Spectrum took these great images of Mickey Hargitay, who said he was inspired to take up bodybuilding after seeing Steve Reeves on the cover of a magazine.
Mickey won the title Mr. Universe in 1955.
Mae West saw him on the cover of the October, 1953 issue of Strength and Health magazine and recruited him to be in her burlesque revue.
Blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield caught the show one night in New York City at the Latin Quarter Nightclub (which was owned and operated by Barbara Walter's father for many years). When asked by her dinner companion what she wanted that evening, Jayne supposedly replied, "I'll have a steak and the man on the left."
Not too long after they met, Mickey and Jayne were married for several years, living in her pink Beverly Hills mansion known as the Pink Palace, with its heart-shaped pool built by Mickey. They were a Hollywood celebrity couple hounded by the press.
Mickey appeared in a few films and television shows, but is best remembered for helping to popularize the sport of bodybuilding. He was the first recipient of the Joe Weider Lifetime Achievement Award, and received the Muscle Beach Hall of Fame Award from the Muscle Beach Historical Committee in 2006.
He died on September 14, 2006.
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