Early in his career he toured as one of a group of "strongman" performers--one of whom was Mickey Hargitay--in Mae West's nightclub act.
Following his success in Italy, he helped his muscular friend Dan Vadis get into the Italian movie business.
He built amost single-handedly a small western-like village in the Roman countryside, that was used as the set for several Italian B-westerns.
His funeral memorial service was attended by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Roland Kickinger, Franco Columbu, Mickey Hargitay, Richard Harrison, Sebastian Harrison, Joe Gold, Scott Brown, Michael A. Martinez, and Robert Amstler in front of the World Gym corporate headquarters.
Honored by the UCLA Film Archive at a July 6, 2003, festival showing of The Giant of Metropolis (1961) in a theater on the Los Angeles campus.
Served in the U.S. army in the Korean War.