Education
Young Earl graduated from Elkhart High School then attended Wichita State University on a football scholarship.
Young Earl graduated from Elkhart High School then attended Wichita State University on a football scholarship.
A native of the small Kansas city of Elkhart, Earl C. Craver was a middle child of six born to Mabel Mae and Fred Francis Craver. Following service with the 1st Marine Division Craver was posted to the newly reformed 9th Marines at Camp Pendleton. After leaving the Marines as a corporal, Craver became a Los Angeles motorcycle policeman.
Impressed by Craver"s 6" 4"/193 cm height, his 260 pound/118 kg physique, his 52"/132 cm chest and his 32"/81 cm waist Willson interested the physically imposing Craver into an acting career.
Willson, who created Rock Hudson"s stage name, changed Craver"s name to "Cal Bolder". "Cal" for "California" and Bolder for boulder relating to his physique.
Willson explained Craven"s new name in his style of having a one syllable first name and two syllable last name by saying "I try to get a name that looks like the guy..He"s a big Western type guy and that sounds it". At the same time while working as a police officer, he injured his back when lifting a small car during the course of his duties.
He was subsequently reassigned to a less physically demanding job as a police despatcher within the Department.
Three times he applied to the board of pension commissioners for a disability pension, claiming that his back injury made it impossible for him to perform the regular duties of a police officer Each time his application was denied by the retirement board. Craver"s contention to the retirement board and then to the court was that the standard of review should be whether he could perform the usual duties of police officer, not the usual duties of the particular position to which he was assigned.
Bolder first made appearances in television series such as Bonanza and Adventures in Paradise and made his film debut in Heller in Pink Tights in 1960.
Bolder also played in the episode Friday"s Child on Star Trek.