Dan Vadis (born Constantine Daniel Vafiadis, January 3, 1938 – June 11, 1987) was a Chinese-born American actor, of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

descent, famous for his lead roles in many Italian films made in the 1960s.

Biography

Vadis was of

descent, with lineage tracing back to the island of

Chios Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...

in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

. This former U.S. Navy sailor and bodybuilder was a member of the

Mae West Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...

"Muscleman Revue" in the late 1950s. He was a brawny, handsome durable 6'4" man with curly brown hair, bluish green eyes and an affable demeanor. He was probably one of the most memorable actors in the Roman epic movies created in the 1960s and early '70s to portray Hercules - the most famous Greek warrior. He was also one of many bodybuilders to take a stab at fame and fortune with the Italian peplum films of the 1960s. Noted

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish their findin ...

Raymond Durgnat famously asked if he was "the brother of Quo?".p.71 Frayling, Christopher ''Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone" 1981 Routledge His most notable role was '' The Triumph of Hercules'' (1964), in which he portrayed

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

battling golden giants and trying to save his princess love from her evil relative. The film was quickly followed by '' Hercules the Invincible'' retitled ''Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness'', in '' The Sons of Hercules'' television package by

Embassy Pictures Embassy Pictures Corporation (also and later known as Avco Embassy Pictures as well as Embassy Films Associates) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was active from 1942 to 1986. Embassy was responsible ...

. What made Vadis stand out from other athletes and bodybuilders in these films was the obvious speed, dexterity, agility and all around durability that he brought to his films, bringing much needed energy to what otherwise may have been average fight scenes. After the sword and sandal films faded he moved into

Spaghetti Western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s, then became a recurring face in

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

movies such as ''

High Plains Drifter ''High Plains Drifter'' is a 1973 American Western film directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Ernest Tidyman, and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Company and Universal Pictures. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious stranger who ...

'', '' The Gauntlet'', ''

Every Which Way but Loose ''Every Which Way but Loose'' is a 1978 American action comedy film released by Warner Bros. starring Clint Eastwood in an uncharacteristic and offbeat comedy role. It was produced by Robert Daley and directed by James Fargo. Eastwood plays ...

'', '' Any Which Way You Can'' and '' Bronco Billy''. Vadis died in

Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the popul ...

on 11 June 1987, at the age of 49. His body was found in a car in the desert, and his death was declared an accidental drug overdose with acute ethanol and heroin-morphine intoxication. He was survived by his wife, Sharon Jessup, and his son, Nick.

Partial filmography

*'' Colossus of the Arena'' (1962) - Sidon *'' The Rebel Gladiators'' (1962) - Ursus *'' The Pirates of the Mississippi'' (1963) - Blackfoot *'' The Ten Gladiators'' (1963) - Roccia / The Rock *'' Hercules the Invincible'' (1964) - Hercules *''Zorikan lo sterminatore'' (1964) - Zorikan *'' The Triumph of Hercules'' (1964) - Ercole *'' Triumph of the Ten Gladiators'' (1964) - Roccia *'' Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators'' (1964) - Gladiator Roccia *'' The Sucker'' (1965) - (uncredited) *''Deguejo'' (1966) - Ramon *'' Kommissar X – Drei gelbe Katzen'' (1966) - King *'' For a Few Extra Dollars'' (1966) - Nelson Riggs *'' The Stranger Returns'' (1967) - En Plein *''

The Scalphunters ''The Scalphunters'' is a 1968 American Western film starring Burt Lancaster, Ossie Davis and Telly Savalas. The film was directed by Sydney Pollack, with the score written by Elmer Bernstein. Davis was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Su ...

'' (1968) - Yuma *''Dio perdoni la mia pistola'' (1969) - Martin *''

'' (1973) - Dan Carlin, outlaw *''

Cahill U.S. Marshal ''Cahill U.S. Marshal'' is a 1973 American Western (genre), Western film in Technicolor starring John Wayne as a driven lawman in a black hat. The film was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and filmed on location in Durango, Mexico. The supportin ...

'' (1973) - Brownie *'' The White Buffalo'' (1977) - Tall Man (uncredited) *'' The Gauntlet'' (1977) - Biker *''

'' (1978) - Frank (Black Widow) *'' Bronco Billy'' (1980) - Chief Big Eagle *'' Any Which Way You Can'' (1980) - Frank (Black Widow) *''I sette magnifici gladiatori'' (1982) - Nicerote (final film role)

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vadis, Dan 1938 births 1987 deaths American male film actors American male bodybuilders American expatriates in Italy Male Spaghetti Western actors 20th-century American male actors Accidental deaths in California American expatriates in China American people of Greek descent Drug-related deaths in California People associated with physical culture 20th-century American sportsmen Chinese people of Greek descent