Ed Fury at Brian's Drive-In Theater

biography

Born Edmund Holovchik in New York on June 6, 1928, Ed Fury matured into a very athletic teenager. While he wrestled in school and lifted weights, he didn't work toward the gargantuan build as did some of his contemporaries, such as Steve Reeves and Reg Park. Relocating to southern California in the late 1940s, Fury's impressive physique made him a natural contender for the Mr. Muscle Beach title in 1951 and 1953, coming in third and second, respectively. He began modeled for various physique studios in the 1950s such as the Athletic Model Guild (AMG) and Bruce of LA. In addition, he appeared in several home movie loops distributed by Apollo and AMG as 16mm and 8mm films in the 1950s and also graced the covers of a number of physique culture magazines in the 1950s and 1960s.

Early to mid 1950s physique modeling shots of Fury

A six-foot tall natural blond, Fury began acting on the legitimate stage before his film career took off. Among other vehicles, he appeared on Broadway in the show Fanny. He can also be spotted in a number of 1940s and 1950s films, including Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953; with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello), Athena (1954; with Debbie Reynolds and Steve Reeves), and Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954; with Victor Mature). Later in the decade, Fury found larger roles in such films as the campy Wild Women of Wongo (1958). He also worked in television in the 1950s, appearing as a guest star during the final season of the CBS/NBC TV situation comedy My Little Margie (1952-1955; with Gale Storm and Charles Farrell).

Portfolio shots of Fury, circa 1957

Following a larger role in the campy Wild Women of Wongo (1958), Fury went to Italy to star in Colossus and the Amazon Queen (1960; with Rod Taylor), a peplum comedy in which all the men take on women's roles while the women assume traditional male roles. While Fury never appeared as Hercules in film, he made his mark as Maciste, Ursus, and Colossus in several popular peplums in the early 1960s including The Mighty Ursus (1961; with Moira Orfei), Ursus in the Valley of the Lions (1961; with Moira Orfei), and Samson Against the Sheik (1962; with Erno Crisa).

the films of ed fury

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)

From the Universal-International comedy Abbott and Costello Go to Mars

My Little Margie (1952-1955 CBS/NBC TV Serires)

From a 1955 episode of NBC's My Little Margie titled Miss Whoozis. LEFT: Fury as the model Hercules. RIGHT: With Gale Storm

Female on the Beach (1955)

Joan Crawford, Jeff Chandler, Natalie Schafer, Ed Fury, and Cecil Kellaway

From Universal-International's noir thriller Female on the Beach with Joan Crawford, Jeff Chandler, Natalie Schafer, and Cecil Kellaway

Wild Women of Wongo (1958)

Fury was cast as Gahbo in the campy adventure Wild Women of Wongo

Colossus and the Amazon Queen (1960)

Fury portrays Glauco in the comedy adventure Colossus and the Amazon Queen, released by American International Pictures (AIP)

Ursus (1961)

Fury portrays the title character in the sword and sandal adventure Ursus

Ursus in the Valley of Lions (1961)

Fury has a second turn as Ursus in Ursus in the Valley of Lions

Samson Against the Sheik (1963)

Fury portrays the title character in Samson Against the Sheik, aka Maciste Against the Sheik

Ursus in the Land of Fire (1963)

As Ursus in Ursus in the Land of Fire

later years

After the release of Ursus in the Land of Fire (1963; with Nando Tamberlani), Fury returned to the U.S. and reemerged on television in the late 1960s, acting in episodes of Gilligan's Island, Columbo, The Brian Keith Show (aka The Little People), the Doris Day Show, and a few made-for-television films before retiring from the screen in the late 1970s. He came out of retirement for one last film appearance in Dinosaur Valley Girls (1996; with William Marshall). Also, he made an appearance on the Game Show Network (now GSN) in the game show All-New 3's a Crowd in January 2000. Fury passed away at age 94 on February 24, 2023 and was survived by his wife and three children.