Alan Steel

Alan Steel — Biography

Born Sergio Ciani in Rome on 7 September 1935, he began his working life as a stuntman and served as the body double for actor Steve Reeves in two peplum productions. In the early 1960s he began billing himself as Alan Steel, then moved into leading roles in sword-and-sandal pictures, becoming one of the few native Italians to headline the genre's mythological heroes, playing figures billed variously as Hercules, Ursus or Samson. In 1976 he also took on the role of Robin Hood in an adventure feature. As the genre's popularity faded he appeared on screen less often, retiring by the end of the 1970s. He died at his home in Rome just two days short of his 80th birthday, on 5 September 2015.