Woody Strode

Woody Strode

Birth : 1914-07-25, Los Angeles, California, USA

Death : 1994-12-31

History

​An athlete turned actor, Strode was a top-notch decathlete and a football star at UCLA. He became part of Hollywood lore after meeting director John Ford and becoming a part of the Ford "family," appearing in four Ford motion pictures. Strode also played the powerful gladiator who does battle with Kirk Douglas in Spartacus (1960).

Profile

Woody Strode

Movies

Miss
A narrative feature made from a collage of clips from various films around the world.
The Quick and the Dead
Charlies Moonlight
A mysterious woman comes to compete in a quick-draw elimination tournament, in a town taken over by a notorious gunman.
Posse
Storyteller
A group of mostly black infantrymen return from the Spanish-American War with a cache of gold. They travel to the West where their leader searches for the men who lynched his father.
Storyville
Charlie Sumpter
While investigating his own blackmailing, a young politician uncovers his family's deep secrets.
Bronx Executioner
Sheriff Warren (archive footage)
In a futuristic New York City, a cyborg goes on a killing spree
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Self (archive footage)
Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life.
A Gathering of Old Men
Yank
A regular day in a Louisiana sugarcane plantation changes course when a local white farmer is shot in self defense. A group of old, black men takes a courageous step by coming forward en masse to take responsibility for the killing of a white racist, whom one of their members has shot. As the sheriff confronts the suspects, the young plantation owner stands alone in her daring defense of this group of men, provoking racial tension that makes a compelling drama.
The Cotton Club
Holmes
Harlem's legendary Cotton Club becomes a hotbed of passion and violence as the lives and loves of entertainers and gangsters collide.
Lust in the Dust
Blackman
A group of unscrupulous characters seek buried treasure in the old west.
Jungle Fever
Luther
A group of models fly into the jungle of some South American country to look for a photo location. Their plane is shot down and they are captured by a drug baron's private army. At the same time, the Mafia's representative arrive to negotiate future collaboration.
The Last Warrior
Sam
After a nuclear holocaust, as the rest of society regresses to primitivism, a small, "elite" group that has managed to escape radioactive contamination takes it upon itself to exterminate those it sees as "unfit", including certain members of its own group.
The Violent Breed
Polo
A military group led by Henry Silva and Woody Strode are bound by their honor, to execute their orders to kill as many enemies as possible.
The Black Stallion Returns
Meslar
"Black" is a stunning fire-and-silk stallion celebrated the world over. But to his young American owner, Alec Ramsay (Kelly Reno), he's much more. So, when the amazing animal is stolen, Alec will stop at nothing to get him back. Alec finally unravels the mystery of Black's theft...only to discover that he must overcome even greater odds to reclaim his beloved horse.
Vigilante
Rake
New York City factory worker Eddie Marino is a solid citizen and regular guy, until the day a sadistic street gang brutally assaults his wife and murders his child. When a corrupt judge sets the thugs free, Eddie goes berserk and vows revenge.
Horror Safari
Cal
Japanese soldiers battle a tribe of cannibals while protecting a gold shipment.
Angkor: Cambodia Express
Woody
In a tale of drama and adventure, young journalist Andy Cameron (Robert Walker) has to get into Cambodia (it is assumed this is during the genocidal reign of Pol Pot). Cameron has to smuggle out his girlfriend Mieng (Nit Alisa) before she is killed (along with the other two million Cambodians), but he cannot manage this alone. He enlists the aid of an American Vietnam vet and the help of a few Khmer men. Eventually, Cameron makes his way into Cambodia where he encounters many dangers, some human and some inhuman.
Scream
Charlie Winters
A group of friends on a rafting trip down a river stop in at an old ghost town to spend the night. Soon their rafts disappear, and then they begin to be eliminated one by one by a mysterious killer.
Cuba Crossing
Titi
An adventurer gets caught up in a plot to kill Fidel Castro.
Jaguar Lives!
Sensei
The world's newest kung fu legend, Joe Lewis, takes on evil gangsters and saves the world.
Ravagers
Brown
In a post-apocalyptic world divided between two groups called the Flockers and the Ravagers, an adventurer and his "pleasure girl" try to find their way to a rumored safe haven called the Land of Genesis.
