WOODY STRODE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Woody Strode was born on July 25th, 1914 in Los Angeles, California with the birth name Woodrow Woolwine Strode.  He was a top athlete at the University of Los Angeles.  He had world class decathlon capabilities in spearheading and the high jump.  He played college football and also broke the color barrier at the same time as Kelly Washington.  Woody was one of the first four black men who integrated major league pro football in the year 1946. 
 
After college he played for the Los Angeles Rams and was also a professional wrestler.  Woody also played a couple seasons with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League before he decided to move back to California and pursue a career in acting in 1949 after retiring from his football career. He continued to pursue wrestling part time up until 1958 in between acting jobs.
 
He made his stage debut on the film, "Sundown" (1941) and continued to get bigger and better roles from there.  Many of his films were in roles that contrasted from the stereotypical African American roles during that time period.  Some of his better known roles were in the Lion Hunters, "Bomba the Jungle Boy" series, "The Ten Commandments" (1956), "Pork Chop Hill" (1959) and he is probably best remembered for his role as a powerful gladiator who has a fight scene with Kirk Douglas in "Spartacus" (1960) where he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.  He was also given the lead role in the film "Sergeant Rutledge" (1960) directed by John Ford who was also a close friend of his.
 
Ford continued to cast Strode in his other films such as, "Two Rode Together" (1961), "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962) and "Seven Women" (1966).  Strode also succeeded in working on films with other directors as well such as his role on three different Tarzan screens, "Tarzan's Fight For Life" (1958), "Tarzan's Three Challenges" (1963) and "Ron Ely Tarzan" television series in the late 1960's. 
 
A film role that really brought attention to him as an actor and a recognizable star was when he was cast in the film, "The Professionals" (1966) which was a major box office success. 

Strode remained in the industry throughout the 70's and 80's and became known as one of the most important black film actors of his era.  In 1995, Strode did his final film, "The Quick and the Dead".

He married twice during his lifetime, first to Luana Strode, a princess with the real name Luukialuana Kalaeloa, in 1940 until she passed away in 1980 and the couple had two children together.  He then married Tina Strode on May 10th, 1982 and they remained together until he passed away.

Woody lived in a modest home overlooking Glendora and the San Gabriel Valley, north east of Los Angeles about 25 miles.  Woody Strode passed away on December 31st, 1994 in Glendora California at the age of eighty due to lung cancer.  He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.
 

Filmography

1995 The Quick and the Dead  
1993 Posse 
1992 Storyville
1987 A Gathering of Old Men
1987 On Fire
1985 Lust in the Dust 
1984 The Cotton Club 
1984 Jungle Warriors  
1984 The Final Executioner
1984 The Violent Breed  
1983 The Black Stallion Returns
1983 Vigilante  
1982 Invaders of the Lost Gold
1982 Angkor: Cambodia Express
1981 Fantasy Island
1981 Scream  
1980 The Dukes of Hazzard 
1980 Cuba Crossing 
1979 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
1979 Jaguar Lives!  
1979 Ravagers
1978 Cuibul salamandrelor  
1977 Kingdom of the Spiders 
1977 Martinelli, Outside Man
1977 How the West Was Won
1977 Cowboysan
1976 The Quest
1976 Keoma 
1976 Noi non siamo angeli  
1976 The Quest: The Longest Drive
1975 Winterhawk  
1975 The Manhunter
1975 Colpo in canna  
1973 Key West
1973 The Gatling Gun  
1972 Scipio the African 
1972 The Italian Connection 
1972 The Revengers 
1971 The Last Rebel 
1971 The Deserter  
1970 Breakout 
1970 The Unholy Four  
1969 Boot Hill  
1969 Che! 
1968 Once Upon a Time in the West  
1968 Shalako  
1968 Black Jesus 
1966-1968 Tarzan 
1966 Batman
1966 The Professionals  
1966 Daniel Boone
1966 7 Women  
1965 Genghis Khan  
1964 The Farmer's Daughter 
1964 The Lieutenant
1963 Tarzan's Three Challenges 
1962 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance  
1961 Two Rode Together 
1961 Rawhide
1961 The Sins of Rachel Cade
1960 Spartacus  
1960 Sergeant Rutledge  
1960 The Last Voyage  
1960 The Man from Blackhawk 
1959 Pork Chop Hill 
1958 The Buccaneer  
1958 Tarzan's Fight for Life 
1956 The Ten Commandments  
1955 Jungle Jim
1955 Buruuba
1955 Soldiers of Fortune 
1955 Son of Sinbad
1954 The Silver Chalice
1954 Jungle Gents  
1954 The Gambler from Natchez  
1954 Jungle Man-Eaters  
1954 Demetrius and the Gladiators
1954 Mandrake the Magician
1953 Ramar of the Jungle 
1953 City Beneath the Sea  
1952 Androcles and the Lion 
1952 Caribbean  
1952 Dangerous Assignment 
1952 African Treasure
1951 Bride of the Gorilla  
1951 The Lion Hunters  
1943 No Time for Love  
1942 Star Spangled Rhythm  
1941 Sundown  
1939 Stagecoach