Donald Lee Stroud (born September 1, 1943) is an American actor, musician, and surfer. Stroud has appeared in over 100 films and 200 television shows.

Early years

Stroud was the son of

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

actor Clarence Stroud (of "The Stroud Twins" team) and singer Ann McCormack. He was born and raised in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the isla ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

by his mother and stepfather, Paul Livermore. At the age of 16, Stroud earned a black belt in the Hawaiian martial art of

Kajukenbo Kajukenbo ( Japanese: カジュケンボ) is a hybrid martial art from Hawaii. It was developed in the late 1940s and founded in 1947 in the Palama Settlement of Palama, Hawaii. The name Kajukenbo is a combination of the various arts from whi ...

. Stroud began surfing at the age of 3. As a surfer, he taught surfing while he was still in high school. In 1960 at the age of 17, Stroud won the Mākaha Junior Championship, and placed fourth overall in the

Duke Kahanamoku Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 – January 22, 1968) was a Hawaiian competition swimmer who popularized the sport of surfing. A Native Hawaiian, he was born to a minor noble family less than three years before th ...

International event. While working at the Kahala Hilton beach as a lifeguard, producers hired Stroud to double for

Troy Donahue Troy Donahue (born Merle Johnson Jr., January 27, 1936 – September 2, 2001) was an American film and television actor and singer. He was a popular sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s. Biography Early years Born in New York City, Donahue was ...

's surfing sequences at

Waikiki Beach Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district ...

for an episode of ''

Hawaiian Eye ''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the ABC television network. Premise Private investigator Tracy Steele ( Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian partner, Tom Lopaka ( Robert ...

''. Afterwards, Donahue asked Stroud to move to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

to become an actor, while also serving as Donahue's fight double and bodyguard. After jobs parking cars, bouncing, and eventually managing at the

Whisky A Go-Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente B ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, he received advice on getting a start as an actor from

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

, who frequented the club. Poitier set Stroud up with Dick Clayton, who was also an agent for such actors as

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, '' Rebel Without a Caus ...

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

and

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

, among others.

Career

Don Stroud with Lynn Garrison's aircraft during filming

At 6'2", and around 200 pounds, Stroud often portrayed villains and tough guys. Stroud's Hollywood film debut was a role in ''

Games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

'' (1967) as Norman. That same year, he appeared in '' The Ballad of Josie'' (1967) as Bratsch. In 1968, he signed with

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

on a five-film contract, and he took a roll in '' Madigan'' that same year. Stroud also appeared with

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...

in two films, ''

Coogan's Bluff Coogan's Bluff is a promontory near the western shore of the Harlem River in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. Its boundaries extend approximately from 155th Street and the Macombs Dam Bridge viaduct to ...

'' (1968) and ''

Joe Kidd ''Joe Kidd'' is a 1972 American Western film starring Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall, written by Elmore Leonard and directed by John Sturges. The film is about an ex-bounty hunter hired by a wealthy landowner named Frank Harlan to track down ...

'' (1972). Stroud co-starred in two

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

films, ''

Bloody Mama ''Bloody Mama'' is a 1970 American exploitation crime film directed by Roger Corman and starring Shelley Winters in the title role, with Bruce Dern, Don Stroud, Robert Walden, Alex Nicol, and Robert De Niro in supporting roles. It was very loose ...

'' (1970) and ''

Von Richthofen and Brown ''Von Richthofen and Brown'', alternatively titled ''The Red Baron'', is a 1971 war film directed by Roger Corman and starring John Phillip Law and Don Stroud as Manfred von Richthofen and Roy Brown. Although names of real people are used and ...

'' (1971). In the latter, he played Roy Brown opposite John Phillip Law's Baron von Richthofen. Corman used

Lynn Garrison Lynn Garrison (born April 1, 1937) is a Canadian pilot and political adviser. He was a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot in the 403 City of Calgary Squadron, before holding jobs as a commercial pilot, film producer, director and mercenary ...