Kingdom of the Spiders
Walter Colby
Investigating the mysterious deaths of a number of farm animals, vet Rack Hansen discovers that his town lies in the path of hordes of migrating tarantulas. Before he can take action, the streets are overrun by killer spiders, trapping a small group of townsfolk in a remote hotel.
Oil
Ben
When a huge fire erupts at an oil field in the wilds of the Sahara Desert, an American who specializes in fighting oil-field fires and his team are called in to put it out. As the fire rages out of control, the expert finds that he not only has to battle the fire but greed and political corruption as well.
Keoma
George
Half-breed Keoma returns to his border hometown after service in the Civil War and finds it under the control of Caldwell, an ex-Confederate raider, and his vicious gang of thugs. To make matters worse, Keoma's three half-brothers have joined forces with Caldwell, and make it painfully clear that his return is an unwelcome one. Determined to break Caldwell and his brothers' grip on the town, Keoma partners with his father's former ranch hand to exact violent revenge.
The Quest: The Longest Drive
Tucker
To save an old friend's ranch, the Beaudine brothers round up a gang of misfits to drive a huge herd to market.
Winterhawk
Big Rude
Smallpox plagues Chief Winterhawk's tribe. He seeks cure from the white men, who in turn, in fear of getting the smallpox, kill two of his companions. Winterhawk comes back to kidnap a girl and her brother from the white men's settlement, and thus begins the chase...
We Are No Angels
Black Bill
Loaded Guns
Silvera
An air hostess gets involved in Naples, against her will, in the in-fighting amongst rival gangs.
Key West
Candy Rhodes
A former CIA agent and his friend, operating a charter boat service in Florida, find themselves the target of an eccentric millionaire with a score to settle.
The Italian Connection
Frank Webster
When a shipment of heroin disappears between Italy and New York, a small-time pimp in Milan is framed for the theft. Two professional hitmen are dispatched from New York to find him, but the real thieves want to get rid of him before the New York killers get to him to eliminate any chance of them finding out he's the wrong man.
The Revengers
Job
The life of peaceful rancher John Benedict is torn apart when his family is massacred by a gang of marauding outlaws and his farm is destroyed. He assembles a team of mean, lawless convicts to act as his posse as he pursues the gang responsible for the deaths of his loved ones.
Black Rodeo
Narrator (voice)
Documentary about a rodeo that takes place, for the most part, in Harlem.
The Last Rebel
Duncan
Set in 1865 in southwest Missouri, at the close of the Civil War the film follows the adventures of two Confederate men and a black man who they rescue from a lynching.
The Gatling Gun
Runner the Scout
Doctor Gatling invented a war machine to beat all arrows, and guns.
Scipio the African
Massinissa
Years after the Second Punic War, Scipio Africanus finds himself generally unliked, despite his defeat of Hannibal Barca. He and his brother, Scipio Asiaticus, are accused by Marcus Porcius Cato of the theft of 500 talents intended for Rome.
The Deserter
Jackson
A young cavalry officer finds his woman tortured by the Apaches and blames the Army for not properly protecting the outpost, so becomes a deserter and an avenger, stalking and killing Indians without warning.
Breakout
Skip Manion
A prison inmate comes up with a plan to break out in order to be near his wife--and also the $50,000 in stolen cash for which he was originally imprisoned.
Tarzan's Deadly Silence
Marshak
Tarzan tries to stop a bloodthirsty Colonel from taking over an African village with his soldiers of fortune. The ape-man has been rendered deaf by an exploding hand grenade, effectively limiting one of his keen senses. Tarzan relies on his telepathic powers to stop a lion. Woody Strode also appears in this film that combines two made for television episodes.
The Unholy Four
Woody
A young man who has lost his memory, escapes from prison with three other convicts. The other men help him find back bits of his past, until they arrive at a village where two warring families recognize him. Apparently he has a reputation for being a fast gun, and he has been paid to kill a man - who says he is his father. His younger brother is jealous of the attention the prodigal son receives, and things come to a dramatic end.
Boot Hill
Thomas
Victims of oppressive town boss Honey are offered help by an unusual alliance of gunmen and circus performers
Che!
Guillermo
