Star of Spaghetti Westerns and Sword-and-Sandal Films Dies at 90
For fans of the gritty, larger-than-life Westerns and sword-and-sandal movies that dominated European cinema in the 1960s and ’70s, Richard Harrison was a familiar face.
The American actor, who built much of his career far from Hollywood, has died at the age of 90.
According to producer and longtime friend Joan Borsten, Harrison died Friday in Los Angeles of natural causes.
Born in Salt Lake City on May 26, 1936, Harrison moved to Hollywood at just 17, determined to establish himself as an actor. Before finding his way into the film industry, he worked at gyms operated by bodybuilders Vic Tanny and Bert Goodrich and even appeared as a model in beefcake magazines.
Harrison eventually studied acting under acclaimed teacher Sandy Meisner at Fox, helping him land early roles in films including Kronos, Jeanne Eagels, Too Much, Too Soon, South Pacific and Tall Story.
But his biggest career opportunities would come after he left Hollywood for Italy.
From Hollywood hopeful to European movie star
With his muscular build and rugged appearance, Harrison quickly became a natural fit for the sword-and-sandal movies that were hugely popular with European audiences.
His breakthrough came with The Invincible Gladiator in 1962, placing him among the American actors who found success portraying larger-than-life heroes in Italian cinema.
He went on to appear in films such as Avenger of the Seven Seas and Gladiator 7 before moving into the emerging spaghetti Western genre.
In 1963, Harrison starred in Gunfight in the Red Sands, an Italian-Spanish Western featuring music by legendary composer Ennio Morricone.
But one decision from this period would later become one of the most fascinating stories of his career.
The role he turned down — and Clint Eastwood got
In 1964, Harrison was offered the lead role in Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars.
He turned it down.
Harrison later recalled that the filmmakers asked him to recommend another American actor for the role. Among the names they gave him was Clint Eastwood.
Harrison chose Eastwood, partly because he knew Eastwood could ride a horse.
That recommendation helped put Eastwood at the center of the film that would become a landmark of the spaghetti Western genre.
Looking back years later, Harrison explained his reasoning to Nanarland.
“My choice was Clint, only because he knew how to ride a horse.”
It was a relatively simple decision at the time, but one that became an extraordinary footnote in movie history.
From Italian Westerns to Hong Kong ninja films
As the European film industry changed toward the end of the 1970s, Harrison’s career took another unexpected direction.
He moved to Hong Kong and spent roughly a decade appearing in a large number of low-budget ninja and martial-arts films.
Harrison later spoke bluntly about that period of his career, admitting that he often felt uncomfortable with the way the movies were produced.
Some of the films were made quickly and cheaply, and Harrison sometimes had only a handful of scenes.
Despite their modest production values, many of these movies eventually developed devoted cult followings.
A career spanning more than 100 films
Over the course of his career, Harrison appeared in more than 100 movies and also directed several productions himself.
His filmography stretched across multiple genres and countries, from Hollywood productions to Italian sword-and-sandal adventures, spaghetti Westerns and Hong Kong action films.
While some of his later work was dismissed as low-budget exploitation cinema, his movies have continued to attract fans who appreciate the era’s distinctive style and Harrison’s larger-than-life screen presence.
His final film appearances came in the 1993 erotic thriller Angel Eyes and the 2000 film Jerks.
For Harrison, Hollywood may have been where his career began, but it was Europe—and later Hong Kong—where he created the legacy that made him a memorable figure for generations of cult-film fans.
And perhaps the most remarkable footnote of all remains the role he declined in 1964.
By turning down A Fistful of Dollars and recommending Clint Eastwood instead, Richard Harrison unknowingly helped shape one of the most famous chapters in Western movie history.
