Victor Mature (born in Louisville, Kentucky; 1915-1999) was an American film actor. He was most commonly associated with the term “beefcake” due to his muscular physique and stolid onscreen manner.
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. However, with the US entry into World War II, Mature entered military service.
After the war, Mature 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, such as The Robe (with Richard Burton and Jean Simmons) and the popular sequel to The Robe, Demetrius and the Gladiators (with Susan Hayward). Both films deal with the fate of the robe worn by Jesus before the crucifixion. Victor also starred with Hedy Lamarr in Cecil B. Demille’s Bible epic, Samson and Delilah.
Additional films by Victor Mature include The Egyptian (1954) and Chief Crazy Horse (1955).