Gordon Mitchell (born Charles Allen Pendleton; July 29, 1923 – September 20, 2003) was an American actor and

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...

, known for his starring roles in Italian

sword-and-sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (: pepla), is a subgenre of largely Italy, Italian-made historical, mythological, or biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget ...

and

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 ...

films.

Early life

Charles Allen Pendleton was born in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, and began working out in his Denver neighborhood to deal with his tough companions. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

where he was taken

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. He later obtained a degree at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

under the

G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...

. He became a high school teacher and guidance counselor in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where due to his physique he was given classes containing many delinquent students.

Career

Following a return enlistment for the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, he found film extra work in movies such as ''

Prisoner of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

'', ''

The Man with the Golden Arm ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' is a 1955 American independent drama film noir directed by Otto Preminger, based on the novel of the same name by Nelson Algren. Starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang and Darren Mc ...

'' and

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

's '' The Ten Commandments'', where he and his friend Joe Gold dragged

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

to Pharaoh

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner (), was a Russian-born actor. He was known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical ''The King and I'' (19 ...

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 ...

chose him to appear in her nightclub act as part of her "buffed all-male chorus line". He was one of the American bodybuilder-actors who migrated to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in the wake of

Steve Reeves Stephen Lester Reeves (January 21, 1926 – May 1, 2000) was an American professional bodybuilder and actor. He was famous in the mid-1950s as a movie star in Italian-made sword-and-sandal films, playing the protagonist as muscular characters ...

' success in the 1958 film ''

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 ...

'' after he sent a photo to an Italian producer who signed him on a contract. Prior to going to Italy, he saw a

clairvoyant Clairvoyance (; ) is the claimed ability to acquire information that would be considered impossible to get through scientifically proven sensations, thus classified as extrasensory perception, or "sixth sense". Any person who is claimed to ...

who asked him if he had ever been known by the name of Gordon Mitchell. He replied no, but on arrival in Rome, Mitchell was given his new name. He found work first in sword and sandal films such as ''Sinbad'', '' Seven Slaves Against the World'', '' Treasure of the Petrified Forest'' (1965), then in

s such as '' Beyond the Law'' and '' Savage Guns''. Mitchell also appeared in '' Fellini Satyricon'' (1969), directed by

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

. From the early 1970s onwards, he started to diversify into everything from horror ('' Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks'' - 1974), Nazi exploitation (''Achtung! The Desert Tigers!'' -1977),

sexploitation A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, Low-budget film, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition o ...

(''Porno-Erotic Western'' - 1979), French criminal comedy (''

The Umbrella Coup ''The Umbrella Coup'' () is a 1980 French comedy film directed by Gérard Oury, starring Pierre Richard, Gordon Mitchell and Gert Fröbe. The creation of the film was inspired by several assassinations of Bulgarian dissidents where the so-call ...

'' - 1980), and

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction are genres of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronom ...

films ('' Endgame'' - 1983). He also appeared in the bizarre 1982 Israeli adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's '' She'' as "Hector." The film was directed by

Avi Nesher Avi Nesher (Hebrew language, Hebrew: אבי נשר; born 13 December 1952) is an Israeli film producer, film director, screenwriter and actor. Biography Avi Nesher was born and raised in Ramat Gan, Israel. The child of a Romanian-born diplomat ...

and co-starred Sandahl Bergman. Mitchell was close friends with fellow American expatriate actors Richard Harrison, Mike Monty (he appeared in a number of films with both and shared an apartment with Monty in Italy during the 1960s), and John P. Dulaney. Like Monty, Harrison and Dulaney, Mitchell acted in low-budget

action films The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

during the 1980s, having roles in ''Commando Invasion'' and ''SFX Retaliator'' for director John Gale. He returned to the United States in the late 1980s and largely retired from acting, becoming the chief operating officer of World Gym in

Marina Del Rey Marina del Rey ( Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The eponymous harbor is a major boating and water recreation destination of the Greater Los Angeles ar ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He kept making occasional film appearances until his death.

Death

Mitchell died on September 20, 2003, at age 80, from an apparent heart attack.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1954) - Bit Role (uncredited) * ''

'' (1955) - Police Officer (uncredited) * '' The Ten Commandments'' (1956) - Egyptian Guard (uncredited) * '' Around the World in 80 Days'' (1956) - Extra (uncredited) * '' The Spirit of St. Louis'' (1957) - (uncredited) * ''

The Enemy Below ''The Enemy Below'' is a 1957 American DeLuxe Color war film in CinemaScope about a battle between an American destroyer escort and a German U-boat during World War II. It stars Robert Mitchum and Curt Jürgens as the American and German comm ...

'' (1957) - German Sailor (uncredited) * '' The Young Lions'' (1958) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' The Buccaneer'' (1958) - Pirate (uncredited) * '' Rio Bravo'' (1959) - Bar Cowboy Watching Fistfight (uncredited) * ''

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' was a satirical American comic strip that appeared in multiple newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies living in the impoverished fictional mountain village of Dogpatch, ...

