Franco Columbu

Life and work

The story behind the role.

Italian bodybuilder and actor (1941–2019).

Francesco Maria Columbu (August 7, 1941 – August 30, 2019) was an Italian and American bodybuilder and actor. Originally a boxer, Columbu won the Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981, and competed in the inaugural edition of the World's Strongest Man in 1977, where he placed fifth. He also had an acting career and authored numerous books on bodybuilding and nutrition. Columbu was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2001, International Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 and received the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.

Encyclopaedic excerpts from Franco Columbu; shortened for length and available under CC BY-SA 4.0.