Ed Fury, the Muscle Beach bodybuilder who starred as the mighty warrior Ursus in three Italian “sword and sandal” tales, has died. He was 94.
Fury died Feb. 24 at his Woodland Hills home, his wife, Shelly, said The Hollywood Reporter.
In 1953 alone, Fury appeared uncredited in seven films, including Abbott and Costello go to Mars, Dangerous When Wet, Gentlemen prefer blonde, An island in the sky and The Eddie Cantor Story.
Later, he showed up Country Girl (1954), Athena (1954), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), Hell and High Water (1954), Woman on the beach (1955), I died a thousand times (1955), Raw edge (1956), Bus Stop (1956), South Pacific Ocean (1958) and Wongo’s wild women (1958).
After auditioning for Joshua Logan and taking a part on Broadway in the 1954-56 musical Will stayItalian film producers in the audience visited him backstage and signed him a contract.
Fury appeared opposite Rod Taylor in the Italian comedy Colossus and the Amazon Queen (1960), then starred in it Ursus (1961). He returned as the mythological hero within Valley of the Lions (1961) and Ursus in the Land of Fire (1963) and topped another Italian legend, Maciste against the Sheikh (1962).
“I believe in a healthy mind and a healthy body,” the actor told Skip E. Lowe in a 1988 interview. “You see, this is what you’ve got, you better take care of it, otherwise he won’t pay attention to you. … You’ve been dead a long time, you better have fun now and enjoy yourself, because that’s what we’re here for.”
Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Rupert Edmund Holovchik was born an orphan in Los Angeles on June 6, 1928. He became known to the crowd at Muscle Beach and posed for the Athletic Model and Bruce of LA physique studios and for covers of Muscles magazine and other publications.
Follow up Will stayhe worked for Logan on the big screen in Bus Stop and South Pacific Ocean.
Later, he appeared on programs of Gilligan’s Island, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Doris Day Show, The Black Couple, Columbo, Barnaby Jones and Fantasy island.
Fury also wrote many scripts and songs, his wife said. She met him in 1955, and they married soon after.
