Woody Strode

Actor

About

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Also Known As

Woodrow Strode, Woodrow Wilson Strode, Woody W. Strode, Woodrow W. Strode

Birth Place

Los Angeles, California, USA

Born

July 25, 1914

Died

December 31, 1994

Cause of Death

Lung Cancer

Biography

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Black actor and former pro football player and wrestler who made his film debut in the early 1940s. 6'4" tall and weighing in at 210 pounds, Strode lent his imposing presence to a number of mostly peripheral roles, such as Kirk Douglas' sparring partner in "Spartacus" (1960), though he got a chance to flex his underused acting muscles as a soldier wrongly accused of rape in John Ford's "...

Filmography

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The Quick and the Dead (1995)

Storyville (1992)

A Gathering of Old Men (1987)

Lust In The Dust (1984)

The Cotton Club (1984)

Photos & Videos

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Last Voyage, The (1960) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Fire In The Engine Room

Last Voyage, The (1960) -- (Movie Clip) Get Me A Crowbar!

Family & Companions

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Luuikialuana Kaliealoa

Wife

Hawaiian princess, former actor. Met Strode in 1938, married c. 1940; died on September 17, 1980 of Parkinson's disease.

Bibliography

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"Goal Dust"

Woody Strode and Sam Young, Madison Books (1990)

Biography

Black actor and former pro football player and wrestler who made his film debut in the early 1940s. 6'4" tall and weighing in at 210 pounds, Strode lent his imposing presence to a number of mostly peripheral roles, such as Kirk Douglas' sparring partner in "Spartacus" (1960), though he got a chance to flex his underused acting muscles as a soldier wrongly accused of rape in John Ford's "Sergeant Rutledge" (1960).

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

The Quick and the Dead (1995)

Storyville (1992)

A Gathering of Old Men (1987)

Lust In The Dust (1984)

The Cotton Club (1984)

The Final Executioner (1983)

Vigilante (1983)

The Black Stallion Returns (1983)

Jungle Warriors (1983)

Angkor-Cambodia Express (1981)

The Ravagers (1979)

Cuba Crossing (1979)

Jaguar Lives! (1979)

Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)

Winterhawk (1975)

Key West (1973)

The Revengers (1972)

The Gatling Gun (1972)

Black Rodeo (1972)

The Italian Connection (1972)

The Last Rebel (1971)

The Deserter (1971)

La Spina Dorsale del Diavola (1971)

Tarzan's Deadly Silence (1970)

Once Upon a Time in the West (1969)

Black Jesus (1968)

The Professionals (1966)

Seven Women (1966)

Genghis Khan (1965)

Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963)

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Two Rode Together (1961)

The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961)

Spartacus (1960)

Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

Sergeant Braxton Rutledge

The Last Voyage (1960)

Pork Chop Hill (1959)

The Buccaneer (1959)

Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958)

The Ten Commandments (1956)

King of Ethiopia

The Silver Chalice (1955)

Son of Sinbad (1955)

The Gambler from Natchez (1954)

Jungle Gents (1954)

Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)

City Beneath the Sea (1953)

The Royal African Rifles (1953)

Androcles and the Lion (1953)

The lion, Tommy

Caribbean (1952)

African Treasure (1952)

Native mail boy

Bride of the Gorilla (1951)

The Lion Hunters (1951)

No Time for Love (1943)

Ethiopian sandhog

Star Spangled Rhythm (1943)

Motorcycle chauffeur for Rochester

Tribal policeman

Cast (Special)

The Outside Man (1977)

Life Events

1941

Film acting debut in "Sundown"

1960

First top billing and most memorable role, "Sergeant Rutledge"

1994

Final screen appearance, "The Quick and the Dead"

Videos

Last Voyage, The (1960) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Fire In The Engine Room Opening narration, the real name of the ship rented (and partially sunk) by Andrew and Virginia Stone, who produced together, as he wrote and directed and she edited, was the Ile de France, as we meet George Sanders as the captain, Joel Marston his 3rd officer, and briefly Woody Strode and Edmond O’Brien, in The Last Voyage, 1960.

Last Voyage, The (1960) -- (Movie Clip) Get Me A Crowbar! The first encounter for the captain (George Sanders), whose priority so far has been to preserve calm despite the fire on board, with the Hendersons (Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone and Tammy Marihugh as Jill), then Woody Strode, Jack Kruschen and Richard Norris in the engine room, in independent producer Andrew L. Stone’s The Last Voyage, 1960.

Professionals, The (1966) -- (Movie Clip) My Heart Was Lighter After credits and an elaborate assembling of the squad, wealthy Grant (Ralph Bellamy) explains the job to Fardan (Lee Marvin), Ehrengard (Robert Ryan) and Sharp (Woody Strode), in Richard Brooks' The Professionals, 1966.

