Hot Gallery: The Muscle Men of Sword-and-Sandal Epics
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Everett Collection
Kirk Douglas in <i>Spartacus</i> (1960)
Kirk Douglas’s chiseled turn as Thracian Spartacus, the slave that leads his brethren in revolt against the Romans, is a classic role that continues to inspire modern retellings today in films like Gladiator and TV shows like Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
Harry Hamlin in <i>Clash of the Titans</i> (1981)
Before he turned heads as legal eagle Michael Kuzak on L.A. Law, Harry Hamlin first drew cinematic attention fighting satyrs, Medusa and a Kraken in the cheesy 80’s Greek epic, Clash of the Titans.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in <i>Conan the Barbarian</i> (1982)
As Conan the Barbarian, bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger found the perfect film to transition from a sports icon into an action movie superstar. With his bulging biceps and massive sword, Schwarzenegger wowed audiences around the world.
DreamWorks/Everett Collection
Russell Crowe in <i>Gladiator</i> (2000)
Russell Crowe’s performance as Maximus, the wronged soldier-turned-gladiator, not only earned him an Academy Award, but it turned this Kiwi man’s man into a global sex symbol.
Brad Pitt in <i>Troy</i> (2004)
Brad Pitt got ripped to play the mighty Achilles in Troyalongside fellow hotties Sean Bean and Eric Bana in director Wolfgang Peterson’s adaptation of Homer’s epic tale of the Trojan War.
Sam Worthington in <i>Clash of the Titans</i> (2010)
Handsome Brit Henry Cavill cut his acting teeth working in period dramas like The Tudors and The Count of Monte Cristo, but he lets his fine physique out to play as Theseus in Tarsem Singh’s Immortals on 11/11/11.
Matt Nettheim/Focus Features
Channing Tatum in <i>The Eagle</i> (2011)
A former jock that turned to modeling and acting, Tatum donned his first set of mail to play the Roman Marcus Aquila in the action-drama, The Eagle.
