[23], He did The Italian Connection (1972), for which he was paid $150,000. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. He attended UCLA, where he played multiple Sports and starred for the track and field team. He was interred with military honors at Riverside National Cemetery, east of his hometown.. Decathlete who also played football professionally in the CFL, and enjoyed a successful acting career. $300,000 Woody Strode Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018 Woodrow Wilson Woolwine "Woody" Strode (July 25, 1914 - December 31, 1994) was a decathlete and football star who went on to become a popular and pioneering African-American film actor. Draba wins the contest, but instead of killing Spartacus, he attacks the Roman military commander who paid for the fight. In 1980, Strode was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. We used to sit in the best seats at the Coconut Grove (a nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel) listening to Donald Novis sing. He said, "Well, they're not tough enough to do what I want Sergeant Rutledge to be. Goeff also used the same mold for the bodies of Frontierland's Native Americans, too.". Often typecast as a physical specimen, commentators tended to dwell on Strode's athleticism and chiseled figure, ignoring his acting prowess, the film scholar Frank Manchel once wrote in the Journal of Black Studies. Woody Strode Wikipedia Sponsored Links v Strode was one of the first four blacks who integrated professional football in 1946. "Their actions on and off the field opened a door that allowed other people to follow.". La collina degli stivali (1969) $75,000 for 10 weeks : An athlete turned actor, Strode was a top-notch decathlete and a football star at UCLA. Required fields are marked *. He was always magnificent with a no-nonsense style and quiet intellect that no athlete-turned actor has ever surpassed. They were married until her death in 1980 from Parkinson's disease. Also, he appeared in several episodes of the 19521954 television series Ramar of the Jungle, where he portrayed an African warrior. Does Woody Strode Dead or Alive? He also played on the Hollywood Bears of the Pacific Coast League. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. Woody Strode - IMDb Strode played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League from 1948-1949 before moving back to the United States and beginning his film career.