Richard Harrison, the actor best known for his roles in spaghetti Westerns and sword-and-sandal films, died last Friday at the age of 90. He passed away of natural causes in Los Angeles, according to producer and longtime friend Joan Borsten. Harrison’s career took an unusual path.
He arrived in Hollywood at 17, after working at gyms owned by Vic Tanny and Bert Goodrich and modeling for beefcake magazines. He took acting lessons at Fox Studios under Sandy Meisner, and his early film appearances included small parts in movies like Kronos (1957), Jeanne Eagels (1957), Too Much, Too Soon (1958), South Pacific (1958), and Tall Story (1960).