Professionals, The (1966) -- (Movie Clip) Who Are The Good Guys? Revolutionary and bandit Raza (Jack Palance) finishing off his job, his ex-compadres turned enemies Fardan (Lee Marvin) and Dolworth (Burt Lancaster) observing, explaining to their new guy Ehrengard (Robert Ryan), in The Professionals, 1966.

Lion Hunters, The (1951) -- (Movie Clip) A Friend With A Grievance After his first scene alone with lions, and a wounded adult male, Bomba (Johnny Sheffield) hurries to see his neighbors, whom he refers to as “Masai” (why not?), all uncredited actors but including Woody Strode in his first movie, in the fifth feature in the Monogram series, The Lion Hunters, 1951.

Professionals, The (1966) -- (Movie Clip) Very Bad Hombres In Mexico on their mission to rescue a kidnapped bride, Fardan (Lee Marvin), Dolworth (Burt Lancaster), Ehrengard (Robert Ryan) and Sharp (Woody Strode) encounter their first trouble, in Richard Brooks' The Professionals, 1966.

Professionals, The (1966) -- (Movie Clip) It's Not Dignified Fardan (Lee Marvin), Ehrengard (Robert Ryan) and Sharp (Woody Strode) discover a clue left by Dolworth (Burt Lancaster), who's run into trouble while scouting ahead, followed by a sardonic rescue, in Richard Brooks' The Professionals, 1966.

Lion Hunters, The (1951) -- (Movie Clip) The Hunters Have Sent Me Young Woody Strode (as "Walu") in his big scene, which is tiny, with Johnny Sheffield ("Bomba"), caged Douglas Kennedy ("Marty"), Ann Todd (as "Jean") and Smoki Whitfield (Jonas) in the Monogram serial The Lion Hunters, 1951.

Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962) -- (Movie Clip) I Hate Tricks, Pilgrim John Wayne as rough-hewn rancher Tom Doniphon has come to consider city-born lawyer Ranse (James Stewart) a rival for his girl, but also feels some duty to warn him against confronting the notorious outlaw, thus this famous scene from John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 1962.

Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962) -- (Movie Clip) That's My Steak Men fight over meat, with Ranse (James Stewart) waiting table, Liberty (Lee Marvin) making trouble, and Tom (John Wayne) booting Strother Martin, in an outrageous confrontation from John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 1962.

Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962) -- (Movie Clip) I'd Have Had A Bang-up Funeral Sen. and Mrs. Stoddard (James Stewart, Vera Miles) discover the minimal preparations for a friend's funeral, Pompey (Woody Strode) already mourning, Earle Hudgins and Andy Devine featured, early in John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 1962.

Pork Chop Hill (1959) -- (Movie Clip) I Got A Special Interest Scrambling across the hill, under attack, Lt. Clemons (Gregory Peck) assigns a task to disgruntled Franklin (Woody Strode), then changes his mind and asks Jurgens (James Edwards) to watch him instead, in Lewis Milestone’s Pork Chop Hill, 1959, from the book by the official Army historian S.L.A. Marshall.

Tarzan's Three Challenges - (Original Trailer) Tarzan (Jock Mahoney) travels to India to protect a child monarch from his enemies (mainly Woody Strode as "Khan"), in Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963).

Genghis Khan - (Original Trailer) The Asian conqueror (Omar Sharif) and his mentor (Stephen Boyd) vie for the same woman in Genghis Khan (1965).

Seven Women - (Original Trailer) Seven women staffing an isolated Chinese mission fight to survive a bandit attack in John Ford's last movie Seven Women (1966).

Son of Sinbad - (Re-issue Trailer) The legendary pirate's son fights an evil caliph over a magical secret in Son of Sinbad (1955).

Tarzan's Fight For Life - (Original Trailer) In Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958), the jungle king (Gordon Scott) tries to help a doctor establish a mission.

Professionals, The - (Original Trailer) When a rancher's wife runs off with a bandit, he hires The Professionals (1966) starring Burt Lancaster and Lee Marvin.

Last Voyage, The - (Original Trailer) The actual ocean liner Ile de France took The Last Voyage (1960) in this sinking-ship drama starring Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone.

Jungle Gents - (Original Trailer) The Bowery Boys go diamond hunting in Africa in Jungle Gents (1954).

Sergeant Rutledge - (Original Trailer) A black calvaryman (Woody Strode) faces rape and murder charges on the Western frontier in John Ford's Sergeant Rutledge (1960).

Spartacus - (Re-issue Trailer) A heroic slave (Kirk Douglas) leads a revolt against the corrupt Roman Empire in Spartacus (1960), a historical epic directed by Stanley Kubrick and winner of four Oscars including Best Cinematography.

Family

Woody Strode Jr

Son

June Strode

Daughter

Actor. Worked primarily in commercials.

Companions

Luuikialuana Kaliealoa

Wife

Hawaiian princess, former actor. Met Strode in 1938, married c. 1940; died on September 17, 1980 of Parkinson's disease.

Bibliography

"Goal Dust"

Woody Strode and Sam Young, Madison Books (1990)

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