Roy "Reg" Park (7 June 1928 – 22 November 2007) was an English bodybuilder, businessman, and actor. His first title was Mr Britain in 1949. He then won the Mr Universe in 1951, 1958 and 1965. He also starred in five films, four featured as

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

, and in one, ''

Hercules in the Haunted World ''Hercules in the Haunted World'' (Italian: ''Ercole al centro della terra'', lit. "Hercules at the Center of the Earth") is a 1961 Italian sword-and-sandal film directed by Mario Bava. British bodybuilder Reg Park plays Hercules while British a ...

'' (1961), he co-starred with Christopher Lee. Besides his own career and titles, he is probably best known as an idol and mentor to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Biography

Roy Park was born in

Leeds, West Yorkshire Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populatio ...

on 7 June 1928. Showing athletic interests early in life, Park dedicated his teenage years to excelling in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

where he played in the reserves for

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

. He had no specific interest in bodybuilding until age 16 when he met muscleman David Cohen. Upon learning that Cohen lifted weights at his friend's house, Park joined in out of curiosity. Park's legendary physique would begin to grow from

barbell A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end. Barbells range in length from to above , alth ...

dumbbell The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs, with one in each hand. History The forerunner of the dumbbell, halteres, were used in ancient Greece as lifting ...

s and a simple chinning bar. During his

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

he was a

Physical Training Instructor Physical training instructor (PTI) is a term used primarily in the British Armed Forces and British police, as well as some other Commonwealth countries, for an instructor in physical fitness. United Kingdom In the British Army, specialist Ph ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. Upon discharge from the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in 1948, he witnessed his first physique contest; the inaugural

NABBA Mr. Universe NABBA may refer to: * National Amateur Body-Builders' Association * North American Brass Band Association The North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) is among the organizations whose goal is to promote the British brass band in North Ame ...

contest in London, in which

John Grimek John Carroll Grimek (June 17, 1910 – November 20, 1998) was an American bodybuilder and weightlifter active in the 1930s and 1940s. He was Mr. America in 1940 and 1941, and Mr. Universe in 1948. Throughout his career he carried the nicknam ...

edged out Steve Reeves in controversial fashion. It was this contest that inspired Park to compete himself. After one year of hard training, Park earned the title of Mr. Britain in 1949. He then subsequently spent six months in the United States (thanks to a gift from his parents). There, he met up with publisher

Joe Weider Joseph Weider (; November 29, 1919 – March 23, 2013) was a Canadian bodybuilder and entrepreneur who co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) alongside his brother Ben Weider. He was also the creator of Mr. Olympia, Ms. O ...

, who began to feature the Englishman prominently in his muscle magazines. The next year, Park was runner-up to Steve Reeves in the 1950 NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe in London (also a close contest). After a second full year of training, Park broke what had been an American monopoly on bodybuilding titles by winning the 1951 National Amateur Bodybuilders Association (NABBA) Amateur Mr. Universe. He cemented his status by winning the 1958 and 1965 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe titles. Standing 6'1" and with a top weight of 250 pounds, Park was known for his muscular mass and was a forerunner to modern bodybuilding. Park was also renowned for his strength, which he often demonstrated in contests and strongman exhibitions. He is on record as the second man to bench press 500 lbs, after

Doug Hepburn Douglas Ivan Hepburn (September 16, 1926 – November 22, 2000) was a Canadian strongman and weightlifter. He won weightlifting gold medals in the 1953 World Weightlifting Championships as well as the 1954 British Empire Games in the heavyweigh ...

. As an actor, Park made five films—all Italian Hercules

sword and sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (pepla plural), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or Biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budge ...

pictures.

Up to the time of his illness in 2007, despite being in his seventies, Park continued to train clients at the Morningside Virgin Active Gym in

Sandton, South Africa Sandton is an upscale commercial and residential district north of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. The name of the city came from the combination of two of its suburbs, ...

. He has been featured in many fitness and bodybuilding magazines, and has also appeared on the cover of ''

Muscle & Fitness ''Muscle & Fitness'' is an American fitness and bodybuilding magazine founded in 1935 by Canadian entrepreneur Joe Weider. It was originally published under the title ''Your Physique'', before being renamed to ''Muscle Builder'' in 1954, and acq ...

''. He was inducted into the

International Federation of Bodybuilders The International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness (IFBB), headquartered in Las Rozas (Madrid), is an international professional sports governing body for bodybuilding and fitness that oversees many of the sport's major international even ...

