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 Golds Gym joining Mae Wests 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 Ramseys 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 indemand performers in Italys Sword Sandal craze of the early 60s 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 Fellinis Satyricon 1969 Mitchell used his extra cash to buy and build his own movie studio Cave Studios which he singlehandedly constructed outside of Rome It went largely unused except by ultralow budget director Demofilo Fidani who would often cast Mitchell as well In the late 1980s when the Italian genre film industry had basically selfdestructed unable to compete with American films even for video rentals Mitchell packed his bags and moved back to California Once home he reteamed 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 Mitchells Memorial Service at the World Gym Headquarters along with many other bodybuilders who credit Mitchell with getting them into their careers
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