Biography
Woodrow Wilson Woolwine 'Woody' Strode was an American actor. Born in Los Angeles on 25 July 1914, he was a decathlete and football star at UCLA alongside Jackie Robinson and Kenny Washington. In 1946 he and Washington became among the first African Americans to play in the NFL when they signed for the Los Angeles Rams.
Strode entered films in the 1940s and became known for Westerns and supporting roles. He formed a close association with director John Ford, appearing in four of his films including the title role in Sergeant Rutledge (1960) and as Pompey in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Other notable credits include Draba in Spartacus (1960) and a gunman in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). He died on 31 December 1994.