(IFBB)

IFBB Hall of Fame The IFBB Hall of Fame was established in 1999 to honor outstanding athletes and officials in the sport of bodybuilding. There have been no inductees since 2011. Induction years 1999 *Carla Dunlap *Cory Everson *John Grimek * Lee Haney * Rachel Mc ...

's first ballot in 1999.

Death and legacy

With his wife of 55 years, Mareon, and children Jeunesse and Jon Jon by his side, Park died on 22 November 2007 in his home in South Africa, after an eight-month battle with metastatic

melanoma Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...

(a form of skin cancer). Park's legacy is continued by his son Jon Jon Park, a personal trainer and former

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

swimmer. Reg Park raised and trained Jon Jon in South Africa. Today Jon Jon Park is the owner of the Legacy Gym, a popular gymnasium in

West Los Angeles West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped differently by di ...

. Reg's daughter, Jeunesse, founded Food & Trees for Africa, a non profit that changed thousands of lives and landscapes. Famous for his mass and strength, Reg Park was an early influence and lifelong mentor to champion bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger said that he was inspired to become a bodybuilder after seeing Park. For three years in the 1960s Schwarzenegger was trained by Wag Bennett in his gym in the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, and it was there where he met his idol, Reg Park. Bonus footage from the DVD release of the classic documentary film ''

Pumping Iron ''Pumping Iron'' is a 1977 American docudrama about the world of professional bodybuilding, with a focus on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and 1975 Mr. Olympia competitions. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore and edited by Geof Bartz and L ...

'' (1977) features Park mentoring Schwarzenegger. Park can also be heard performing the Master of Ceremonies duties in the Mr. Universe and

Mr. Olympia Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation ...

contests featured in the film proper.

Bodybuilding titles

*1946 Mr Britain 4th *1949 Mr Britain 1st *1950 Best Developed Athlete in America - IFBB, Tall, 1st *1950 Best Developed Athlete in America - IFBB, Overall Winner Mr Europe *1950 Overall Winner Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 2nd *1951 Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 1st *1951 Mr Universe - NABBA, Overall Winner *1958 Mr Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 1st *1958 Mr Universe - Pro - NABBA, Overall Winner *1965 Mr Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 1st *1965 Mr Universe - Pro - NABBA, Overall Winner *1970 Mr Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 2nd *1971 Mr Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 3rd *1973 Mr Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 2nd

Competitive stats

* Height: 6'1" (185 cm) * Contest weight: 214-222 lbs (97–101 kg) * Off-season weight: 225-250 lbs (102–113 kg) * Arms: 18.5 @ 215 lbs, 19.0 @ 230 lbs" (47–48 cm)

Filmography

*''Ercole Alla Conquista Di Atlantide'' (1961) Italy. aka '' Hercules Conquers Atlantis'' (1962 UK title) '' Hercules and the Captive Women'' (1963 US title) *''Ercole Al Centro Della Terra'' (1961) Italy. aka ''Hercules in the Centre of the Earth'' (1962 UK title) and ''

'' (1963 US title) co-starring Christopher Lee *''Maciste Nelle Miniere Di Re Salomone'' (1964) Italy. aka ''

Maciste in King Solomon's Mines ''Samson in King Solomon's Mines'' ( it, Maciste nelle miniere de re Salmone) is a 1964 Italian peplum film written and directed by Piero Regnoli. Cast * Reg Park as Maciste * Wandisa Guida as Fazira * Dan Harrison as Abucar * Giuseppe Addobbat ...

'' (1964) *''Ursus, Il Terrore Dei Kirghisi'' (1964). Italy. aka ''

Hercules, Prisoner of Evil ''Hercules, Prisoner of Evil'' ( it, Ursus il terrore dei Kirghisi, lit=Ursus, Terror of the Kirghiz) is a 1964 Italian '' peplum'' film directed by Anthony Dawson and an uncredited Ruggero Deodato. Deodato, the official assistant director, replac ...

'' (1964) *''Sfida Dei Giganti'' (1965) Italy. aka '' Hercules the Avenger'' (1965)

References

External links

Obituary in ''The Times'', 27 November 2007
*
Reg's personal site

Reg's fan tribute
*

The Reg Park Story

Reg Park “Mr. Universe”
{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Reg 1928 births 2007 deaths British bodybuilders Deaths from cancer in South Africa Deaths from melanoma English bodybuilders English expatriates in Italy English male film actors People associated with physical culture Professional bodybuilders Military personnel from Leeds 20th-century British Army personnel Royal Army Physical Training Corps soldiers