's Irish aviation facility. Garrison taught Stroud the rudiments of flying so that he could manage to take off and land the aircraft, making some of the footage more realistic. Stroud and

Robert Conrad Robert Conrad (born Conrad Robert Falk; March 1, 1935 – February 8, 2020) was an American film and television actor, singer, and stuntman. He is best known for his role in the 1965–1969 television series '' The Wild Wild West'', playi ...

performed in the speedboat chase through

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facer ...

in the film ''Live a Little, Steal a Little'', also known as '' Murph the Surf'' (1975). In the film, he starred in the role of real-life jewel thief Jack Murphy. Conrad and Stroud also had a martial arts fight in '' Sudden Death'' (1975). Stroud would have another fight with

Park Jong-soo __NOTOC__ Park Jong-soo (1941 – 27 November 2021) was a South Korean master of taekwondo and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association.Choi, H. H. (1972): ''Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defenc ...

in ''

Search and Destroy Search and destroy, seek and destroy, or simply S&D is a military strategy best known for its employment in the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War. The strategy consists of inserting ground forces into hostile territory, ''search''ing out ...

'' (1979). He starred in the horror/thriller ''

Death Weekend ''Death Weekend'' (released in the USA under the title ''The House by the Lake'') is a 1976 Canadian horror/thriller film. It stars Brenda Vaccaro and Don Stroud and was one of the first films from Canadian director William Fruet. The low-budget ...

'' (1976) (aka ''The House By the Lake''), and had a supporting role in the cult horror film '' The Amityville Horror'' (1979) as Father Bolen. Other films in the genre include '' The Killer Inside Me'' (1976), and '' Sweet Sixteen'' (1983). In ''

The Buddy Holly Story ''The Buddy Holly Story'' is a 1978 American biographical film which tells the life and career of rock and roll musician Buddy Holly. It features an Academy Award-winning musical score, adapted by Joe Renzetti and Oscar-nominated lead performa ...

'' (1978), he co-starred as the late musician's drummer, while actually playing the drums live in front of two or three thousand kids brought in by buses, recording the soundtrack directly using 24-track recording trucks at the venue. In ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

'' he played a villain in the film ''

Licence to Kill ''Licence to Kill'' is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond. It sees Bond suspended from MI6 as he pursu ...

'' (1989). On television, his debut came in 1967 in the

Barry Sullivan Barry Sullivan may refer to: *Barry Sullivan (American actor) (1912–1994), US film and Broadway actor *Barry Sullivan (stage actor) (1821–1891), Irish born stage actor active in Britain and Australia *Barry Sullivan (lawyer) Barry Sullivan is ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series ''The Road West'' as Nino. Being under contract at Universal, Stroud appeared in ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was o ...

'', ''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

'', ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...

'', '' Ironside'', '' Hawaii Five-O'', ''

Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

'', ''

Starsky & Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a ''Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by th ...

'', and ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...

'', among others. Stroud had many other guest appearances, including ''

The Fall Guy ''The Fall Guy'' is an American action/adventure television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who mo ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'', ''Hotel'', and '' The Virginian''. He had a reoccurring role as Mike Varrick in the miniseries ''

Mrs. Columbo ''Mrs. Columbo'' (1979–1980), later called ''Kate Columbo'', ''Kate the Detective'', and ''Kate Loves a Mystery'', is an American crime drama television series, initially based on the wife of Lieutenant Columbo, the title character from the ...

'' (1979-1980) which starred

Kate Mulgrew Katherine Kiernan Maria Mulgrew (born April 29, 1955) is an American actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Captain Kathryn Janeway on '' Star Trek: Voyager'' and Red on ''Orange Is the New Black''. She first came to attention ...

. He played Captain Pat Chambers in '' Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' and ''

The New Mike Hammer ''Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' (later titled ''The New Mike Hammer''), with Stacy Keach in the title role, is an American crime drama television series that originally aired on CBS from January 28, 1984, to May 13, 1987. The series consist ...

'' with

Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fiction ...

