Actor. He was a circus strongman and acrobat before he drifted into films as a stuntman at Universal in 1913. Studio head Carl Laemmle spotted the beefy novice at work and had him cast opposite serial queen Grace Cunard in "The Broken Coin" (1913). Polo quickly shot to serial stardom himself, billed (reportedly at his insistence) as "The Hercules of the Screen". His chapter-play epics had such titles as "The Gray Ghost" (1917), "The Vanishing Dagger" (1920), and "King of the Circus" (1920); like most serials they were short on plot and long on action, with Polo always doing his own spectacular stunts. He also gained considerable publicity for his daredevil exploits offscreen. In 1915 Polo became the first man to parachute from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and he later set an altitude record for parachuting from a plane. In 1925 he quit Universal and formed his own production company, ignoring the fact that he was the oldest action star in Hollywood and that his popularity was plummeting. His self-produced films were flops, and for five years he found refuge making B pictures in Germany. Largely unemployed after the 1930s, but with his ego undiminished, Polo spent his last years trying to get a movie made of his life story.
Actor. He was a circus strongman and acrobat before he drifted into films as a stuntman at Universal in 1913. Studio head Carl Laemmle spotted the beefy novice at work and had him cast opposite serial queen Grace Cunard in "The Broken Coin" (1913). Polo quickly shot to serial stardom himself, billed (reportedly at his insistence) as "The Hercules of the Screen". His chapter-play epics had such titles as "The Gray Ghost" (1917), "The Vanishing Dagger" (1920), and "King of the Circus" (1920); like most serials they were short on plot and long on action, with Polo always doing his own spectacular stunts. He also gained considerable publicity for his daredevil exploits offscreen. In 1915 Polo became the first man to parachute from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and he later set an altitude record for parachuting from a plane. In 1925 he quit Universal and formed his own production company, ignoring the fact that he was the oldest action star in Hollywood and that his popularity was plummeting. His self-produced films were flops, and for five years he found refuge making B pictures in Germany. Largely unemployed after the 1930s, but with his ego undiminished, Polo spent his last years trying to get a movie made of his life story.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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