Gordon Mitchell

Acting · 0.6 popularity

Age

103

Movies

134

Born: July 29, 1923 – September 20, 2003
From: Denver, Colorado, USA

Biography

Gordon Mitchell was born "Charles Pendleton" in Colorado and served his country in both World War II and the Korean War (during which he was briefly a POW). Afterward he worked as a teacher in inner city schools in California and got heavily involved in personal fitness and bodybuilding. He became friends with Joe Gold (of Gold's Gym), joining Mae West's comedy act as one of her "strongmen" who would carry her on and off the stage. During this time he also found himself in demand as an extra in several Hollywood films including "Lil Abner", "The Enemy Below", and "The Ten Commandments" (in which he and Joe Gold bring Moses to Ramsey's court in chains). When the Peplum craze began in Italy and his fellow Muscle Beach star Steve Reeves became a huge star. Gordon (along with Reg Park, Mark Forrest, Brad Harris, Mickey Hargitay, and Richard Harrison) similarly jumped on the bandwagon and headed to Italy to find stardom and financially greener pastures. Thanks to his unconventional appearance (small, sharp eyes and craggy face) and enthusiasm for his work, Mitchell found himself one of the most in-demand performers in Italy's Sword & Sandal craze of the early 60's, working with several top directors including Marino Girolami, Alberto De Martino, and Michele Lupo. Unlike most of his peers who left Italy once the genre ran its course, Mitchell stayed on to play villains in numerous Spaghetti Westerns, Giallos, War Films, and Science Fiction movies. He also had a small but key role in the Elizabeth Taylor / Marlon Brandon vehicle "Reflections in a Golden Eye" (1967) during this time though perhaps his most prestigious role would be the rogue who helps the two protagonists kidnap the noble in Fellini's "Satyricon" (1969). Mitchell used his extra cash to buy and build his own movie studio (Cave Studios) which he single-handedly constructed outside of Rome. It went largely unused except by ultra-low budget director Demofilo Fidani who would often cast Mitchell as well. In the late 1980's when the Italian genre film industry had basically self-destructed, unable to compete with American films even for video rentals, Mitchell packed his bags and moved back to California. Once home, he re-teamed with old friend Joe Gold to manage World Gym, at which Mitchell acted as COO and lived at the top floor of its headquarters in Marina Del Rey. Continuing for years to act in low budget films purely for the fun of it, Mitchell passed away in his sleep at age 80 in 2003. Having just won the California recall election the day prior, Arnold Schwarzenegger took time out of his busy schedule to pay his respects at Mitchell's Memorial Service at the World Gym Headquarters along with many other bodybuilders who credit Mitchell with getting them into their careers.