. In the television pilot movie '' Gidget's Summer Reunion'' (1985) he played The Great Kahuna, and also revised the role in series '' The New Gidget'' (1986). He also has roles in ''

Nash Bridges ''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The s ...

'' (1996–2001) and '' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'' (1996–2000). In 2011, he made a brief appearance in the new '' Hawaii Five-0''. Stroud played a bartender in the second season's fourth episode, "Mea Makamae" (meaning "Treasure" in Hawaiian).

Personal life

Lynn Garrison crash September 16, 1970 SV4

On September 16, 1970, during a low-level sequence flying a two-seat SV.4C Stampe biplane across Lake Weston, a duck flew through the propeller's arc, striking the pilot Garrison in the face, knocking him unconscious. The aircraft flew into five power lines, snap rolled and plunged inverted into Ireland's large

Liffey River The River Liffey (Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River ...

. Stroud rescued the unconscious Garrison, treading water until rescue crews found them almost an hour later. Stroud was unhurt, but Garrison required 60 stitches to close a head wound. Sometime in 1989 or 1990, on the street in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Stroud tried to help a man who was being mugged. During the confrontation, Stroud was stabbed several times, suffering partial paralysis in the face, and losing the use of one eye. The mugging victim fled.

Filmography

A partial filmography follows.

Film

* '' The Ballad of Josie'' (1967) - Bratsch * '' Banning'' (1967) - Man at Golf Course (uncredited) * ''

'' (1967) - Norman * '' Madigan'' (1968) - Hughie * ''

Journey to Shiloh ''Journey to Shiloh'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by William Hale and starring James Caan, Michael Sarrazin and Brenda Scott. The film is based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Will Henry first published in 1960. Plot ...

'' (1968) - 'Todo' McLean * ''

What's So Bad About Feeling Good? ''What's So Bad About Feeling Good?'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by George Seaton and starring George Peppard and Mary Tyler Moore. The film was a box office disappointment. Plot Pete (George Peppard) is a former advertising exec ...

'' (1968) - Barney * ''

'' (1968) - James Ringerman * ''Explosion'' (1969) - Richie Kovacs * '' ...tick...tick...tick...'' (1970) - 'Bengy' Springer * ''

'' (1970) - Herman Barker * ''

Angel Unchained ''Angel Unchained'' (also known as ''Hell's Angels Unchained'') is a 1970 American action thriller film directed by Lee Madden for American International Pictures and starring Don Stroud as the title character Angel. It was released in the United ...

'' (aka ''Hell's Angels Unchained'') (1970) - Angel * ''

'' (1971) - Roy Brown * ''

'' (1972) - Lamarr * '' Slaughter's Big Rip-Off'' (1973) - Kirk * ''

Scalawag In United States history, the term scalawag (sometimes spelled scallawag or scallywag) referred to white Southerners who supported Reconstruction policies and efforts after the conclusion of the American Civil War. As with the term ''carpetb ...

'' (1973) - Velvet * '' Live A Little, Steal A Lot'' (1975) - Jack Murphy * ''

Taxi Driver ''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying ...

'' (1976) - Policeman (uncredited) * ''

'' (1976) - Lep * '' The Killer Inside Me'' (1976) - Elmer * '' Hollywood Man'' (1976) - Barney * '' Sudden Death'' (1977) - Dominic Aldo * '' The Choirboys'' (1977) - Sam Lyles * ''

'' (1978) - Jesse Charles * ''

'' (1979) - Buddy Grant * '' The Amityville Horror'' (1979) - Father Bolen * ''

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" is a Southern Gothic murder ballad, written in 1972 by songwriter Bobby Russell and first recorded by his then wife, singer, comedian, and actress Vicki Lawrence. Lawrence's version, from her 1973 alb ...

'' (1981) - Seth Ames * '' Sweet Sixteen'' (1983) - Billy Franklin * '' Armed and Dangerous'' (1986) - Sergeant Rizzo * ''

Two to Tango ''Two to Tango'', also known as ''Matar es morir un poco'' ( en, "To Kill is To Die a Little"), is a 1989 American-Cinema of Argentina, Argentine suspense film directed by Héctor Olivera (film director), Héctor Olivera and based on the classic no ...

