John Reynolds (actor)
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For other persons of the same name, see John Reynolds .
John Markward Reynolds, Jr (September 15, 1941 – October 16, 1966) was an American actor, best remembered for his portrayal of Torgo in Manos: The Hands of Fate. The movie would be his only film role, and he died before its release. Over 25 years after his death, Reynolds gained a following when Manos was featured on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Torgo was 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 fake cloven hooves, but these are difficult to see on-screen, especially in the MST3K treatment of the film.
One month before the film's release, John Reynolds took his life after taking LSD. Jackey Neyman Jones, who played "Debbie" in 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". [1] Reynolds was buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, El Paso.
In 1998, there was a grass-roots effort among Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans, or MSTies to try and get Reynolds a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his role of Torgo. Although the campaign failed, Reynolds' widow expressed her gratitude at the effort.
