Kermit Maynard

Career Highlights

• Champion Horseman and Rodeo Performer — Won the Pacific Coast Trick Riding Championship and brought authentic western skills to the screen.
• Western Star of the 1930s — Headlined eighteen Ambassador Pictures westerns between 1935 and 1937, becoming one of Poverty Row’s most reliable cowboy heroes.
• Career Spanning More Than 280 Films — Worked steadily as a stuntman, actor, and supporting player from the Silent Era through the early 1960s.

Biography

Born in Vevay, Indiana, in 1897, Kermit Maynard grew up in a family that would become closely associated with western entertainment. Although often overshadowed by his older brother, cowboy star Ken Maynard, Kermit developed impressive athletic abilities of his own. He attended Indiana University, earned a degree in engineering, played football, and excelled in multiple sports before eventually pursuing rodeo competition and trick riding. His athletic background and natural horsemanship provided the perfect foundation for a future career in motion pictures.

Maynard entered the film industry during the late Silent Era, first finding work as a stunt performer and double. His riding ability quickly made him valuable on western productions, where authentic horse work was essential. During these early years he doubled actors, performed dangerous riding sequences, and built a reputation as a dependable action performer. His experience in the stunt field gave him an understanding of western filmmaking that many actors never possessed.

By the mid-1930s, Maynard had become a western star in his own right. Producer Maurice Conn cast him in a series of low-budget but popular westerns for Ambassador Pictures. Between 1935 and 1937, he headlined eighteen features, including Phantom Patrol, Galloping Dynamite, Wild Horse Round-Up, Valley of Terror, The Fighting Texan, and Roaring Six Guns. These films showcased both his riding skills and his easygoing screen presence, helping him establish a loyal audience among western fans.

Unlike many western stars whose careers disappeared after their peak years, Maynard adapted. After his starring series ended, he continued working steadily in supporting roles, serials, features, and eventually television. Producers valued his professionalism, particularly in contrast to the sometimes turbulent reputation of his brother Ken. His willingness to take supporting parts allowed him to remain active in Hollywood long after many of his contemporaries had retired.

By the time he retired from the screen, Maynard had appeared in hundreds of productions and had become one of the most enduring figures of B-western filmmaking. He died in 1971, leaving behind a career that bridged the Silent Era, the Golden Age of westerns, and the dawn of television. For the Hollywood Stunts Hall of Fame, Kermit Maynard represents the rare performer who excelled both as a stuntman and as a leading cowboy star, helping preserve the traditions of western action filmmaking for more than three decades.

Awards and Honors

• Hollywood Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame Inductee
• Pacific Coast Trick Riding Champion (1933)
• Indiana University multi-sport letterman and collegiate football player

Distinctions & Industry Recognition

• Starred in eighteen Ambassador Pictures westerns between 1935–1937
• Appeared in approximately 280 motion pictures during his career
• Recognized as one of the notable cowboy stars of the B-Western era

Notable Filmography

Year	Title	Position
1935	The Desert Trail	Stunt Performer
1935	Phantom Patrol	Actor
1936	Wild Horse Round-Up	Actor
1936	Galloping Dynamite	Actor
1936	The Fighting Trooper	Actor
1937	Valley of Terror	Actor
1937	The Fighting Texan	Actor
1937	Roaring Six Guns	Actor
1948	Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc.	Actor
1950	Trail of Robin Hood	Actor

Photo Gallery