Biography of Argentinian revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who helped Fidel Castro in his struggle against the corrupt Batista regime, eventually resulting in the overthrow of that government and Castro's taking over of Cuba. The film covers Guevara's life from when he first landed in Cuba in 1956 to his death in an ambush by government troops in the mountains of Bolivia in 1967.
Once Upon a Time in the West
Frank's Gunman
As the railroad builders advance unstoppably through the Arizona desert on their way to the sea, Jill arrives in the small town of Flagstone with the intention of starting a new life.
Shalako
Chato
Sean Connery is Shalako, a guide in the old West who has to rescue an aristocratic British hunting party from Indians and bandits.
Black Jesus
Maurice Lalubi
A thinly-disguised biography of African leader Patrice Lumumba, here called Lalubi. Lalubi, a Christ-like leader determined to save his people, by passive resistance, from the dictatorial regime propped up by European colonialists, is imprisoned and tortured, along with a thief who comes to a greater understanding through his contact with Lalubi.
The Professionals
Jake
An arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit.
7 Women
Lean Warrior
In a mission in China in 1935, a group of women are preyed on by Mongolian bandits, led by Warlord chief Tunga Khan.
Genghis Khan
Sengal
This is the story of the shy Mongol boy Temujin who,during the 13th century, becomes the fearless Mongol leader Genghis Khan that unites all Mongol tribes and conquers India,China,Persia,Korea and parts of Rusia,Europe and Middle-East.
Tarzan's Three Challenges
Khan / Dying Leader
The spiritual leader of an oriental country is dying. The leader's evil brother Khan is plotting to prevent Kashi, the youthful heir, from assuming his rightful position. Tarzan is summoned to protect Kashi and, in doing so, he must face Khan in three tests of strength.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Pompey
A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.
Two Rode Together
Stone Calf
Two tough westerners bring home a group of settlers who have spent years as Comanche hostages.
The Sins of Rachel Cade
Muwango
A female doctor in the Congo is torn between two loves.
Spartacus
Draba
The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.
Sergeant Rutledge
1st Sgt. Braxton Rutledge
Respected black cavalry Sergeant Brax Rutledge stands court-martial for raping and killing a white woman and murdering her father, his superior officer.
The Last Voyage
Hank Lawson
The S. S. Claridon is scheduled for her five last voyages after thirty-eight years of service. After an explosion in the boiler room, Captain Robert Adams is reluctant to evacuate the steamship. While the crew fights to hold a bulkhead between the flooded boiler room and the engine room and avoid the sinking of the vessel, the passenger Cliff Henderson struggles against time trying to save his beloved wife Laurie Henderson, who is trapped under a steel beam in her cabin, with the support of the crew member Hank Lawson.
Pork Chop Hill
Pvt. Franklen
Korean War, April 1953. Lieutenant Clemons, leader of the King company of the United States Infantry, is ordered to recapture Pork Chop Hill, occupied by a powerful Chinese Army force, while, just seventy miles away, at nearby the village of Panmunjom, a tense cease-fire conference is celebrated.
The Buccaneer
Toro
During the War of 1812 against Britain: General Andrew Jackson has only 1,200 men left to defend New Orleans when he learns that a British fleet will arrive with 60 ships and 16,000 men to take the city. In this situation an island near the city becomes strategically important to both parties, but it's inhabited by the last big buccaneer: Jean Lafitte. Although Lafitte never attacks American ships, the governor hates him for selling merchandise without taxes - and is loved by the citizens for the same reason. When the big fight gets nearer, Lafitte is drawn between the fronts. His heart belongs to America, but his people urge him to join the party that's more likely to win.
Tarzan's Fight for Life
Ramo
Dr. Sturdy is trying to establish a modern hospital in the jungle. His efforts are strongly opposed by Futa, the witch doctor, and Ramo, a native warrior.
The Ten Commandments
King of Ethiopia
Escaping death, a Hebrew infant is raised in a royal household to become a prince. Upon discovery of his true heritage, Moses embarks on a personal quest to reclaim his destiny as the leader and liberator of the Hebrew people.
Brooba
Native Chief
Son of Sinbad
Palace Guard (uncredited)
Legendary pirate and adventurer Sinbad is in single-minded pursuit of two things: beautiful women and a substance called Greek Fire--an early version of gunpowder.
The Silver Chalice
