Woody Strode

Birthday: Jul 25, 1914 Date of death: Dec 31, 1994

Place of birth: Los Angeles, California,

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).