Bodybuilding At age 21, he won the Mr. New Jersey title. Six months later he moved to
Santa Monica, California, where he worked for the
Weider Barbell Company until 1969. Weider magazine coverage and advertising made Draper an icon of the California beach and muscle lifestyle. "That I was a West Coast beach boy to a world of bodybuilding fans eluded me," Draper wrote. In California, Draper trained initially at a gym many called "The Dungeon", which he described as "a large, awful space dug out of the ground on the corner of 4th and Broadway," and later at the original
Gold's Gym. He trained in the company of the world's top bodybuilders, which included
Frank Zane,
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Franco Columbu,
Mike Katz, and
Robby Robinson. Draper was tall, and his bodybuilding competition weight was approximately . Draper played himself in the 1967 episode of
The Beverly Hillbillies titled, "
Mr. Universe Muscles In", in which Granny Clampett thinks that Draper is ill with "the barbell bloat." The storyline includes Draper suggesting that Ellie May is pretty enough to be "Miss Universe", leading the Clampetts to think that he wants to marry Elly May, not understanding that "Universe" is not his last name. He appears in the 1967 movie ''
Don't Make Waves'', co-starring opposite
Sharon Tate. He appears in
The Monkees playing Bulk, in the October 16, 1967, episode "
I Was a 99-lb. Weakling". He appears in
Here Come the Brides in the December 19, 1969, episode, "Lorenzo Bush". ==Personal life==