'' (1988) - James Conrad * ''

'' (1989) - Colonel Heller * ''Twisted Justice'' (1990) - Luther Pontelli * '' Down the Drain'' (1990) - Dick Rogers * ''Cartel'' (1990) - Tony King * ''

Mob Boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss typically has absolute or nearl ...

'' (1990) - Legrand * ''

The King of the Kickboxers ''The King of the Kickboxers'' (also known as ''Karate Tiger V'' and ''No Retreat, No Surrender 4'') is a 1990 martial arts film directed by Lucas Lowe and starring Loren Avedon as Jake Donahue and Billy Blanks as Khan. Plot 1981, Bangkok, Thai ...

'' (1990) - Anderson * ''Prime Target'' (1991) - Manny * ''

The Roller Blade Seven ''The Roller Blade Seven'' is a 1991 cult martial arts film directed by Donald G. Jackson, written by Jackson and Scott Shaw, produced by Jackson and Shaw, and starring Shaw, Frank Stallone, Karen Black, Joe Estevez, Don Stroud, and William Smit ...

'' (1991) - Desert Maurader * '' Return of the Roller Blade Seven'' (1992) - Conga Man * '' The Legend of the Roller Blade Seven'' (1992) - Kabuki Devil * ''

Return to Frogtown ''Return to Frogtown'' (also known as ''Frogtown II'') is a 1993 B movie directed by Donald G. Jackson. It is the sequel to the 1988 cult film ''Hell Comes to Frogtown''. Like its predecessor, the film is set in a post-apocalyptic future where ...

'' (1992) - Brandy Stone * ''The Divine Enforcer'' (1992) - Otis * ''The Flesh Merchant'' (1993) - Delambre * ''It's Showtime'' (1993) - Banger * ''Cyber Seeker'' (1993) - Isaac * ''

Carnosaur 2 ''Carnosaur 2'' is a 1995 action film, action horror film, and the sequel to the 1993 film ''Carnosaur (film), Carnosaur''. It is the second of the Carnosaur (film series), ''Carnosaur'' film series. It stars John Savage (actor), John Savage, Cliff ...

'' (1995) - Ben Kahane * ''

Soldier Boyz ''Soldier Boyz'' is a 1995 action film directed by Louis Mourneau and starring Michael Dudikoff. It was written by Darryl Quarles. The film revolves around a group of convicts on a mission in Vietnam to rescue the daughter of a rich man. Plot Th ...

'' (1995) - Gaton * '' Precious Find'' (1996) - Loo Seki * '' Little Bigfoot'' (1997) - McKenzie * '' Wild America'' (1997) - Stango * ''

Perdita Durango ''Perdita Durango'', released as ''Dance with the Devil'' in the United States, is a 1997 action- crime- horror film directed by Álex de la Iglesia, based on Barry Gifford's 1992 novel ''59° and Raining: The Story of Perdita Durango''. It stars ...

'' (''Dance with the Devil'') (1997) - Santos * ''

The Haunted Sea ''The Haunted Sea'' is a 1997 American horror film directed by Dan Golden. It was part of the ''Roger Corman Presents'' series. Plot Near the Yucatan Peninsula, a ship, the "Hades", is found drifting in the ocean without a crew. Captain Ramsey ...

'' (1997) - Chief Foster * ''Detonator'' (1998) - 'Whip' O'Leary * '' Land of the Free'' (1998) - Repairman (uncredited) * ''Sutures'' (2009) - Voightman * ''

Django Unchained ''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis C ...

'' (2012) - Sheriff Bill Sharp * ''Glen Now and Then'' (2017) - Glen (Short) (Completed)

Television

References

External links

To Smile & Play the Villain: An Interview with Don Stroud – January 2001
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stroud, Don 1943 births Male actors from Hawaii 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American surfers American male television actors American kajukenbo practitioners Living people Male actors from Honolulu Playgirl Men of the Month Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents