I've seen pictures of him when he was a young man; he was a good looking fellow. I don't think shaving his head helped him. In general, I find that a lot more black than white guys can get away with shaving their heads (I think dark skin serves as a hair substitute), but I don't think Strode looked good with a bald head.
Did you ever see "Once Upon a Time in the West" ? At the beginning Woody Strode and Jack Elam are among three gunmen sent to wait for Charles Bronson at a train station. No dialogue. Tight facials.
I've heard about that opening. One long take. In the rain, right? I'll have to see it.
You have to have a strong face like Woody Strode or Yul Brenner to look good bald. I never saw Woody with hair but his features are striking bald.
In "Once Upon a Time..." the three gunmen are sent to wait for Charles Bronson. No dialogue. They pass the time wordlessly but very amusingly while they wait for the train.
The train arrives. The gunmen tense. It pulls off. Just as the gunmen get ready to leave they see Bronson playing his harmonica. The listen. He looks up.
"Did you bring a horse for me ?"
The gunmen laugh.
"Looks like we're one horse shy."
They smirk again.
"No. You brought two too many."