Richard Harrison was a muscular American actor who began his career in Hollywood in the 1950s, but eventually found success in Italy as a sword-and-sandal star of the early 1960s. Born on May 26, 1936, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Harrison relocated to Southern California in his late teens, where his good looks landed him modeling work and minor film roles.
Harrison's early film career in Hollywood was marked by he-man bit roles, including appearances in films such as Jeanne Eagels, Kronos, Too Much, Too Soon, and South Pacific. However, he became frustrated with the lack of meatier roles and jumped at the opportunity to star in the peplum spectacle The Invincible Gladiator, which filmed in Europe.
Settling in Italy for the next two decades, Harrison became a popular sword-and-sandal star, playing mythological heroes such as Perseus and Darius. He also appeared in a range of other films, including "spaghetti" westerns, crime/spy intrigue movies, and action films.
In the 1970s, Harrison continued to work steadily, starring in films such as Sheriff of Rock Springs, Jesse & Lester - Two Brothers in a Place Called Trinity, and Hand of the Godfather. As work thinned out, he found opportunities in low-budget films in Hong Kong, Turkey, Germany, and Yugoslavia.
In the 1980s, Harrison found a new market in Hong Kong with his series of "Ninja Master" films, and he continued to work in the action genre, starring in films such as Ninja Terminator, Ninja Dragon, and Ninja Operation: Licensed to Terminate. He also began to delve into writing, producing, and directing, and occasionally appeared in featured parts for other stars.
Harrison married twice, first to Loretta Nicholson, with whom he had three children, and then to Maria Francesca, with whom he had one more child. Two of his sons, Robert Harrison and Sebastian Harrison, also went on to become actors.
