Woody Strode

by Sam Franklin | Published March 31, 1995

Most people, especially those under 30, will blink and say "Who?" at the mention of the man's name. Remind them of the most famous gladiatorial combat ever filmed and, even if they haven't seen Spartacus, they know the scene. They will nod, impressed, and say, "Oh, yeah. That guy."

Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode was born in Los Angeles in 1914. Though conscious of his Native American heritage (one quarter Blackfoot, one eighth each Cherokee and Creek -a "Negro-Indian breed", to use his words), Strode knew that in the eyes of white audiences he would always be "a colored boy." Nevertheless, his striking physiognomy, high-planed cheekbones and droop-lidded eyes, worked to his advantage in Hollywood. As Strode put it, "because of my nixed background I could play anyone from the third world," and he did (a Comanche in Two Rode Together, an Apache in Shalako, a Chinese in 7 Women and a Mongol in Genghis Khan).

In viewing many of Strode's films one feels a pang of loss all too often. His was the part of the stalwart sidekick or imposing secondary villain. He undoubtedly could have been, at the very least, a lead character actor (picture him in any of Boris Karloffs roles - Frankenstein's monster!), if not a genuine action hero. Watching him in his early roles, you get the feeling a young Woody Strode could have unceremoniously knocked Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, Steven Seagal and company on their collective ass.

Strode's autobiography, "Gold Dust" (Madison, 1990), is nearly 75% finished before its author gets around to discussing his life in the film industry. No surprise. His highly distinguished career began as a track-and-field and football star at UCLA, where he competed against the likes of Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens. Leni Riefenstahl called his "the greatest physique of any athlete I have ever seen." On the audio commentary on if the Criterion laserdisc edition of Spartacus, Peter Ustinov describes him as "frightfully athletic," and notes that Strode was cast as the gladiator in part because he could actually hurl the trident  in the film's climactic fight scene.

It was through his stint on the professional wrestling circuit that Strode was first noticed and offered film parts. His first real break came in 1956 as the King of Ethiopia in DeMille's remake of The Ten Commandments. Interestingly, Strode was originally cast and has substantially more screen time as one of Nina Foch's palanquin-bearers, a part for which he receives no on-screen credit.

In Lewis Milestone's Korean war film, Pork Chop Hill (1959), Strode got his first chance to shine in a meaty supporting role. The viewer's initial impression of Strode's Private Franklin is that of a coward; this verges on unbelievability, given Strode's obvious virility and stature. But Strode was a good enough actor to overcome the limitations of his outward appearance.

During the course of the battle, it becomes apparent that Private Franklin is asking himself the timeless question asked by all soldiers: is this foreign soil worth dying for? Private Franklin's commanding officer, played by Gregory Peck, shares these doubts, as it turns out. However, the question acquires considerably more weight coming from Strode's character, who significantly points out that he wouldn't fight and die for what he has at home either.

Strode's most significant actordirector collaboration was with John Ford, with whom he made four films and whose close friend he remained until the director's death in 1973. The best of these was their first picture together, Sergeant Rutledge (1960). The film's timeliness with regard to the Civil Rights movement is striking: in the title role, Strode plays a black soldier on trial for the murder of a white man and his daughter. Though he only received fifth billing (?!), Strode was unquestionably the lead. His performance is real, electric. (He would later refer to this scene as "the most emotional moment in my acting career.")

He would only play one other lead role in his life, in Seated at His Right, Italy's Cannes entry for 1968. In the early seventies, during the height of the blaxploitation trend, the film was finally released in this country under the evocative title Black Jesus (it is currently unavailable on home video).

Strode was a star in Italy, where he lived between 1969 and 1973. Though well into middle-age in films like Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and The Deserter (1971), Strode still looks extraordinarily vital, fitter than most men half his age. Even in his later films, like Vigilante (1982) and Jungle Warriors (1984), the 70 year-old Strode looks like he could believably and seriously kick your ass. Only toward the end, in Storyville (1992) and Posse (1993), does he appear sufficiently aged to play old men. His final film, Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead, opened in February.

Strode's attitude toward his craft was characteristically modest: "I was strictly a mechanic. They told me what to do; I did it, took the money and got out of there."

COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT

Comment by mbo on 11/01/07 at 3:36 pm

would have like to have been able to see he and
steven seagal together

Comment by James Lavender on 2/15/08 at 12:09 am

Woody Strode was married to my Cousin Tina, He was one of my heroes as a kid. I can remeber him in Spatacus and The Ten Commandments. I felt his emotions we he potrayed Sargeant Rutledge. It was great going up to visit he and Tina in Glendora, I alway received a great history lesson, I sat and listened to the stories he told of his life and that of his friends for hours. he gave me a copy of his book Gold Dust and autographed it for me, I have known alot of professional athletes and actor and I was never compelled to ask any of them for their autographed, his was an honor to have. I remember the day of his funeral I had the opportunity to speak to Bill Cosby, I mentioned that Woody was being laid to rest that day and he said, “ That’s why it’s a rainy Day”. Woody was a Great man and I miss him even to this day.

Comment by rob gardner on 4/14/08 at 2:25 pm

Woody Strode...what a great actor.  There will always only be one “Pompey”.

Comment by Samuel A. Foster, Jr. on 4/28/08 at 2:38 pm

Woody was a magnificent presence on the silver screen. I was surprized to learn of the many many films in which he acted. “Spatacus” and “Sergeant Rutledge” are my favorites. The fact that he was one of the first Black athletes to play in the modern era {late 1940’s) professional football makes him unigue for his time.
Along with the Great Paul Robeson, who was a football All-American, professional footballer, film and stage actor and vocalist extrodinair, Woody Strode made a his mark in American History.

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