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John Markward Reynolds, Jr (September 15, 1941 - October 16, 1966) was an American actor. Reynolds is best remembered for his portrayal of Torgo in Manos: The Hands of Fate. The movie would be his only film role as he died before the movie's release. Over 25 years after his death, Reynolds gained a following when Manos was featured on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
John Reynolds was a poet, a writer, and an actor. Reynolds was quite highly regarded for his abilities. He had studied drama with Timothy Leary at the University of California at Berkeley. Reynolds eventually returned to El Paso so that he could be closer to his family.
Torgo was meant to be a satyr, a man who is half human and half goat. Reynolds himself designed the rigging and stuffed the pants he wore in his Torgo role to give the character the trademark gait. Reynolds also designed and wore the fake cloven hooves, but these are difficult to see on screen, especially in the MST3K version of the film.
One month before the film's release, John Reynolds took his life after taking LSD. Despite the many rumors circulating on the internet, Reynolds' suicide was not because of anything to do with the film. Rather, it seems that Reynolds had emotional problems, did not get along with his father, and had begun experimenting with drugs. Jackey Neyman Jones - who played "Debbie" on the film - once said she only later realized that the reason Reynolds was so much fun on the set was because he was probably high most of the time. Reynolds was buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, El Paso.
(For other men named John Reynolds mentioned in Wikipedia, please click here)
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