1895-07-21 Vevay, Indiana, USA
From Wikipedia Kenneth Olin "Ken" Maynard (July 21, 1895 – March 23, 1973) was an American motion picture stuntman and actor. Maynard served in the United States Army during World War I. After the war, Maynard returned to show business as a circus rider with Ringling Brothers. When the circus was playing in Los Angeles, California, actor Buck Jones encouraged Maynard to try working in the movies. Maynard soon had a contract with Fox Studios. He first appeared in silent motion pictures in 1923. Maynard's work included stunt performance. His horsemanship and rugged good looks made Maynard a cowboy star. He and his white stallion, "Tarzan," became famous. His two recorded songs with Columbia Records, "The Lone Star Trail" and "The Cowboy's Lament," made him one of the first of the singing cowboys. Maynard moved to Universal Studios, where he made his first films with a musical soundtrack. He sang two songs in Sons of the Saddle in 1930. In 1931 and 1932, Maynard worked for Tiffany Productions and Sono Art-World Wide Pictures before moving back to Universal in 1933. Maynard played several musical instruments, and was featured that year on the violin in The Fiddlin' Buckaroo, and on the banjo in The Trail Drive. Maynard moved to Mascot Pictures in 1934. Maynard appeared in more than ninety films in twenty years with his white cowboy hat, fancy shirt, and a pair of six-shooters, but alcoholism so severely affected his life that his acting career ended in 1944. He made appearances at state fairs and rodeos. He owned a small circus operation featuring rodeo riders but eventually lost it to creditors. His substantial wealth had vanished, and he lived a desolate life in a rundown trailer. During these years, Maynard was supported by an unknown benefactor, long thought to be Gene Autry. More than twenty five years after his last starring role, Maynard returned to the screen two small roles, in 1970 and 1972, the more notably in The Marshal of Windy Hollow. Maynard died of stomach cancer in 1973 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California. He was interred at Forest Lawn Cypress Cemetery in Cypress, California. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ken Maynard has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6751 Hollywood Blvd.
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Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch | (archive footage) | 1976-05-01 |
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The Marshal of Windy Hollow | Texas Ranger | 1972-08-09 |
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Bigfoot | Mr. Bennett | 1970-10-21 |
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Harmony Trail | Marshal Ken Maynard | 1944-12-01 |
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Westward Bound | Ken Maynard | 1944-01-17 |
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Arizona Whirlwind | Ken Maynard | 1944-02-21 |
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Blazing Guns | Marshal Ken Maynard | 1943-10-08 |
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Death Valley Rangers | Ken Maynard | 1943-12-03 |
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Wild Horse Stampede | Marshal Ken Maynard | 1943-04-16 |
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The Law Rides Again | U.S. Marshal Ken Maynard | 1943-08-06 |
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Lightning Strikes West | Lightning Ken Morgan | 1940-06-01 |
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Phantom Rancher | Ken Mitchell | 1940-03-31 |
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Flaming Lead | Ken Clark | 1939-11-01 |
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Death Rides the Range | Ken Baxter | 1939-12-14 |
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Six Shootin' Sheriff | Jim 'Trigger' Morton | 1938-05-20 |
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Whirlwind Horseman | Ken Morton | 1938-04-29 |
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Boots of Destiny | Ken Crawford | 1937-07-16 |
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Trailing Trouble | John 'Friendly' Fields | 1937-08-27 |
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The Fugitive Sheriff | Ken Marshall | 1936-10-19 |
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The Cattle Thief | Ken | 1936-05-26 |
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Avenging Waters | Ken Morley | 1936-05-08 |
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Heroes of the Range | Ken Smith | 1936-03-28 |
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Heir to Trouble | Ken Armstrong | 1935-12-17 |
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Western Courage | Ken Baxter | 1935-10-29 |
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Western Frontier | Ken Masters | 1935-08-07 |
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Lawless Riders | Ken Manley | 1935-12-06 |
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Smoking Guns | Ken Masters | 1934-06-11 |
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In Old Santa Fe | Ken aka 'Kentucky' | 1934-11-15 |
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Mystery Mountain | Ken Williams | 1934-12-02 |
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Wheels of Destiny | Ken Manning | 1934-03-01 |
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Honor of the Range | Sheriff Ken / Brother Clem | 1934-04-15 |
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Gun Justice | Ken Lance | 1933-12-11 |
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The Fiddlin' Buckaroo | 'Fiddlin' | 1933-07-20 |
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King of the Arena | Captain Ken Kenton | 1933-06-01 |
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Phantom Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt Kid | 1933-03-04 |
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The Trail Drive | Ken Benton | 1933-09-04 |
