Kermit Maynard

Kermit Maynard (September 20, 1897 – January 16, 1971) was an American actor and stuntman. He appeared in 280 films between 1927 and 1962.

Born in Vevay, Indiana, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Maynard and a lookalike younger brother of actor Ken Maynard; they were frequently assumed to be identical twins.[citation needed ]

Maynard was a 1916 graduate of Columbus High School in Columbus, Indiana. He graduated with a degree in engineering from Indiana University and played college football as a lineman for the Indiana Hoosiers in the early 1920s. While at the university, he lettered in three sports in one year.

After he finished college, Maynard worked as a claims agent for the George H. Hormel Meat Packing Company. Maynard also competed as a rider in rodeo competition. In 1933, he won a Pacific Coast trick-riding championship in the Pendleton Round-Up. Early in his career, promoters disdained Maynard's given name of Kermit and marketed him as "Tex Maynard."

From 1935 to 1937 Kermit Maynard starred in films produced by Ambassador Pictures, which producer Maurice Conn established in 1934. He starred in 18 Ambassador films, the last one being Roaring Six Guns.

Unlike his more famous brother Ken Maynard, who was often argumentative and difficult to work with, the mild-mannered and more agreeable Kermit Maynard continued to work steadily in pictures, appearing in the supporting casts of dozens of westerns, serials, Hollywood features, and TV episodes through 1962. When producers would cast multiple cowboy stars in a single feature, Kermit Maynard joined the posse in Trail of Robin Hood and Once Upon a Horse.

On January 16, 1971, Maynard died at his home in North Hollywood, California, from a heart attack. He was 72 years old. Survivors included his wife and a son.