Bartolomeo Pagano

Italian motion picture actor of the Silent Era Before his cinema career Pagano was a stevedore who worked at the port of Genoa There he was discovered and selected to play the role of Maciste a muscular slave in the silent movie classic Cabiria in 1914 As the originator of this role he went on to play the character for the next 14 years in a series of sequels Pagano became an international star In the 1920s he was one of the most well paid actors in Italy receiving up to 600000 lire a year The actor retired from films in 1929 to marry and raise a family in his home town of Genoa He died there aged 68 and is buried on the family estate in Italy