In the next instalment of WHO PLAYED THE DEFENETIVE PEPLUM ROLES..., I'll cover Ursus. It shouldn't be too complicated, like the Maciste movies. Ursus came about in the epic novel QUO VADIS by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It's a fictional character that was modelled by other mythical heroes but nothing close to Hercules. Ursus is Bear in Latin. Ursus is a Polish slave in Rome. Ursus has to have blond hair and is strength is almost god-like. Buddy Baer (!) played Ursus in the epic Hollywood adaptation of QUO VADIS released in 1951. He was a giant and gentled hearted. But PEPLUM movies, keeping his gentled hearted nature, made him muscular. Ed Fury was an actor in Hollywood, playing supporting roles. He's mainly known as a Physique model, one of the most famous one. He was extremely fit when he made THE MIGHTY URSUS (1961) but the longer he stayed in Italy, the more out of shape he became. He was still healthy looking but not as cut or fit. By the time he appeared in the third Ursus movie, he looking obviously less muscular than in MIGHTY URSUS. When he left Italy, he tried acting in Hollywood but nothing major came his way. This movie is very violent. This scene, of Ursus ending up working at the millstone, is often truncated.
