For anyone who grew up watching the gritty, larger-than-life spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s and ’70s, Richard Harrison was a familiar face.
The American actor, who found fame far from Hollywood, has died at the age of 90.
According to producer and longtime friend Joan Borsten, Harrison died Friday of natural causes in Los Angeles.
Born in Salt Lake City on May 26, 1936, Harrison arrived in Hollywood at just 17, determined to make a name for himself. Before landing his first acting roles, he worked at gyms owned by bodybuilders Vic Tanny and Bert Goodrich and even modeled for beefcake magazines.
He later trained as an actor under renowned teacher Sandy Meisner at Fox, which helped him begin building a career with small roles in films such as Kronos, Jeanne Eagels, Too Much, Too Soon, South Pacific and Tall Story.
But it was after leaving Hollywood for Italy that Harrison’s career truly took off. With his muscular physique and rugged good looks, he quickly became a natural fit for the sword-and-sandal movies that were sweeping European cinemas, establishing himself as a leading man far from home.
His breakthrough came with The Invincible Gladiator in 1962, where he stepped into the kind of heroic role that had made stars such as Steve Reeves famous.
Turned down lead role in A Fistful of Dollars
He soon became a recognizable face of the Italian film industry, appearing in movies including Avenger of the Seven Seas and Gladiator 7. In 1963, he starred in Gunfight in the Red Sands, an Italian-Spanish spaghetti Western featuring music by legendary composer Ennio Morricone.
And Harrison’s connection to one of the most famous Westerns ever made could have been very different.
He turned down the lead role in Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars in 1964. Harrison later said he recommended his fellow American expat Clint Eastwood for the part instead — a decision that helped launch Eastwood toward international stardom.
JuanBastos / Wikipedia Commons
”After I affirmed I would not do the film they read me three names of actors from Hollywood that had been sent to them. Since they did not know who they were they asked me to recommend one of them. I knew of all three. My choice was Clint, only because he knew how to ride a horse. So many American actors were not able to ride well,” Harrison told Nanarland.
As work in Europe began to slow toward the end of the 1970s, Harrison took another unexpected turn. He headed to Hong Kong, where he spent roughly a decade appearing in a long list of low-budget ninja movies.
”This experience made me feel very dirty. I really felt like a prostitute. They were thrown in my face all the time. I saw part of one once, it had something to do with witches. I don’t think I had more than a couple of scenes in it,” Harrison later shared.
Although the films were often seen as a less prestigious chapter of his career, several have since gained a loyal cult following among fans.
His final film appearances came in the 1993 erotic thriller Angel Eyes and the 2000 movie Jerks.
For generations of movie fans, his films remain a reminder of a very different era of cinema — when rugged heroes, dusty Western towns, six-shooters and unforgettable Morricone soundtracks filled the screen.
Richard Harrison may not have become a household name in America, but for those who remember the golden age of spaghetti Westerns, his face is one many won’t soon forget.
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