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Bradford Harris
Brad Harris.jpg
Brad Harris (2004)
Born (1933-07-16)July 16, 1933
Died November 7, 2017(2017-11-07) (aged 84)
Occupation Film actor, stuntman, executive producer

Bradford Harris (born July 16, 1933 – died November 7, 2017) was an American actor, stuntman, and executive producer. He appeared in over 50 films, mostly made in Europe. He was also honored in the Stuntman's Hall of Fame for his amazing work.

About Brad Harris

Early Life and Athletic Start

Brad Harris was born in St. Anthony, Idaho. His family later moved to California. There, he went to Burbank High School. He then earned a sports scholarship to UCLA. At UCLA, he studied economics.

Brad injured his knee while playing football. Doctors suggested he try weightlifting to make his knee stronger. This led to his interest in bodybuilding.

From Stunts to Stardom

Brad Harris began his film career as a stand-in. A stand-in is someone who takes the place of an actor for lighting and camera setups. He also worked as a stuntman. Stuntmen perform dangerous actions in movies. Later, he became an actor.

His first movie roles were in Monkey on My Back and Li'l Abner. Brad had a very athletic body. This helped him get many roles.

European Film Adventures

In 1960, Brad traveled to Rome, Italy. He went to watch the Summer Olympics. While there, he also performed stunts in the movie Spartacus. He decided to stay in Europe.

At that time, many action movies were being made in Europe. These included "sword and sandal" films, which were historical adventures. There were also "Eurospy" films, like spy thrillers. And "Spaghetti Westerns" were cowboy movies made in Italy. Brad became very popular in these types of movies.

He discovered that in Germany, there were no special stunt coordinators. So, Brad often did many jobs. He was a stuntman, a stunt coordinator, and even a second unit director. All this was in addition to being an actor.

Brad Harris became a leading actor in 1961. His first main roles were in Goliath Against the Giants and Samson. He worked often with director Gianfranco Parolini. He also teamed up with actor Tony Kendall. They first worked together in the Western movie Pirates of the Mississippi.

Brad married Czech actress Olga Schoberová in 1967. They later divorced in 1969. They had a daughter named Babrinka. Brad continued to work with Tony Kendall and Gianfranco Parolini. They made the Kommissar X series and The Three Fantastic Supermen series.

Beyond Acting

Brad Harris also worked as an executive producer. An executive producer helps manage the money and business side of a film. He was an executive producer on movies like King of Kong Island, where he also acted. He also produced The Mutations.

Later, Brad appeared in the American TV show Falcon Crest. He played "Deputy Duffy" in seven episodes. His last movie was a comedy called Boom, released in 1999.

Outside of movies, Brad Harris was an inventor. He created and sold exercise products called "AB-OrigOnals." He also owned a company called Modern Body Design. In 2015, he received a special award from the University of Arizona. He passed away on November 7, 2017, at 84 years old.

Films and TV Shows

Here are some of the films and TV shows Brad Harris appeared in:

  • The McConnell Story (1955) - Pilot (uncredited)
  • Monkey on My Back (1957) - Spike McAvoy
  • Speed Crazy (1959) - Bit Part (uncredited)
  • Li'l Abner (1959) - Muscleman Luke (uncredited)
  • Tall Story (1960) - Student by Fire (uncredited)
  • 13 Fighting Men (1960) - Pvt. Fowler
  • Ocean's 11 (1960) - Minor Role (uncredited)
  • Spartacus (1960) - Gladiator / Soldier (uncredited)
  • Goliath Against the Giants (1961) - Goliath
  • Samson (1961) - Samson
  • The Fury Of Hercules (1962) - Hercules
  • The Hot Port of Hong Kong (1962) - Polizeiinspektor McLean
  • It Happened in Athens (1962) - Garrett (uncredited)
  • 79 A.D. (1962) - Marcus Tiberius
  • The Old Testament (1962) - Simone
  • The Black Panther of Ratana (1963) - Larry Finch
  • The Pirates of the Mississippi (1963) - Tom Cook
  • Mission to Hell (1964) - Joe Warren
  • Mystery of the Red Jungle (1964) - Larry McLean
  • The Secret of the Chinese Carnation (1964) - Donald Ramsey
  • Massacre at Marble City (1964) - Phil Stone
  • Black Eagle of Santa Fe (1965) - Cliff McPherson
  • Our Man in Jamaica (1965) - Captain Mike Jefferson
  • Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill (1966) - Capt. Tom Rowland
  • Kommissar X – Drei gelbe Katzen (aka Death is Nimble, Death is Quick) (1966) - Capt. Tom Rowland
  • Kommissar X – In den Klauen des goldenen Drachen (aka So Darling So Deadly) (1966) - Capt. Tom Rowland
  • The Three Fantastic Supermen (1967) - Brad McCallum
  • The Ten Million Dollar Grab (1967) - Robert Colman
  • Kommissar X – Drei grüne Hunde (aka Death Trip) (1967) - Capt. Tom Rowland
  • Spy Today, Die Tomorrow (1967) - Cliff
  • Un hombre vino a matar (1967) - Sheriff Bill Manners
  • Kommissar X - Drei blaue Panther (1968) - Capt. Tom Rowland
  • Cin cin... cianuro (1968) - George
  • King of Kong Island (1968) - Burt Dawson
  • Kommissar X – Drei goldene Schlangen (1969) - Capt. Tom Rowland
  • Poppea's Hot Nights (1969) - Claudio Valerio
  • Patton (1970) - Sergeant in Bar (uncredited)
  • Che fanno i nostri supermen tra le vergini della jungla? (1970) - Captain Brad Scott
  • Quando suona la campana (1970) - Don Vincenzo
  • Formula 1 - Nell'Inferno del Grand Prix [it] (1970) - Ken Stark
  • Wanted Sabata [de] (1970) - Sabata
  • The Mad Butcher (1971) - Mike Lawrence
  • Arriva Durango... paga o muori (1971) - Durango
  • Il ritorno del gladiatore più forte del mondo (1971) - Marzio
  • Kommissar X jagt die roten Tiger (aka Tiger Gang) (1971) - Capt. Tom Rowland
  • Seminò morte... lo chiamavano il Castigo di Dio! (1972) - Django / Durango
  • Zambo, il dominatore della foresta (1972) - George Ryon aka Zambo
  • Questa volta ti faccio ricco! (1974) - Brad McCoy
  • The Girl in Room 2A (1974) - Charlie
  • The Mutations (1974) - Brian Redford
  • Who Breaks... Pays (1975) - Placido
  • Lady Dracula (1977) - Kommissar
  • The Beast in Heat (1977) - Don Lorenzo (uncredited)
  • Brass Target (1978) - Lt. Rowan
  • Zwei tolle Käfer räumen auf (1979) - Don Fernando Hidalgo
  • Mie jue qi qi (1980) - Leopard
  • Good-bye, Cruel World (1983) - Policeman
  • Hercules (1983) - King Augeias
  • The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (1983) - Scipio
  • Death Stone (1987) - Brain
  • Boom (1999) - Gordon Steele (segment "Il figlio di Maciste")
  • Shiver (2012) - The Captain (final film role)
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