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Drum Taps | Ken Cartwright | 1933-01-23 |
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Fargo Express | Ken Benton | 1933-11-20 |
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Strawberry Roan | Ken Masters | 1933-10-26 |
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The Lone Avenger | Cal Weston | 1933-05-14 |
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Whistlin' Dan | 'Whistlin' Dan Savage Posing as Ed Black | 1932-03-19 |
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The Sunset Trail | Jim Brandon | 1932-02-07 |
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Hell-Fire Austin | Ken 'Hell-Fire' Austin | 1932-03-02 |
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Dynamite Ranch | Blaze Howell | 1932-07-07 |
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Between Fighting Men | Ken | 1932-10-15 |
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Haunted Gold | Tim Kelly (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1932-12-17 |
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Hollywood on Parade No. A-5 | Self | 1932-12-16 |
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Tombstone Canyon | Ken | 1932-12-25 |
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Texas Gun Fighter | Bill Dane | 1932-02-14 |
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Come On, Tarzan | Ken Benson | 1932-09-10 |
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Branded Men | Rod Whitaker | 1931-11-07 |
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Range Law | Hap Conners | 1931-10-10 |
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The Arizona Terror | The Arizonian | 1931-09-13 |
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The Two Gun Man | 'Blackie' Weed | 1931-05-15 |
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The Pocatello Kid | The Pocatello Kid / Sheriff Jim Bledsoe | 1931-12-05 |
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Alias: The Bad Man | Ranger Ken Neville | 1931-07-15 |
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Mountain Justice | Ken McTavish | 1930-05-04 |
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Parade of the West | Bud Rand | 1930-01-19 |
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Song of the Caballero | Juan Posing as El Lobo | 1930-06-29 |
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The Fighting Legion | Dave Hayes | 1930-04-05 |
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Lucky Larkin | 'Lucky' Larkin | 1930-02-01 |
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Fighting Thru | Dan Barton | 1930-12-25 |
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Sons of the Saddle | Jim Brandon | 1930-08-03 |
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The Lawless Legion | Cal Stanley | 1929-02-17 |
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The Royal Rider | Dick Scott | 1929-02-17 |
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Señor Americano | Lieutenant Michael Banning | 1929-11-10 |
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The Wagon Master | The Rambler | 1929-09-08 |
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The California Mail | Bob Scott | 1929-04-07 |
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Cheyenne | Cal Roberts | 1929-02-03 |
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The Code of the Scarlet | Bruce Kenton | 1928-07-01 |
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The Glorious Trail | Pat O'Leary | 1928-10-28 |
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The Upland Rider | Dan Dailey | 1928-06-03 |
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The Wagon Show | Bob Mason | 1928-02-19 |
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The Phantom City | Tim Kelly | 1928-12-27 |
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The Canyon of Adventure | Steven Bancroft | 1928-04-21 |
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Somewhere in Sonora | Bob Bishop | 1927-04-03 |
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The Devil's Saddle | Harry Morrel | 1927-07-10 |
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The Overland Stage | Jack Jessup | 1927-01-31 |
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The Land Beyond the Law | Jerry Steele | 1927-06-05 |
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Gun Gospel | Granger Hume | 1927-11-06 |
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The Red Raiders | Lieutenant John Scott | 1927-09-27 |
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Haunted Range | Terry Bladwin | 1926-01-11 |
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The Grey Vulture | Bart Miller | 1926-01-02 |
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Senor Daredevil | Don Luis O'Flaherty | 1926-08-01 |
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The Unknown Cavalier | Tom Drury | 1926-11-14 |
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North Star | Noel Blake | 1925-12-27 |
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The Demon Rider | Billy Dennis | 1925-11-02 |
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Fighting Courage | Richard Kingsley | 1925-12-12 |
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Janice Meredith | Paul Revere | 1924-12-08 |
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$50,000 Reward | Tex Sherwood | 1924-12-02 |
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Brass Commandments | (uncredited) | 1923-01-28 |
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Somebody Lied | 1923-11-04 | |
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Cameo Kirby | (uncredited) | 1923-10-20 |
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The Man Who Won | Conroy | 1923-08-26 |
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The Gunfighter | (uncredited) | 1923-09-02 |
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The Voice of Hollywood No. 9 |