#1 ·
Since most of our discussions here tend to revolve around semi-famous faces or whoever happens to be trending right now, I thought it’d be cool to start a thread dedicated to those overlooked modern actors, character players, and even the massive icons from Hollywood's Golden Age. So, I’m just going to call this topic "Legendary Actors and Actresses."
Lately, I've been thinking about one of the heavy hitters from that whole Golden Era—Victor Matura. He’s probably best known for playing Samson in the biblical epic "Samson and Delilah," but he also nailed the role of the slave Demetrius in movies like "Tunic" (starring Richard Burton) and "Demetrius and the gladiator." Beyond those big epics, you can't forget his work in "The Egyptian" and "Hannibal."
That said, Matura was also a staple in Westerns. Some of his most striking work was in the John Ford classic "My Dear Clementina," as well as that film about the chief Crazy Horse. After a long run of various films, Matura kind of stepped back from the spotlight toward the end of the 60s. He made some occasional appearances in movies and TV shows later on, but his last real outing was in the 1984 TV adaptation of "Samson and Delilah," where he played Samson's father.
There were actually rumors floating around once that Matura would star in a remake of the Western classic "Red River" alongside Sylvester Stallone, but unfortunately, that project never actually happened. It’s a real shame, honestly, because seeing Matura and Stallone together would have been fascinating—they actually share a similar physical presence, not to mention their shared Italian heritage.
Lately, I've been thinking about one of the heavy hitters from that whole Golden Era—Victor Matura. He’s probably best known for playing Samson in the biblical epic "Samson and Delilah," but he also nailed the role of the slave Demetrius in movies like "Tunic" (starring Richard Burton) and "Demetrius and the gladiator." Beyond those big epics, you can't forget his work in "The Egyptian" and "Hannibal."
That said, Matura was also a staple in Westerns. Some of his most striking work was in the John Ford classic "My Dear Clementina," as well as that film about the chief Crazy Horse. After a long run of various films, Matura kind of stepped back from the spotlight toward the end of the 60s. He made some occasional appearances in movies and TV shows later on, but his last real outing was in the 1984 TV adaptation of "Samson and Delilah," where he played Samson's father.
There were actually rumors floating around once that Matura would star in a remake of the Western classic "Red River" alongside Sylvester Stallone, but unfortunately, that project never actually happened. It’s a real shame, honestly, because seeing Matura and Stallone together would have been fascinating—they actually share a similar physical presence, not to mention their shared Italian heritage.
