Gordon Mitchell, a bodybuilder who appeared in more than 200 B-movies, died on Sept. 20 from a heart attack. He was 80.
Born Charles Pendleton, Mitchell served in the U.S. Army Air Corp during World War II, taking part in the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Buchenwald. After he returned to the states, he became a high school teacher and bodybuilder.
His handsome physique caught the eye of actress Mae West, who hired him to work on her all-male chorus line, the Mae West Revue. That job opened the doors to roles in films like “Man With the Golden Arm” and “The Ten Commandments.”
In 1961, Mitchell moved to Italy to star in “Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops.” Because of his muscular form, he spent the next 30 years appearing in Italian and American sword-and-sandal films, mythic features, spaghetti westerns and martial arts movies.
September 28, 2003 by
I had the priveledged honor of working with Gordon Mitchell on his Super Spaghetti Cartoon. I met him in Santa Monica California where I colaborated with Leaf Hendrickson and Woody Wolf to create the melody that would go along with the cartoons opening jingle. this was recorded in 1994 at the 4th Street Recording Studio in Santa Monica. Chuck told me I sounded like Mae West. I wondered how he knew that. I never knew the 2 of them dated. He said I reminded him of when she sang with Bob Hope. I know very little about Mae West but I am honored by the compliment. Chuck was a genuinely great man. He brought a smile to my face everytime I ever saw him. I am sorry he never got to see his friend Arnold become the Governor of California. Beats the hell out of Governor Pete Wilson. I am just glad I could contribute to such a important project as Super Spaghetti was to Chuck. I saw his drawings of the characters while in the studio. They were very good and so was the concept. If there is ever anything I can do to promote physical fitness again please let me know. My address is PO Box 196 Palmer Illinois 62556 Thanks, Amy Yard