KEN MAYNARD
			

Ken Maynard - Born: July 21, 1895 in Vevay, Indiana.
Passed: March 23, 1973 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Kenneth Olin Maynard was a very handsome man and an accomplished horseman. He worked with both the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and Ringling Brothers as a trick rider in the early 1920s. Prior to this, he served in the United  States Army in World War I.
Maynard's first appearance in movies was the silent film, The Man Who Won, in 1923. He did not receive any notice for his acting until 1924 with the release of the film, Cosmopolitan.
His first starring film role was in 1925. He starred in $50,000 Reward. This film was released by Davis Productions where Maynard was to become a star of their low-budget releases.
Maynard then signed with Fox's First National Pictures in 1926.  He starred in approximately 20 silent westerns for First National and Warner Brothers (which bought First National in 1929).
Later in 1929, Maynard signed with Universal during their sound transition period.  They offered him his own company and creative control which put him on the same level as Hoot Gibson and Tom Mix. He made eight movies with Universal before the studio decided to stop making westerns in 1931.
Maynard then went to work for Tiffany. He was still very popular with the audience and made 11 films during this time, all created for the Saturday matinee time. Tiffany went bankrupt in 1932 and so Maynard went to work for K.B.S. Film Co. This company was formed for the purpose of producing Ken Maynard movies and only was in business for a year.
In 1933, Universal decided to distribute westerns again and re-hired Maynard. He starred in eight westerns during this time, all of which had good budgets (approx. $100,000) and production values.  However, Maynard had been financial control over these movies and routinely went over budget.  Universal fired him in 1934.
After a short stint with Mascot Pictures (one movie and one serial), Maynard signed with Columbia Pictures. It was during this time that he became the first "singing cowboy". He was also the first to make a star out of his horse; in this case, his white stallion Tarzan.  He made eight movies with Columbia before moving on to Monogram, the last studio he worked for. 
His film career ended for the most part in the mid-1940s. He worked for the Cole Brothers-Clyde Beatty Circus based on his name.  
He recorded the syndicated radio show, Tales From the Diamond K in 1955. Eventually, Ken Maynard quit working except for the occasional TV guest appearance. His last film appearance was in Marshall of Windy Hollow in 1972. 
In his later years, he was an alcoholic and lived in ill health in a trailer park until his death at Woodland Hills Motion Picture Home in Los Angeles, California. Maynard was supported in his later years by an unknown benefactor, rumored to be Gene Autry.
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