Maciste

Maciste is a fictional strongman hero from Italian cinema, first appearing in the 1914 silent film Cabiria. The character was created for the film by director Giovanni Pastrone and was portrayed on screen by Bartolomeo Pagano, who originated the role. The name Maciste became closely associated with the character and its adventures, and Pagano’s performance helped establish a prototype for muscular heroic figures in film.

In Cabiria and the silent-era follow-ups, Maciste is depicted as a virtuous, physically imposing man who often helps the oppressed, confronts tyrants, and travels through fantastical or mythic settings. The stories blend action, spectacle, and social commentary, and the character became one of the era’s most recognizable cinematic icons.

Legacy: Maciste inspired a long-running cycle of Italian adventure films, and the character’s popularity contributed to the development of the sword-and-sandal or peplum genre that flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. The Maciste name was reused in various films beyond Cabiria, sometimes in reimaginings or crossovers, and the character remained associated with the archetype of an indomitable strongman.

Behind the screen, the role helped launch Bartolomeo Pagano’s acting career and left a lasting imprint on popular representations of heroic strength in cinema. The Maciste figure is frequently cited in discussions of early film series and the evolution of Italian genre cinema.