'' (1959) - Muscleman Rufe (uncredited) * ''

Spartacus Spartacus (; ) was a Thracians, Thracian gladiator (Thraex) who was one of the Slavery in ancient Rome, escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major Slave rebellion, slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Historical accounts o ...

'' (1960) - Gladiator (uncredited) * '' Atlas Against the Cyclops'' (1961) - Maciste (as Mitchell Gordon) * '' The Centurion'' (1961) - Gen. Metellus * '' The Giant of Metropolis'' (1961) - Obro * '' Vulcan, Son of Jupiter'' (1962) - Pluto * '' Julius Caesar Against the Pirates'' (1962) - Hamar, the Pirate * '' Kerim, Son of the Sheik'' (1962) - Yussuf * ''

Invasion 1700 ''Invasion 1700'' (, , also known as ''With Fire and Sword'' and ''Daggers of Blood'') is a 1962 Italian-French historical epic film directed by Fernando Cerchio. It is based on the 1884 Polish historical novel '' With Fire and Sword'' written by H ...

'' (1962) - Ulrich * '' The Fury of Achilles'' (1962) -

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

* '' Brennus, Enemy of Rome'' (1963) - Brennus * '' Seven Slaves Against the World'' (1964) - Balisten * '' The Revenge of Spartacus'' (1964) - Arminio * '' Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens'' (1964) - Omar * '' Erik, il vichingo'' (1965) - Sven / Bjarni * '' Treasure of the Petrified Forest'' (1965) - Hunding * '' La vendetta di Lady Morgan'' (1965) - Roger * '' 3 Bullets for Ringo'' (1966) - Frank Sanders * '' Star Pilot'' (1966) - Murdu * ''Thompson 1880'' (1966) - Glenn Sheppard * '' Kill or Be Killed'' (1966) - Baltimore Joe * ''È mezzanotte... butta giù il cadavere'' (1966) - Van Himst * ''L'estate'' (1966) - Himself * '' Born to Kill'' (1967) - Roose * '' Death on the Run'' (1967) - The Albanian * '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967) - Stable Sergeant * '' John the Bastard'' (1967) - Danite * '' Phenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankhamen'' (1968) - Gregory Falco * ''Sapevano solo uccidere'' (1968) - Clayton * ''Cin cin... cianuro'' (1968) - Al Rubino * '' Beyond the Law'' (1968) - Burton * '' The Killer Likes Candy'' (1968) - Toni * ''

All on the Red All or ALL may refer to: عرص Biology and medicine * Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer * Anterolateral ligament, a ligament in the knee * ''All.'', taxonomic author abbreviation for Carlo Allioni (1728–1804), Italian physician and pro ...

'' (1968) - Erikson * ''Radhapura - Endstation der Verdammten'' (1968) - Alfredo * '' Rita of the West'' (1968) - Silly Bull * '' Trusting Is Good... Shooting Is Better'' (1968) - Roy Fulton * ''Cry of Death'' (1968) - Donkey / Morgan Pitt * '' Seven Times Seven'' (1968) - Big Ben * ''Hour X Suicide Patrol'' (1969) - Sgt. Orwell Smith * '' Fellini Satyricon'' (1969) - Robber * '' Sartana the Gravedigger'' (1969) - Deguejo * ''Lisa dagli occhi blu'' (1969) - Football player * '' The Arizona Kid'' (1970) - Coyote * '' Django and Sartana Are Coming... It's the End'' (1970) - Black Burt Keller / Burt Kelly * '' Dead Men Don't Make Shadows'' (1970) - Roger Murdock * '' Io non spezzo... rompo'' (1971) - Joe il Rosso * ''Tre nel mille'' (1971) * ''Se t'incontro t'ammazzo'' (1971) - Chris Forest * '' A Barrel Full of Dollars'' (1971) - John * '' Giù le mani... carogna! (Django Story)'' (1971) - Buck Bradley * ''Let's Go and Kill Sartana'' (1971) - Greg "The Crazy Person" * '' Drummer of Vengeance'' (1971) - Deputy Norton * ''Le Saut de l'ange'' (1971) - Henry Di Fusco * ''Il suo nome era Pot'' (1971) - Ray Potter * '' A Fistful of Death'' (1971) - Ironhead Donovan / Testa di Ferro * '' Savage Guns'' (1971) - Gordon Mitchell (uncredited) * ''Un uomo chiamato Dakota'' (1972) - Dakota * '' The Big Bust Out'' (1972) - El Kadir * ''Magnificent West'' (1972) - Martin * '' Casa d'appuntamento'' (1972) - Man in Nightclub (uncredited) * '' Go Away! Trinity Has Arrived in Eldorado'' (1972) - Jonathan Duke * '' Frankenstein 80'' (1972) - Dr. Otto Frankenstein * ''Situation'' (1972) - Gordon * ''Allegri becchini… arriva Trinità'' (1972) - Marvin * ''Anything for a Friend'' (1973) - Miller * ''Quando i califfi avevano le corna...'' (1973) - Caliph married to the Queen * ''

My Darling Slave ''My Darling Slave'' (, "The emaleslave, I have her and you don't", also known as ''The Slave'') is a 1973 Italian comedy film directed by Giorgio Capitani. It stars Lando Buzzanca, Catherine Spaak, and Adriana Asti. Plot Demetrio Cultrera ( ...

