The 300 Spartans is an account of the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, in which the Spartan King Leonidis, played by Richard Egan, led a remarkably small number of men to victory over an invading Persian army led by evil King Xerxes that was about 20 times as large. This spectacular conflict gave the Grecians enough time to organize a force to ultimately repel the Persians, and thus change the course of Western civilization. The film was directed by Rudolph Mate and stars Richard Egan and Ralph Richardson.