In 1983, at age 69

In Razza Violenta, 1983, at age 69

Strode on black actors:

“I remember when I was in Las Vegas [in 1965] making The Professionals for Columbia Pictures about the time Floyd Patterson was fighting Muhammad Ali. The black actors were criticizing Stepin’ Fetchit. He was one of our greatest comedians and the first black actor to get star billing. I took a stand for him. I said,
‘If it hadn’t been for Stepin’ Fetchit, I wouldn’t be here. Somebody had to start it.’ “They’re going to do his story some day and all this history will come out. John Ford loved the guy; so did Will Rogers. In fact, John Ford directed a couple of pictures in which Will and Step shared top billing. As a child [in Los Angeles], the only black movie star I had ever heard of was Stepin’ Fetchit. He made two million dollars during the 1930s. He owned sixteen cars. I saw him when I was a kid; he was driving a pink convertible Rolls Royce.”)

There was another earlier black actor, James Edwards (Home of the Brave - 1949), who was vital to Woody for his coaching and encouragement, but that's yet another story.

created by Bob Smith, December 2005


Woody had become a favorite and friend of famed director John Ford, who in 1960 cast Woody in the lead of Sergeant Rutledge (1960, age 46)... the first title role by any black actor. Strode would appear in a number of other Ford movies. Perhaps Strode's most recognized role, as the gladiator in a fight to the death with Kirk Douglas' Spartacus in 1960. In a commentary on Spartacus (1960, age 46), Peter Ustinov describes Strode as "frightfully athletic," and notes that he was cast as the gladiator in part because he could actually hurl the trident in the film's climactic fight scene. Woody in 1962 In 1966 In 1968 In 1968, at age 54	• I honestly don't remember the first time I became aware of Woody Strode. What I do remember is being struck with the incredible physique and presence he presented on the movie screen. Over many decades, I've been delighted to see Woody again and again, because he was always a grand, dignified, inspiring image. As is often the case with actors we see but know little about, Woody Strode was far more than just a striking on-screen image. Born Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode on 28 July 1914, Los Angeles, CA, Woody died 31 December 1994, Glendora, CA. An athlete turned actor, Strode was 6' 5" and a top-notch decathlete and a football star at UCLA. With the 1946 move of the defending NFL Champion Cleveland Rams, Los Angeles finally had a major professional team. Halfback Kenny Washington (March 21) and end Woody Strode (May 7) signed with the Los Angeles Rams to become the first African-Americans to play in the NFL in the modern era, since the NFL instituted a ban on black players in 1932. They joined the team one year before Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Woody married Luana, a Hawaiian princess and stand-in for the swim sequences for Hedy Lamarr, in 1941, and they were together until she died in 1980. In 1982 he married again. He and wife Tina were together until Woody died in 1994. Strode played several seasons for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League before moving back to the United States and beginning his film career. He was also a professional wrestler, wrestling the likes of Georgeous George. Strode's mother was full-blooded Blackfoot. You can easily see he has Indian blood. He always kept up with his Blackfoot heritage, especially when he played in the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders. Not knowing anyone, he made lasting friendships with the Canadian Blackfoot tribes. In 1983, at age 69 In Razza Violenta, 1983, at age 69 Strode on black actors: “I remember when I was in Las Vegas [in 1965] making The Professionals for Columbia Pictures about the time Floyd Patterson was fighting Muhammad Ali. The black actors were criticizing Stepin’ Fetchit. He was one of our greatest comedians and the first black actor to get star billing. I took a stand for him. I said, ‘If it hadn’t been for Stepin’ Fetchit, I wouldn’t be here. Somebody had to start it.’ “They’re going to do his story some day and all this history will come out. John Ford loved the guy; so did Will Rogers. In fact, John Ford directed a couple of pictures in which Will and Step shared top billing. As a child [in Los Angeles], the only black movie star I had ever heard of was Stepin’ Fetchit. He made two million dollars during the 1930s. He owned sixteen cars. I saw him when I was a kid; he was driving a pink convertible Rolls Royce.”) There was another earlier black actor, James Edwards (Home of the Brave - 1949), who was vital to Woody for his coaching and encouragement, but that's yet another story. created by Bob Smith, December 2005	FILMOGRAPHY AS AN ACTOR compiled from several sources 82 movies, 1941 to 1995 54 years - age 27 to 81 1995 The Quick and the Dead 1993 Posse 1992 Storyville 1990 Super Brother 1987 A Gathering of Old Men 1987 On Fire 1986 The Bronx Executioner 1985 Lust in the Dust 1984 The Cotton Club 1984 Jungle Warriors 1983 The Black Stallion Returns 1983 Real Soulja 1983 L'Ultimo Guerriero 1983 Scream 1983 The Final Executioner 1983 The Violent Breed 1983 Vigilante 1983 Razza Violenta 1982 Invaders of the Lost Gold 1981 Sweet Dirty Tony 1981 Angkor - Cambodia Express 1980 Kill Castro 1980 The Mercenaries 1980 Cuba Crossing 1979 Jaguar Lives 1979 Ravagers 1978 Kingdom of the Spiders 1978 Oil 1977 How the West Was Won 1977 Keoma 1976 Winterhawk 1976 The Longest Drive 1975 Loaded Guns 1975 Noi Non Siamo Angeli 1975 Colpo in Canna 1973 Manhunt 1973 Hit Men 1972 The Gatling Gun 1972 The Revengers 1972 Key West 1972 Black Kingpin 1972 La Mala Ordina 1972 Black Rodeo 1971 Black Jesus 1971 Hired to Kill 1971 The Deserter 1971 The Last Rebel 1970 City Beneath the Sea 1970 Tarzan's Deadly Silence 1970 Breakout 1969 Boot Hill 1969 Ciakmull - L'uomo della vendetta 1969 Che! 1968 Once Upon a Time in the West 1968 Shalako 1966 7 Women 1966 The Professionals 1965 Genghis Khan 1963 Tarzan's Three Challenges 1962 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1961 Two Rode Together 1960 Sergeant Rutledge 1960 The Sins of Rachel Cade 1960 Spartacus 1960 The Last Voyage 1959 Pork Chop Hill 1958 The Buccaneer 1958 Tarzan's Fight for Life 1956 The Ten Commandments 1955 Son of Sinbad 1954 Demetrius and the Gladiators 1954 The Gambler from Natchez 1954 Jungle Gents 1953 City Beneath the Sea 1952 African Treasure 1952 Caribbean 1952 Androcles and the Lion 1951 The Lion Hunters 1951 Bride of the Gorilla 1943 No Time for Love 1942 Star Spangled Rhythm 1941 Sundown Woody lived in a modest home overlooking Glendora and the San Gabriel Valley, east of Los Angeles about 25 miles.