Hollywood Wrestling based out of Los Angeles, California....
twice (with Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
in 1970 as well as with his longtime partner Dory Dixon
Dory Dixon
Dorrel "Dory" Dixon is a retired Jamaican professional wrestler who worked for the majority of his career in Mexico, where he eventually became a Mexican citizen...
in 1972).
All of his bodybuilding achievements were accomplished while he continued to wrestle professionally. He eventually became known in the wrestling circles as "Mr. Universe
Universe Championships
The Universe Championships are an annual bodybuilding event organised by the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association . It has a number of competitions: NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe, Miss Figure, and Miss Toned Figure....
" 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 JonesBlack Belt Jones
Black Belt Jones is a 1974 American Blaxploitation action film. The main musical theme was performed by the funk guitarist Dennis Coffey. The film was featured as number 38 on the documentary The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made.-Plot:...
(1974), Truck Turner
Truck Turner
Truck Turner is a 1974 blaxploitation film, starring Isaac Hayes and Yaphet Kotto, and directed by Jonathan Kaplan. The screenplay was written by Michael Allin, Jerry Wilkes and Oscar Williams...
(1974), Mandingo
Mandingo (film)
Mandingo is a 1975 film, based on the novel Mandingo by Kyle Onstott and upon the play based thereon by Jack Kirkland. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured James Mason, Susan George, Perry King, Lillian Hayman, boxer-turned-actor Ken Norton, and bodybuilder and pro...
(1975), Swashbuckler (1976), The Deep
The Deep (film)
The Deep is a 1977 adventure film directed by Peter Yates and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The film stars Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, and Nick Nolte.-Plot:...
(1977), Circle of Iron (1978), The Nude Bomb
The Nude Bomb
The Nude Bomb is a 1980 comedy film based on the television series Get Smart. It starred Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, and was directed by Clive Donner...
(1980) and The Sword and the Sorcerer
The Sword and the Sorcerer
The Sword and the Sorcerer is a 1982 fantasy film, starring Lee Horsley, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll, directed by Albert Pyun. A mercenary with a three-bladed sword rediscovers his royal heritage when he is recruited to help a princess foil the designs of a brutal tyrant and a powerful...
(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 EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he completed his education. He earned a degree of M.S.F. in Physiotherapy in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
After retiring, Maynard returned to Barbados. He began to direct his own films and work in real estate.
Championships and accomplishments
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Americas Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Americas Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Americas Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Hollywood Wrestling based out of Los Angeles, California....
(2 times) - with Rocky JohnsonRocky JohnsonRocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
(1) and Dory DixonDory DixonDorrel "Dory" Dixon is a retired Jamaican professional wrestler who worked for the majority of his career in Mexico, where he eventually became a Mexican citizen...
(1) - NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)The Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship was established in 1962 as the top tag team title in NWA All-Star Wrestling. The title held that status until late summer 1985, when the title was renamed the UWA Tag Team Championship upon All-Star Wrestling's departure as a member of...
(1 time) - with Dean HiguchiDean HiguchiDean Higuchi is a retired American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Dean Ho, who competed in North American regional promotions including Pacific Northwest Wrestling, the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance, specifically the Hawaii-based Big Time...
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
- Other titles
- Beat the Clock Championship
Bodybuilding contest history
- 1958
- Mr. UniverseUniverse ChampionshipsThe Universe Championships are an annual bodybuilding event organised by the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association . It has a number of competitions: NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe, Miss Figure, and Miss Toned Figure....
- NABBA, Tall, 1st
- Mr. Universe
- 1959
- Universe - IFBBInternational Federation of BodyBuildersThe International Federation of BodyBuilders is a competitive bodybuilding organization founded in 1946 by brothers Ben and Joe Weider and is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world. Currently, the IFBB consists of seven different sub-divisions for different competitors ,...
, Most Muscular, 1st - Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 1st
- Universe - IFBB
- 1961
- Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 2nd
- 1963
- Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 3rd
- 1964
- Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 1st
- Universe - Pro - NABBA, Overall Winner
- 1965
- 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
See also
- List of male professional bodybuilders
- List of female professional bodybuilders