'' (1973) - Von Thirac * ''Once Upon a Time in the Wild, Wild West'' (1973) - Mike * '' Pan'' (1973) * ''Dagli archivi della polizia criminale'' (1973) - Peter Wilcox * '' My Name Is Shanghai Joe'' (1973) - Burying Sam * '' Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks'' (1974) - Igor * ''Una donna per 7 bastardi'' (1974) - Gordon * ''The Godfather Squad'' (1974) - Son of Carrol * '' Il domestico'' (1974) - General Von Werner * ''Dört hergele'' (1974) - Margherito * ''Anasinin Gozu'' (1974) * ''Yankesici'' (1975) * ''Seven Devils on Horseback'' (1975) - Cooper * ''La pelle sotto gli artigli'' (1975) - Professor Helmut * ''Due Magnum .38 per una città di carogne'' (1975) - Renato Proietti * ''Tiger from River Kwai'' (1975) - Jack Mason * ''Le Ricain'' (1975) - Mike * ''La polizia ordina: sparate a vista'' (1976) - David * ''L'unica legge in cui credo'' (1976) - Geo (uncredited) * ''Kaput Lager - Gli ultimi giorni delle SS'' (1977) - Kommandant von Stolzen * ''

Oil! ''Oil!'' is a novel by Upton Sinclair, first published in 1926–27 and told as a third-person narrative, with only the opening pages written in the first person. The book was written in the context of the Warren Harding, Harding administration ...

'' (1977) - Burt * ''Natascha - Todesgrüße aus Moskau'' (1977) - Gooming * ''Gli uccisori'' (1977) - Pablo * '' Zanna Bianca e il grande Kid'' (1977) - Morgan * ''Pugni, dollari e spinaci'' (1978) - Frank Stilo * ''Ishyri dosi... sex'' (1978) * ''A Very Special Woman'' (1979) - Gordon * ''Strategia per una missione di morte'' (1979) - Paul * '' Dr. Jekyll Likes Them Hot'' (1979) - Pretorius * ''Porno erotico western'' (1979) * ''I mavri Emmanouella'' (1980) - Robert / Factory manager * ''Holocaust parte seconda: i ricordi, i deliri, la vendetta'' (1980) - Felix Oppenheimer * ''

'' (1980) - Moskovitz, le tueur * '' The Iron Hand of the Mafia'' (1980) - Don Nicola * ''Febbre a 40!'' (1980) - Sandy's Husband * ''Trois filles dans le vent'' (1981) - Gordon Mitchell * '' Inchon'' (1981) - GHQ Officer (uncredited) * '' Nightfall'' (1981) - Maserati * '' La dottoressa preferisce i marinai'' (1981) - The killer * '' Vai avanti tu che mi vien da ridere'' (1981) - Il killer * ''Kirmizi kelebek'' (1982) - Brado * '' Rush'' (1983) - Yor * '' Endgame'' (1983) - Col. Morgan * ''Se tutto va bene siamo rovinati'' (1983) - Jack Volpetti * '' She'' (1984) - Hector * ''Treasure of the Lost Desert'' (1984) - Dealer * ''Diamond Connection'' (1984) - Harry / Abdul Pasha * ''Ricordi'' (1984) * '' White Fire'' (1985) - Olaf * '' Operation Nam'' (1986) - Col. Mortimer * '' The Mines of Kilimanjaro'' (1986) - Rolf * '' Three Men on Fire'' (1986) * ''Commando Invasion'' (1986) - General MacMoreland * ''Evil Spawn'' (1987) - Dan Thorn * ''SFX Retaliator'' (1987) - Morgan * ''Overdose'' (1987) - Costa * '' Cross of the Seven Jewels'' (1987) - Black Mass Leader * ''Faida'' (1988) - Prete * ''La tempesta'' (1988) * '' Blood Delirium'' (N/A) - Hermann * '' Bikini Drive-In'' (1995) - Goliath * ''An Enraged New World'' (2002) - Gen. Murchison * '' Malevolence'' (2004) - Capo Fabrizio De Martino * ''Die to Live - Das Musikill'' (2004) - Himself (final film role)

References

External links

* *Interview http://www.cinema-nocturna.com/gordon_mitchell_interview_prt_1.htm
A transcription
of a Gordon Mitchell guest chat a
Cinema Nocturna siteA Nanarland.com interview (in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Gordon 1923 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American educators 20th-century American male actors American male bodybuilders American expatriates in Italy American male film actors United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of World War II Male actors from Denver Male Spaghetti Western actors People associated with physical culture People from Marina del Rey, California Schoolteachers from California University of Southern California alumni World War II prisoners of war held by Germany 20th-century American sportsmen