Fury, Ed

Post by **PeplumParadise** » 22/01/2023, 19:53

: Ed Fury in a publicity shot for Ursus nella terra di fuoco (1963)

Ed Fury was an American bodybuilder, model and actor. He was active in American films and television, mostly in minor roles, from at least the early 1950's to the late 1970's (with a one-off comeback in 1996), and as a lead actor in Italian peplums between 1960-63.

He was born Rupert Edmund Holovchik on June 6th 1928 in Long Island, New York, USA. In an interview he states that he was an orphan and grew up in Hollywood. He was 1.83m (6 ft) tall.

In California in the late 1940's and early 1950's he competed in numerous bodybuilding competitions. He also worked quite prolifically as a model for physique magazines and short films.

His known acting career kicked off with 6 uncredited bit parts in Hollywood films in 1953 (IMDb lists one title from 1946, but I have been unable to confirm this). He continued in such roles throughout the 1950's. In 1954 he also appeared in the broadway production of Fanny (confirmed in TV interview, which he says was where Italian producers first approached him, though the timing does not seem to be correct). He married Marceline Yvette Dubois, sister of a fellow bodybuilder, on 15th July 1959.

Following the international success of Le Fatiche di Ercole starring American bodybuilder Steve Reeves in 1958, peplum films would dominate the Italian film industry for the next 7 or 8 years, causing a scramble for Italian producers to sign American bodybuilders to play their muscular heroes. Ed was one of the first to arrive, along with Mark Forest, in 1960. He would remain in Italy for the next 3 years, appearing in 6 films in leading roles, becoming most associated with the role of Ursus, which he would play 3 times. Bella Cortez, his co-star in Le sette sfide, has said that she remembers Ed doing all his own stunts.

Returning to the US, Ed struggled to find acting work, and the bulk of his later acting appearances were limited to bit parts in TV series - Ed reportedly makes uncredited appearances in a number of additional titles missing from his filmography. He retired from acting in 1979, barring one return to the screen in 1996, but would occasionally appear as a guest on TV talk shows in the 1980's.

Ed died on February 24th 2023, at the age of 94. He had been out of the public eye for many years, reportedly due to ill health.

Filmography

1953

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars .... King of Venus (uncredited)
All Ashore .... Tennis player at Island Chateau (uncredited)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes .... Member of the Olympic team (uncredited)
Island in the Sky .... Server in officers mess (uncredited)
The Actress .... Member of the chorus (uncredited)
The Eddie Cantor Story .... Strongman in burlesque talent show (uncredited)

1954
Athena .... Bodybuilder (uncredited)
Demetrius and the Gladiators .... Gladiator (uncredited)
The Country Girl .... Member of the chorus (uncredited)
The Great Diamond Robbery .... Intern (uncredited)
The Student Prince .... Student (uncredited)

1955
Female on the Beach .... Roddy (uncredited)
I Died a Thousand Times .... Man with tennis racket at the accident scene (uncredited)
My Little Margie (TV series) S. 4, ep. 19: "Miss Whoozis" .... Hercules (credited)

1956
Bus Stop .... Cowboy in the saloon (uncredited)
Raw Edge .... Whitey (credited)

1958
South Pacific .... Sailor (uncredited)
The Wild Women of Wongo .... Gahbo (credited)

1959
Naked City (TV series) S. 1, ep. 22: "Ticker Tape" .... Mason Conway (uncredited)
The Phil Silvers Show (TV series) S. 4, ep. 23: "Bilko's Ape Man" .... Bodybuilder (uncredited)

1960
La regina delle Amazzoni .... Glauco (credited)

1961
Le sette sfide .... Ivan (credited)
Ursus .... Ursus (credited)
Ursus nella valle dei leoni .... Ursus (credited)

1962
Maciste contro lo sceicco .... Maciste (credited)

1963
Ursus nella terra di fuoco .... Ursus (credited)

1968
Mission: Impossible (TV series) S. 3, ep. 4: "The Mercenaries" .... Mercenary guard (uncredited)
Star Trek (TV series) S. 2, ep. 23: "The Omega Glory" .... Guard (uncredited)

