Age: 57
male
David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. Regarded as one of his generation's most prolific professional wrestlers, he rose to fame for his multiple stints in WWE between 2002 and 2019. Bautista began his wrestling career in 1999 and signed with WWE (then WWF) in 2000. From 2002 to 2010, he gained fame under the ring name Batista, initially as a member of Evolution. He would go on to win the WWE Championship twice, the World Heavyweight Championship four times (with his first reign remaining the longest in history at 282 days), the World Tag Team Championship three times (twice with Ric Flair and once with John Cena), and the WWE Tag Team Championship once (with Rey Mysterio). He also won the 2005 and 2014 Royal Rumble matches and subsequently headlined WrestleMania 21 and WrestleMania XXX, with the former being one of the top five highest-grossing PPV events in wrestling history. Having largely stepped back from professional wrestling in 2020, he retired after WrestleMania 35 in 2019. As an actor, Bautista is known for portraying Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2014–2023) and Rabban in Dune (2021) and its 2024 sequel. Bautista has additionally starred in Spectre (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Final Score, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (both 2018), Army of the Dead (2021), Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), Knock at the Cabin, and Parachute (both 2023). Description above from the Wikipedia article Dave Bautista, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
The Iliad, attributed to Homer, is an epic poem set during the Trojan War, though it focuses on just a few weeks near the end of the ten-year conflict. The story centers on the rage of Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior, after he feels dishonored by Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek forces, who seizes his war prize, the maiden Briseis. Insulted, Achilles withdraws from battle, leaving the Greeks to struggle without their strongest fighter. Meanwhile, the Trojans, led by Prince Hector, gain the upper hand, pushing the Greeks back toward their ships. The gods, constantly interfering, take sides and influence events, heightening the tension and destruction on the battlefield. As the war intensifies, Achilles’ closest companion, Patroclus, dons his armor to rally the Greeks but is slain by Hector. Overcome with grief and fury, Achilles returns to battle, killing Hector in single combat and desecrating his body. Despite his wrath, the epic concludes not with Troy’s fall but with a moment of compassion: King Priam, Hector’s father, bravely enters Achilles’ camp to beg for his son’s body. Moved by Priam’s plea and reminded of his own father, Achilles relents, returning Hector’s body for proper burial. The poem ends with Hector’s funeral, leaving the larger fate of Troy beyond the scope of the narrative.
