Woody Strode American athlete, decathlon and football star, actor Date of Birth: 25.06.1914 Country: USA

Biography of Woody Strode

Woody Strode was an American athlete, a star in both decathlon and football, and an actor. He was one of the first African-American actors and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the film "Spartacus".

Early Life and Sports Career
Strode was born in Los Angeles, California. He received his higher education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was a member of the "Alpha Phi Alpha" fraternity, the first black student fraternity. Even at that time, it was evident that Strode was a brilliant athlete, excelling in almost all decathlon events. He particularly excelled in javelin throw, shot put, and high jump.

Modeling and Football Career
In 1936, Strode posed nude for an exhibition by Hubert Stowitts, which was supposed to be showcased at the Berlin Olympics. However, the presence of Jewish and black models angered the Nazis, and the exhibition was closed. Strode was one of the first black football players in America. He played for the UCLA Bruins, where four African-Americans were part of the team. Alongside one of his teammates, Kenny Washington, Strode made it into the National Football League (NFL) with the Los Angeles Rams. It is worth mentioning that there had been no black players in the NFL for the previous 13 years from 1933 to 1946. Jackie Robinson, another acquaintance of Strode from UCLA, similarly broke the unofficial racial discrimination in Major League Baseball.

Wrestling and Acting Career
In 1941, Strode briefly pursued professional wrestling. After his football career ended in 1949, he returned to wrestling and faced notable opponents like Gorgeous George. Strode also tried his hand at acting. His roles stood out amidst the stereotypes of that time. Most notably, as mentioned before, he was remembered by audiences for his role as the Ethiopian gladiator Draba who fought the main protagonist in the film "Spartacus" in 1960. Strode made his film debut in 1941 in the film "Sundown", but he became more active in the 1950s. In 1951, he played an African warrior in an episode of the series "Bomba the Jungle Boy". In 1956, he had two roles in the film "The Ten Commandments" as an Ethiopian king and a slave. In 1959, Strode portrayed the cowardly Private Franklin in the film "Pork Chop Hill". He also played three different villains against various Tarzan actors. It began in 1958 when he played Ramo in the film "Tarzan's Fight for Life" alongside Gordon Scott. In 1963, he faced Jock Mahoney as a dying ruler of an Asian country and his brother in "Tarzan's Three Challenges". Finally, in the late 1960s, Strode appeared multiple times in the television series of Ron Ely. Strode continued to act actively in the 1970s and 1980s, earning his place as one of the leading black actors of that time. He played his final role in 1995 in the western film "The Quick and the Dead". Strode passed away from lung cancer in Glendora, California.