Unsung hero

Staring up, for the thousandth time, at my lobby-size poster for The Professionals (do you think I like this movie?), I finally noticed that, even though there's room, one of the major actors doesn't have his name on it.
Woody Strode (that's him at the right of the line of Professionals in the photo) was in 89 films (including his memorable role as the falsely-accused sergeant in the sadly-forgotten John Ford film Sergeant Rutledge) in his career, after he was one of the first four black men to play in the NFL. His quiet role in The Professionals was crucial to the success not only of the plot, but of the movie.

Was his absence from the Professionals poster racism? More likely Hollywood classism ("you ain't a star, you don't get your name on the poster"), but surely the fact that he was black, and that it was 1965 when the movie was made, played a part.

Truly a forgotten hero. But not by me...