1971
The Odd Couple (TV series) S. 2, ep. 8: "Fat Farm" .... Bob (credited as "Edward Fury")

1973
Barnaby Jones (TV series) S. 2, ep. 7: "Divorce - Murderer's Style" .... Gardener (credited)
Columbo (TV series) S. 3, ep. 2: "Lovely But Lethal" .... Charlie (uncredited)
Letters from Three Lovers (TV movie) .... Roger (credited)
Police Story (TV series) S. 1, ep. 6: "Collision Course" .... Officer (credited)
The F.B.I. (TV series) S. 8, ep. 19: "Desperate Journey" .... Airfield radio operator (credited)

1974
Columbo (TV series) S. 3, ep. 6: "Mind Over Mayhem" .... Plainclothesman (credited)
The Magician (TV series) S. 1, ep. 15: "The Illusion of Black Gold" .... Secret Service Man (credited)

1976
Cannon (TV series) S. 5, ep. 16: "The Reformer" .... 1st Patrolman (credited)
Shazam! (TV series) S. 3, ep. 5: "Sound of a Different Drummer" .... Guard (credited)

1978
Desperate Woman (TV movie) .... Osterhaus (credited)

1979
Fantasy Island (TV series) S. 3, ep. 3: "Tattoo: the Love God/Magnolia Blossoms" .... Sergeant (credited)

1996
Dinosaur Valley Girls .... Ur-So (credited)

????
Unidentified 1950's TV show .... Harris Clayton (credit unknown)

Additional credits

Day of Fury (1953) Short beefcake film (credited)
Erotikus: A History of the Gay Movie (1973) Theatrically-released documentary containing archive footage (credited)
3rd Degree (1989) Quiz show, as himself
Skip E. Lowe Looks at Hollywood (????) Talk show, as interviewee

Titles to check

Because of Him (1946) IMDb as "Young Man". I checked the film without recognising Ed, but there's a small possibility I may have missed him if he does not appear prominently.
The Doris Day Show (1969 TV series) S. 2, Ep. 9: "Singles Only". IMDb as Chet
Medical Center (1972 TV series) S. 4, Ep. 11: "No Sanctuary". IMDb as Officer no.2
Barnaby Jones (1973 TV series) S. 1, Ep. 9: "See Some Evil... Do Some Evil". IMDb. I checked this episode without finding Ed, however the closing minutes and end credits were missing from the copy I found, so I can't rule out his appearance completely.
The Little People (1973 TV series) S. 2, Ep. 13: "The Thunderball Syndicate". IMDb as Jeff
Medical Center (1975 TV series) S. 7, Ep. 14: "The High Cost of Winning". IMDb
All-New 3's a Crowd (2000 TV series) Unknown episode. Brian's Drive-In Theater, as Himself
The Dating Game (TV series) Unknown episode. IMDb biography, as Himself

No Fury!

Titles where Ed is listed as appearing somewhere online, but cannot be found. There always has to be one!

Fabiola (1949) IMDb as "in USA promotion". IMDb lists this among his acting roles, but Ed's participation only went as far as making appearances to publicise the film's release in the US.
Dangerous When Wet (1953) IMDb as Hercules. There is a bodybuilder in this role, but it is not Ed.
Hell and High Water (1954) IMDb as Crewman. I looked closely at all the roles fitting this description. There are several similar-looking types who someone may have mis-identified, but none of them are Ed.
Gilligan's Island (1965 TV series) S.2, Ep. 15: "Erika Tiffany-Smith to the Rescue". IMDb as Navy Lieutenant. There is no such role (and no Ed) in this episode.

: Publicity shot

: Beefcake modelling

: Publicity shot

: Beefcake modelling

: Beefcake modelling

Post by **PeplumParadise** » 22/01/2023, 19:54

Fabiola (1949) IMDb curiously lists this among Ed's acting roles, as "in USA promotion", but, as the "role" suggests, Ed's only involvement was in making public appearances to promote the film's US release.

Post by **PeplumParadise** » 23/01/2023, 16:25

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) as King of Venus

Post by **PeplumParadise** » 23/01/2023, 16:27

All Ashore (1953) as Tennis player at Island Chateau

Post by **PeplumParadise** » 23/01/2023, 16:31

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) as Member of the Olympic team.

Ed appears at the very end of the "Ain't there anyone here for love" musical number, to have his hair tousled by Jane Russell, though he does not seem to be present for the rest of the number involving the athletes working out.