After one year of training, Park earned the title of Mr. Britain in 1949. He then spent six months in the United States after his parents paid his expenses as a gift. There, he met up with publisher
Joe Weider, who began to feature him prominently in his popular muscle magazines. After a second full year of training, Park broke what had been an American monopoly on bodybuilding titles by winning the 1951 National Amateur Bodybuilders Association (NABBA) Amateur Mr. Universe. He cemented his status by winning the 1958 and 1965 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe titles. Standing 6 ft 1 in and with a top weight of 250 lb, he was known for his mass and was a forerunner to the size-focused aspects that dominate modern bodybuilding. He was also renowned for his strength, which he often demonstrated in contests and strongman exhibitions. He is on record as the second man (after
Doug Hepburn) to bench press 500 lb. As an actor, he made five films, all of which were Italian
sword and sandal pictures featuring him as
Hercules,
Maciste and Ursus. who said that he was first inspired to lift weights after seeing Park playing Hercules. For three years in the 1960s, Schwarzenegger was trained by Wag Bennett at Bennett's gym in
Forest Gate, where he had the chance to meet Park and be mentored by him. Bonus footage from the DVD release of the documentary
Pumping Iron (1977) features Park mentoring Schwarzenegger. Park can also be heard performing MC duties in the
Mr. Universe and
Mr. Olympia contests featured in the film. Park moved to South Africa at an unknown date; up to the time of his fatal illness in 2007, at the age of 79, he continued to train clients at the Morningside Virgin Active Gym in
Sandton. He has been featured in many fitness and bodybuilding magazines, and has also appeared on the cover of
Muscle & Fitness. He was inducted into the
International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB)
IFBB Hall of Fame's first ballot in 1999. ==Death==