Moor
A Greek artisan is commissioned to cast the cup of Christ in silver and sculpt around its rim the faces of the disciples and Jesus himself. He travels to Jerusalem and eventually to Rome to complete the task. Meanwhile, a nefarious interloper is trying to convince the crowds that he is the new Messiah by using nothing more than cheap parlor tricks.
Jungle Gents
Malaka, head bearer
When a cold medicine causes Sach to be able to smell diamonds, he and the rest of the Bowery Boys are induced by a diamond dealer to accompany him to Darkest Africa in search of a legendary cache of them.
The Gambler from Natchez
Josh
A discharged army Captain returns home to New Orleans to take revenge on the men who murdered his father.
Demetrius and the Gladiators
Gladiator (uncredited)
The story picks up at the point where "The Robe" ends, following the martyrdom of Diana and Marcellus. Christ's robe is conveyed to Peter for safe-keeping, but the emperor Caligula wants it back to benefit from its powers. Marcellus' former slave Demetrius seeks to prevent this, and catches the eye of Messalina, wife to Caligula's uncle Claudius. Messalina tempts Demetrius, he winds up fighting in the arena, and wavers in his faith.
Jungle Man-Eaters
One of Native Escorts to Biplane (uncredited)
Jungle Jim does battle with a would-be diamond smuggler and a renegade tribe.
Mandrake the Magician
Lothar
Mandrake and Lothar battle enemy agents who have kidnapped the beautiful Princess Narda to force the magician to assist them locate a counter-intelligence agent who possess vital information.
The Royal African Rifles
Soldier
A shipment of Vickers machine guns is stolen from a British warship in Bombasa Harbor, Africa, in 1914, and Denham is assigned to track them down. He poses as a hunter and follows a trail that leads him to Cunningham, a trader, who intends to sell the rifles to the Germans, and whose daughter, Jennifer, Denham loves.
City Beneath the Sea
Djion
Two adventures dive for treasure off the coast of Jamaica.
Androcles and the Lion
The Lion
George Bernard Shaw’s breezy, delightful dramatization of this classic fable—about a Christian slave who pulls a thorn from a lion’s paw and is spared from death in the Colosseum as a result of his kind act—was written as a meditation on modern Christian values. Pascal’s final Shaw production is played broadly, with comic character actor Alan Young as the titular naïf. He’s ably supported by Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Robert Newton, and Elsa Lanchester.
Caribbean
Esau
Francis Barclay, a former member of the British Admiralty, who was captured in the early 1700s, and sold into slavery, by Andrew McAllister, and forced into piracy, enlists the aid of Dick Lindsay, to help him invade MacAllister's fortified island. The latter falls in love with MacAllister's daughter,Christine.
African Treasure
Mailman (uncredited)
Against stock footage of lions, elephants and wildebeasts, Bomba the Jungle Boy captures a pair of nefarious diamond smugglers.
Bride of the Gorilla
Nedo
The owner of a plantation in the jungle marries a beautiful woman. Shortly afterward, he is plagued by a strange voodoo curse which transforms him into a gorilla. But is his transformation real or is it all in his head?
The Lion Hunters
Walu
A lion trapper and his daughter rendezvous with their hardheaded partner in the African jungle. Bomba, with assistance from a local tribe, strives to run them off.
No Time for Love
Black Sandhog (uncredited)
Upper-class female reporter is (despite herself) attracted to hulking laborer digging a tunnel under the Hudson river.
Star Spangled Rhythm
Rochester's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Pop, a security guard at Paramount has told his son that he's the head of the studio. When his son arrives in Hollywood on shore leave with his buddies, Pop enlists the aid of the studio's dizzy switchboard operator in pulling off the charade. Things get more complicated when Pop agrees to put together a show for the Navy starring Paramount's top contract players.
Sundown
Tribal Policeman (uncredited)
Englishmen fighting Nazis in Africa discover an exotic mystery woman living among the natives and enlist her aid in overcoming the Germans.
On Fire
Woody
Joe is an arson investigator for the fire department. He has a loving and devoted wife and has two just as loving and devoted sons. Things couldn't be better for him until he learns that the department wants to retire him. He does so reluctantly. He then falls into a deep depression because, while most people look forward to retirement, he doesn't. So, his wife and children do their best to lift his spirits but all he does is push them away.