Peter Nash Lupus Jr. (born June 17, 1932) is an American bodybuilder and actor.
He is best known for his role as
Willy Armitage
This is a list of recurring fictional characters in the ''Mission: Impossible'' franchise.
Main and recurring characters
The cast changed considerably episode-by-episode throughout the program's seven-year run, so not all of the characters li ...
on the television series ''
Mission: Impossible'' (1966–1973).
Personal life
Lupus was one of three siblings born in
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
to Mary Irene ( Lambert; 1910-2003) and Peter Nash Lupus (1898-1981). His father was from what is now
Saraain El Tahta, Lebanon.
Lupus attended the Jordan College of Fine Arts at
Butler University
Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...
, where he also played football and basketball, graduating in 1954. He and his wife, Sharon, have a son, Peter Nash Lupus III, who is also an actor.
Career
Bodybuilder
Standing with a developed physique, Lupus began his career by earning the titles of Mr. Indianapolis, Mr. Indiana, Mr. Hercules and Mr. International Health Physique.
Lupus was one of many bodybuilders who followed
Steve Reeves
Stephen Lester "Steve" Reeves (January 21, 1926 – May 1, 2000) was an American professional bodybuilder, actor, and philanthropist. He was famous in the mid-1950s as a movie star in Italian-made sword-and-sandal films, playing the protagon ...
into the "
sword and sandal
Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (pepla plural), is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or Biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget H ...
" films of the 1960s, occasionally credited as Rock Stevens for such films as ''
Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon
''Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia'' (English Translation: ''Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon'') is a 1964 Italian sword-and-sandal film directed by Domenico Paolella and starring Peter Lupus.
Plot
Asparia, Queen of the Hellenes, has ...
'' (1964), ''
Challenge of the Gladiator'' (1965) and ''
Muscle Beach Party
''Muscle Beach Party'' is the second of seven beach party films produced by American International Pictures. It stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and was directed by William Asher, who also directed four other films in this series.
...
'' (1964) where he starred as "Mr. Galaxy" Flex Martian.
[
During the early 1970s, Lupus promoted European Health Spa, traveling the country to make appearances and sign autographs at several of the gyms' grand openings.
]
Actor
Lupus played Willy Armitage
This is a list of recurring fictional characters in the ''Mission: Impossible'' franchise.
Main and recurring characters
The cast changed considerably episode-by-episode throughout the program's seven-year run, so not all of the characters li ...
in the original '' Mission: Impossible'' television series in the 1960s. Armitage was the Impossible Missions Force
''Mission: Impossible'' is a multimedia franchise based on a fictional secret espionage agency known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The 1966 TV series ran for seven seasons and was revived in 1988 for two seasons. It inspired a serie ...
's muscle man, and featured in nearly all episodes of the series. The character of Willy Armitage was the strong, silent type, usually with very little dialogue. Late in the show's run, during season five, the producers decided that his character was superfluous and he was dropped to recurring status, appearing in a little over half of that season's episodes. Outcry from fans and lack of success in finding a replacement for his character — originally replaced by Sam Elliott
Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Aw ...
— resulted in his return to regular status the following season and to his getting a greater role in the stories, often assuming disguises as a convict or a thug. Only Lupus and Greg Morris
Francis Gregory Alan Morris (September 27, 1933 – August 27, 1996) was an American actor. He was best known for portraying Barney Collier on '' Mission: Impossible'' and Lt. David Nelson on ''Vega$''.
Early life and career
Born in Clevela ...
sustained regular roles through the show's entire run, although Morris appeared in more episodes.
Lupus' other television work included a guest spot as Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
on Jack Benny
Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...
's television show, a boxer with a glass jaw on '' The Joey Bishop Show'', a caveman on an episode of ''Fantasy Island
''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...
'', and the recurring role of Detective Norberg on the short-lived sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''Police Squad!
''Police Squad!'' is an American television crime comedy series that was broadcast on the ABC network in 1982. It was created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, starring Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin. A spoof of police procedu ...
''
''Playgirl'' pinup
Lupus was one of the first well-known male actors to pose with full frontal nudity for ''Playgirl
''Playgirl'' was an American magazine that featured general interest articles, lifestyle and celebrity news, in addition to nude or semi-nude men. In the 1970s and 1980s, the magazine printed monthly and was marketed mainly to women, although i ...
'' magazine, in April 1974. Photographs of Lupus appeared in a number of issues. Before this, he was hired by the United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
to appear in a series of commercials playing the role of Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
(with the permission of what is now DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
). He appeared for many months until the ''Playgirl'' pictorial was published.
Present day
On July 19, 2007, at age 75, Lupus set a world weightlifting endurance record by lifting over the course of 24 minutes, 50 seconds at the Spectrum Club in El Segundo, California
El Segundo ( , ; ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. The population was 16,731 as of th ...
. This topped the record Lupus set five years earlier in celebration of his 70th birthday of in 27 minutes.
Lupus was a member of Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Joseph Michael Arpaio (; born June 14, 1932) is an American former law enforcement officer and politician. He served as the 36th Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona for 24 years, from 1993 to 2017, losing reelection to Democrat Paul Penzone i ...
's volunteer posse
Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates.
Posse may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Posse'' (1975 ...
in Maricopa County, Arizona
Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about 6 ...
.
References
Further reading
* Patrick J. White, ''The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier''. New York: Avon Books, 1991.
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lupus, Peter
1932 births
20th-century American male actors
American bodybuilders
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Butler Bulldogs football players
Sportspeople from Indianapolis
People associated with physical culture
Playgirl Men of the Month
American people of Lebanese descent
American people of Greek descent
Male actors from Indianapolis
Living people