Works

134 films

Spartacus

19607.5

Around the World in 80 Days

19566.7

Rio Bravo

19597.8

Operation Orient

19783.3

The Enemy Below

19577.2

Emmanuelle: Queen of Sados

19806.1

The Man with the Golden Arm

19557.1

The Young Lions

19586.8

Satyricon

19696.7

I Am Sartana Your Angel of Death

19696.5

Dr. Jekyll Likes Them Hot

19794.9

Bikini Drive-In

19955.0

Endgame

19834.9

Slaughter Day

19727.0

The Spirit of St. Louis

19576.7

Umbrella Coup

19806.9

Adios Compañeros

19717.0

Reflections in a Golden Eye

19676.5

Beyond the Law

19685.8

SFX Retaliator

19885.3

The Crazy Westerners

19675.7

Let's Go And Kill Sartana

197110.0

Atlas Against the Cyclops

19616.5

White Fire

19844.3

The Commissioner

19839.0

She

19845.1

The Fury of Achilles

19625.3

Tutto Totò - Totò Ciak

19675.9

The French Sex Murders

19724.9

The Revenge of the Gladiators

19647.0

The Crucified Girls of San Ramon

19724.4

Faida

198810.0

The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe

19735.1

Kill or Be Killed

19664.0

Django and Sartana Are Coming... It's the End

19705.3

Kino kolossal - Herkules, Maciste & Co

20009.0

The Doctor Prefers Sailors

19814.8

Santa Lucia

19797.5

Frankenstein '80

19724.8

The Killer Likes Candy

19685.3

Anasının Gözü

1975

Seven Times Seven

19687.1

Achtung! The Desert Tigers

19773.8

Dead for a Dollar

19687.5

An Enraged New World

20027.3

Kopfschuß

19813.3

Coffin Full of Dollars

19716.0

The Yellow Panther

19826.0

Angel's Leap

19715.8

Holocaust II

19803.8

The Centurion

19615.5

Overdose

19897.5

Secret Force

19836.5

The Giant of Metropolis

19614.7

Thompson 1880

19664.8

Star Pilot

19664.8

Caesar Against the Pirates

19625.6

Three Bullets for Ringo

19666.5

The Man from Chicago

19757.0

Cobra Mission

19864.9

Go Away! Trinity Has Arrived in Eldorado

19729.0

Natascha - Todesgrüsse aus Moskau

19776.5

Little Godfather from Hong Kong

19748.0

Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks

19744.3

Oil

19775.6

Dead Men Don't Make Shadows

19704.5

Porno erotico western

19795.2

Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens

19645.3

John the Bastard

19676.6

Lady Morgan's Vengeance

19656.0

Lisa with the Blue Eyes

19696.3

Ora X Pattuglia Suicida

1969

Vulcan, Son of Giove

19623.8

Blood Delirium

19884.5

Cry of Death

19684.3

My Darling Slave

19734.9

Radhapura – Endstation der Verdammten

196810.0

The Tiger From the River Kwai

19757.0

I'll Die for Vengeance

19685.0

Tre nel mille

19717.5

Day of Judgment

19715.7

Invasion 1700

19626.6

Fever of 40!

19807.0

Erik the Viking

19656.8

Strategy for a Mission of Death

19793.3

Kerim, Son of the Sheik

19626.0

My Name Is Texas Bill

197210.0

Three Men on Fire

19867.5

Hercules and the Princess of Troy

19655.9

The Sewer Rats

19744.8

The Skin Under the Claws

19754.1

Brennus, Enemy of Rome

19635.0

Down with Your Hands... You Scum!

19713.7

His Name Was Pot, but They Called Him Allegria

19716.0

The Stone Forest

19657.0

Seven Slaves Against the World

19649.0

Fenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankamen

19684.8

The Mines of Kilimanjaro

19864.5

Death on the Run

19677.0

The Household

19746.1

The Alien Within

1990

A Gunman Called Dakota

19729.0

Savage Guns

19714.8

Anything for a Friend

19735.8

Special Squad Shoots on Sight

19766.3

L'Estate

19667.0

Trois filles dans le vent

19815.0

Rush

19835.1

His Colt, Himself, His Revenge

19739.0

Seven Savage Men

19759.0

Curse of the Red Butterfly

1982

Cross of the Seven Jewels

19872.3

Commando Invasion

19876.8

Malevolence

20043.8

Finders Killers

19715.7

If All Goes Well We Are Ruined

19834.5

Four for All

19756.7

Two .38 Magnums for a City of Carrion

19758.0

The Iron Hand of the Mafia

19805.9

White Fang and the Kid

19786.4

Io non spezzo... rompo

19713.8

Once Upon a Time in the Wild, Wild West

19738.0

Born to Kill

19678.7

From the Archives of the Criminal Police

19735.3

È mezzanotte... butta giù il cadavere

196610.0

All on the Red

19687.5

The Slayers

197710.0

Treasure of the Lost Desert

197110.0

Diamond Connection

19824.0

Fists, Dollars and Spinach

19782.0

Cheers... Cyanide!

19689.0

The Arizona Kid

19705.0

The Wings of War

19696.0

A Very Special Woman

19794.4