Who was... Ben Davidson: American football star and Conan the Conan enemy

Many professional athletes have made the leap to the big screen. This Sunday, we're going to talk about one of them, an American football star who took advantage of his impressive physique to appear in, among other roles, a legendary film: Conan the Barbarian .

On June 14, 1940, Benjamin Earl Davidson was born in Los Angeles. Because of his height (2.03 meters as an adult), he didn't play football in high school, but instead played basketball. However, a coach noticed him and convinced him to play football.

He entered the University of Washington in Seattle, where he led the Huskies to four consecutive Rose Bowl titles. He was drafted in 1961 by the New York Giants, who traded him to the Green Bay Packers before the season began. It was actually a fortunate move, as the Packers won the championship ring, the only title of his career. In 1962, he was traded to the Washington Redskins, where he played for two seasons, after which he was sent to the Oakland Raiders in his native California, who were then in a different league, the AFL.

With this team, he won an AFL title and was selected three times as an All-Star in the league, which merged with the NFL in 1970, retaining its name. During his career, Davidson earned a well-deserved reputation as a tough and dirty player , which he himself did not disdain and which he emphasized with features such as his impressive mustache. He retired from professional football in 1971.

Three years after retiring, in 1974, Davidson signed with the Portland Storm of the newly formed World Football League. A late-season knee injury ended his season and his playing career.

Born in the birthplace of cinema, and with a cinematic physique thanks to his height and mustache, Davidson began his career in film. He appeared in several films and series, the most notable being the aforementioned Conan the Barbarian , from 1982 and filmed in Spain.

In the film, Davidson plays Rexor, one of the two henchmen of the main villain, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones). The other henchman, Thorgrim, was played by Danish bodybuilder Sven-Ole Thorsen, a close friend of the film's protagonist, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his first major Hollywood role.

Married with three daughters, Ben Davidson settled in San Diego. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer and died on July 2, 2012. He was 72 years old.

I hope you enjoyed the article. See you tomorrow.