"You'd have thought I was marrying Lana Turner, the way the whites in Hollywood acted," he later said. He decided to stay in Europe. [4][5], Strode, Kenny Washington, and Jackie Robinson starred on the 1939 UCLA Bruins football team, in which they made up three of the four backfield players. Woodrow Wilson Kalaeloa Strode [20], He based himself in Europe from 1968 to 1971.[7]. Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 – December 31, 1994) was an American athlete and actor. [citation needed], Strode's acting career was re-activated when producer Walter Mirisch spotted him wrestling and cast him as an African warrior in The Lion Hunters (1951), one of the Bomba the Jungle Boy series. He was an Indian in Shalako (1968) and played a gunslinger in the opening sequence of Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). - Todd von Hoffman. Woody works as the Santa Barbara Police Department's corner and he has appeared many times since 2009, but he figures prominently in season six. Strode posed for one of two paintings commissioned by, Reportedly, his favorite film from his career was, Strode played college football for the UCLA Bruins, the most integrated collegiate team in the nation in 1939, which included future NFL running back Kenny Washington and future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. Trapped for life. Strode’s first wife was Princess Luukialuana Kalaeloa (a.k.a. He was in the All Coroner's League. Strode's first wife was Princess Luukialuana "Luana" Kalaeloa, a descendant of Liliuokalani, the last great queen of Hawaii. “I said, ‘All right, where are the pluckers?’" Then Strode realised, “I was out in the world market with a bald head. Goeff also used the same mold for the bodies of Frontierland's Native Americans, too.". His first wife was Princess Luukialuana Kalaeloa (a.k.a. His second wife was Tina, an aspiring actress (1982 - 1994). When World War II broke out, Strode was playing for the Hollywood Bears in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League. He later said his salary in Italy went up to $10,000 a week. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Woody played for the Los Angeles Rams after their move from Cleveland. Hell, we thought we were white."[12]. Strode used his Seishindo Kenpo Karate training in several movies, one of which starred Martial Arts Champion Joe Lewis; "Jaguar Lives". They were unable to find anyone to play the Ethiopian king so Strode was given that role too. [23], He did The Italian Connection (1972), for which he was paid $150,000. - IMDb Mini Biography By: They were married until her death in 1980 due to Parkinson's disease. As we got out of the L.A. area we found these racial tensions. His parents were from New Orleans; his grandmother was a Black Cherokee and his grandfather was a Black Creek. Strode was very close to the director. If the money was right, I'd play Mickey Mouse.”[3], Strode went to Europe to make Scipio the African (1971) and did some more Westerns: The Last Rebel (1971), and The Revengers (1972) (a "regular knockdown, drag‐out western” said Strode[3]). The Black Scholar; San Francisco Vol. My dream is to play a Mexican bandit in the international market."[20]. He was reluctant until they offered him $500 a week. Woody Strode roundhouse kicking stuntman in fight scene Name: Woody Strode Birth Name: Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode Birth Place: ... Strode's first wife was Princess Luukialuana "Luana" Kalaeloa, a descendant of Liliuokalani, the last great queen of Hawaii. Producers Nyima Films and Western Intl. (1978), Ravagers (1979), Jaguar Lives! |  He guest starred on The Lieutenant, The Farmer's Daughter and Daniel Boone and had roles in the features Genghis Khan (1965) and 7 Women (1966), the latter the last film he made for Ford. He could be seen in The Gambler from Natchez (1954), Jungle Gents (1954) a Bowery Boys movie set in Africa, and The Silver Chalice (1954). "[3], Strode posed for a nude portrait, part of Hubert Stowitts's acclaimed exhibition of athletic portraits shown at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (although the inclusion of black and Jewish athletes caused the Nazis to close the exhibit). He was also in Key West (1973), Loaded Guns (1975), The Manhunter (1975), We Are No Angels (1975), Winterhawk (1975), Keoma (1976), episodes of The Quest (1976) and How the West Was Won (1977), Oil (1977), Martinelli, Outside Man (1977), Kingdom of the Spiders (1977), Cowboy-San! Bob Rea . Ford used him again in Two Rode Together (1962) but it was only a small part, as an Indian. In the 1940's, at the beginning of the Golden Age of Professional Wrestling on Television, Woody Strode entered the Mat Game, campaigning as a "Baby Face" (Hero) as opposed to the "Heel" (Villain). The man who made the stars shine brighter: An interview with Woody Strode [29], Strode was a dedicated martial artist under the direction of Frank Landers in the art of Seishindo Kenpo. He has appeared in four films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The character Woody from the Toy Story films is named after Strode, who had appeared in a number of classic Western films.