"I am Proximo. I shall be closer to you for the next few days which will be the last of your miserable lives than that bitch of a mother that brought you screaming into this world."
- Proximo addresses a new crop of Gladiators, Gladiator
Antonius Proximo was a wealthy slave owner known for exhibiting Gladiators at the Colosseum. He owned Ex-Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, Numidian tribesman Juba, the Barbarian from Germania, Hagen and Gladiators from across the world. He himself was a Gladiator who was freed by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He oversaw many Gladitorial Games where his slaves participated in, and he later befriended Maximus.
In the film Gladiator, Antonius Proximo was portrayed by Oliver Reed.
History[]
Arrival of Maximus[]
Following the capture of the former Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius by slave-traders, he was sold into the custody of Proximo. Proximo advised Maximus that he would not make it very far as a Gladiator if he continued killing his opponents with such obvious ease and speed. He constantly reminded him that in order to be the best, he needed to "win the crowd."
He was later trusted enough by Lucilla to be privy to her visits to Maximus, where they planned their coup against the Emperor, Commodus, who had slain his father Marcus Aurelius and killed Maximus's wife and son. Initially Proximo was unwilling to help, acknowledging that whilst Maximus was a good man, he was simply "an entertainer." However, he quickly decided to help Maximus after he was informed that "He killed the man who set you free," referring to Marcus Aurelius having freed Proximo.
Gladiator once again[]
When Roman Emperor Commodus sent a regiment of men to raid the school, Proximo defiantly refused to open the gate for them. Instead, he walked across the courtyard in full view of the soldiers, and set the gladiators free. Maximus remarked that he was "in danger of becoming a good man."
He then returned to his tower, holding the wooden sword that the previous emperor, Marcus Aurelius had given him, presumably reminiscing about his life, in the knowledge he was about to die (for disobeying the troops). As the troops burst in, he stood straight, repeated his motto "[Us mortals are but] Shadows and Dust.", and was butchered.
Trivia[]
- Antonius Proximo's actor, Oliver Reed, passed away during the filming of Gladiator. As director Ridley Scott did not want to remove his scenes or cast a new actor, and it was also late in filming, the remaining performance was completed using a combination of a body-double and CGI effects.[1]
References[]
- ↑ McCormick, Colin (May 2, 2024). How Gladiator Finished Oliver Reed's Scenes Following His Death. Screen Rant. Retrieved on November 16, 2024.