A handsome leading man noted as much for his muscular physique as for his charming screen presence, Victor Mature was smart enough not to take his talent too seriously. The son of immigrants, he dropped out of school at age 14 and found enough success working in the confections industry to purchase a share in a restaurant by the time he was 17. After selling out, Mature traveled West to try his hand at acting, landing a fellowship at the Pasadena Playhouse. His Spartan lifestyle (reportedly he lived in a pup tent and subsisted on canned sardines and chocolate bars) was decried by some as a
