American actor Richard Harrison, one of the most prolific stars of European genre cinema, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 90 from natural causes.
Born May 26, 1936, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Harrison moved to Los Angeles as a teenager, where he initially worked as a fitness trainer and physique model before finding his way into acting. After appearing in small roles in Hollywood productions, including South Pacific, Harrison relocated to Italy in the early 1960s and quickly established himself as a leading man in the country’s booming sword and sandal, Eurospy and Western industries.
Harrison’s first major European role came in 1962’s The Invincible Gladiator, followed by appearances in films such as Medusa Against the Son of Hercules, Secret Agent Fireball and Gunfight at Red Sands. His rugged looks and muscular physique made him a natural fit for the action driven productions flooding European cinemas at the time.
It was the Spaghetti Western, however, where Harrison became particularly prolific. He starred in approximately 17 Italian Westerns, including $100,000 for Ringo, Vengeance, Between God, the Devil and a Winchester, Holy Water Joe, El Rojo and One After the Other. At the height of his European career, Harrison was a familiar leading man to international audiences despite remaining relatively obscure in the United States.
Perhaps the most famous footnote in Harrison’s career involves Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars. Harrison was offered the opportunity to play the role that would ultimately make Clint Eastwood an international star. Harrison turned down the part and recommended Eastwood to the filmmakers. Harrison would later jokingly describe this as perhaps his greatest contribution to cinema.
Harrison wasn’t limited to Westerns. Over the course of his long career, he appeared in more than 100 films, moving comfortably between sword and sandal adventures, spy thrillers, crime movies, horror, exploitation and action films. He eventually made his way into the world of Hong Kong and Filipino exploitation cinema, appearing in films such as Marco Polo, Boxer Rebellion, Challenge of the Tiger, Ninja Terminator and Ninja the Protector. The latter two were directed by Godfrey Ho and became cult favorites among fans of bizarre, low budget martial arts cinema.
Harrison also stepped behind the camera, writing and directing the 1972 Western comedy Two Brothers in Trinity under the pseudonym James London. He later co wrote the 1987 cult Western Scalps.
For fans of international genre cinema, Harrison represented a particularly fascinating breed of actor: an American performer who found his greatest success far from Hollywood. From Italian Westerns and peplum adventures to Eurospy thrillers and Hong Kong martial arts movies, Harrison built an unusually diverse filmography that spanned several decades and countless corners of the exploitation film world.
Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones.
Watch Trailers, an interview and footage from some of Richard Harrison’s most memorable performances:
