Mark Forest

Mark Forest (born Lorenzo Louis Degni, known as Lou Degni, 6 January 1933 in Brooklyn, New York, died 7 January 2022) was an American actor and bodybuilder, best known as the hero of a series of 1960s sword and sandal films that included his recurring role as Maciste. He began bodybuilding at 13 and opened his own gym on Long Island, joined the musclemen troupe of Mae West's Las Vegas stage show, and entered numerous weightlifting competitions, winning the title of Mr. Muscle Beach in Venice, California. He made his films in Rome from 1961 to 1965, then trained as an opera tenor and later worked as a vocal coach.