🎬 Movies Mates PEOPLE
Gordon Mitchell
Acting
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 a…
Read full 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.
Biography expanded
BODY OF WORK
Gordon Mitchell's Filmography
Select any movie to open its full Movies Mates details page.
Malevolence
as Don Fabrizio De Martino
An Enraged New World
as General Murchison
Kino kolossal - Herkules, Maciste & Co
as Self
Bikini Drive-In
as Goliath
No Poster
The Alien Within
as Dan Thorn
Overdose
as Costa
Blood Delirium
as Hermann
Faida
SFX Retaliator
as Morgan
Cross of the Seven Jewels
as Black Mass Leader
Commando Invasion
Three Men on Fire
as Dr. Andrew Milhench
Cobra Mission
as Col. Mortimer
The Mines of Kilimanjaro
as Rolf
White Fire
as Olaf
She
as Hector
If All Goes Well We Are Ruined
as Jack Volpetti
Endgame
as Col. Morgan
Rush
as Yor
The Commissioner
as (uncredited)
Secret Force
The Yellow Panther
as killer
Diamond Connection
as Abdul Pascha
Curse of the Red Butterfly
as Brado
The Doctor Prefers Sailors
as killer russo
Kopfschuß
as Maserati
Trois filles dans le vent
as Gordon Mitchell
Umbrella Coup
as Moskovitz, le tueur à gages
Holocaust II
as Felix Oppenheimer
Emmanuelle: Queen of Sados
as Robert
Fever of 40!
as Mr. Temple
The Iron Hand of the Mafia
as Don Nicola
Porno erotico western
as (as Charles Pendleton)
Dr. Jekyll Likes Them Hot
as Pretorius
Strategy for a Mission of Death
as Paul
A Very Special Woman
as Gordon
No Poster
Santa Lucia
as Amerikaner
White Fang and the Kid
as Morgan
Operation Orient
as Haine
Fists, Dollars and Spinach
as Frank Stilo
The Slayers
as Pablo
Natascha - Todesgrüsse aus Moskau
as Gooming
Oil
as Joe
Achtung! The Desert Tigers
as Kommandant von Stolzen
Special Squad Shoots on Sight
as David
Two .38 Magnums for a City of Carrion
as Renato Proietti
The Tiger From the River Kwai
as Jack Mason
The Man from Chicago
as Mike
The Skin Under the Claws
as Professor Helmut
Seven Savage Men
as Cooper
Four for All
as Margherito
Anasının Gözü
The Household
as General Von Werner
Little Godfather from Hong Kong
The Sewer Rats
as Gordon
Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks
as Igor
The Fighting Fist of Shanghai Joe
as Burying Sam
His Colt, Himself, His Revenge
as Martin
From the Archives of the Criminal Police
as Peter Wilcox
Once Upon a Time in the Wild, Wild West
as Mike
My Darling Slave
as Von Thirac
Anything for a Friend
as Miller
Frankenstein '80
as Dr. Otto Frankenstein
Go Away! Trinity Has Arrived in Eldorado
as Jonathan Duke
The French Sex Murders
as Man in Nightclub
My Name Is Texas Bill
as Martin
The Crucified Girls of San Ramon
as El Kadir
A Gunman Called Dakota
as Dakota
Slaughter Day
as Gordon
His Name Was Pot, but They Called Him Allegria
as Ray Potter
Savage Guns
as Gordon Mitchell
Angel's Leap
as Henry Di Fusco
Day of Judgment
as Deputy
Let's Go And Kill Sartana
as Greg "The Crazy Person"
Down with Your Hands... You Scum!
as Buck/Butch Bradley
Adios Compañeros
as Ironhead
Coffin Full of Dollars
as John Hamilton
Finders Killers
as Chris Forest
Tre nel mille
Io non spezzo... rompo
as Joe il Rosso
Treasure of the Lost Desert
Dead Men Don't Make Shadows
as Roger Murdock
Django and Sartana Are Coming... It's the End
as Black Burt Keller / Burt Kelly
No Poster
The Arizona Kid
as Coyote
Lisa with the Blue Eyes
as Football player
I Am Sartana Your Angel of Death
as Degueyo
Satyricon
as Il predone
Ora X Pattuglia Suicida
The Wings of War
Cry of Death
as Donkey / Morgan Pitt
Dead for a Dollar
as Roy Fulton
Radhapura – Endstation der Verdammten
as Alfredo
All on the Red
as Erikson
Seven Times Seven
as Big Ben
The Killer Likes Candy
as Toni
Beyond the Law
as Burton
Cheers... Cyanide!
as Al Rubino
I'll Die for Vengeance
as Clayton
Fenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankamen
as Gregory Falco
John the Bastard
as Danite
Reflections in a Golden Eye
as Stables Sergeant
Death on the Run
as The Albanian
The Crazy Westerners
as Bandit Leader
Born to Kill
as Rod Gordon
Tutto Totò - Totò Ciak
as Ringo
È mezzanotte... butta giù il cadavere
as Van Himst
L'Estate
as Self
Kill or Be Killed
as Baltimore Joe/Ringo
Thompson 1880
as Glenn Sheppard
Star Pilot
as Murdu
Three Bullets for Ringo
as Frank
Lady Morgan's Vengeance
as Roger
Erik the Viking
as Sven
The Stone Forest
as Hunding
Hercules and the Princess of Troy
as Pirate Captain
Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens
as Omar
The Revenge of the Gladiators
as Arminio
Seven Slaves Against the World
as Balisten
Brennus, Enemy of Rome
as Brenno
The Fury of Achilles
as Achilles
Invasion 1700
as Ulrich
Kerim, Son of the Sheik
as Yussuf
Caesar Against the Pirates
as Hamar
Vulcan, Son of Giove
as Pluto
The Giant of Metropolis
as Obro
The Centurion
as General Metellus
Atlas Against the Cyclops
as Maciste
Spartacus
as Gladiator (uncredited)
Rio Bravo
as Bar Cowboy Watching Fistfight (uncredited)
The Young Lions
as Minor Role (uncredited)
The Enemy Below
as German Sailor
The Spirit of St. Louis
as (uncredited)
Around the World in 80 Days
as Extra (uncredited)
