Bernie Casey facts for kids
Casey in 2014
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| Position: | Flanker, Halfback, Tight end |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | June 8, 1939 Wyco, West Virginia, U.S. |
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| Died: | September 19, 2017 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | East (Columbus, Ohio) |
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| College: | Bowling Green | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1961 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 | ||||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1961 / Round: 9 / Pick: 70 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Bernard Terry Casey (June 8, 1939 – September 19, 2017) was an American actor, poet, and professional American football player. He was known for his amazing skills both on the football field and in many movies and TV shows.
Contents
Bernie Casey's Life Story
His Early Life
Bernie Casey was born in Wyco, West Virginia. His parents were Flossie and Frank Leslie Casey. He went to East High School in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from there.
A Star Athlete
Bernie Casey was a fantastic athlete. He was a record-breaking hurdler at Bowling Green State University. He also helped the 1959 football team win a national championship for smaller colleges. Casey was even recognized as an All-American athlete. He made it to the finals of the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1960. He also won three straight titles in high-hurdles in the Mid-American Conference from 1958 to 1960.
In 1961, the San Francisco 49ers picked Casey as the ninth player overall in the 1961 NFL Draft. He played eight seasons in the NFL. He spent six seasons with the 49ers and two with the Los Angeles Rams. He played different positions, mainly as a halfback for his first five years. For his last three years, he played as a flanker, which is a type of wide receiver.
One of his most famous plays happened in 1967. Playing for the Rams, they were behind the Green Bay Packers 24–20 with less than a minute left. The Rams needed to win to keep their chances for a division title alive. The Packers were about to punt the ball. But Tony Guillory blocked the punt, and Claude Crabb returned it close to the goal line. After one incomplete pass, Casey caught the winning touchdown pass from Roman Gabriel. This gave the Rams a 27–24 victory with only seconds to spare. The Rams then won their division title the next week.
Becoming an Actor
After his football career, Bernie Casey started acting. His first movie was Guns of the Magnificent Seven in 1969. This film was a sequel to the famous movie The Magnificent Seven. He also acted alongside another former NFL star, Jim Brown, in movies like ...tick...tick...tick... and Black Gunn.
Casey took on a main role in the 1972 TV movie Gargoyles. He also played the love interest of Tamara Dobson in the 1973 movie Cleopatra Jones. He appeared in the TV film Brian's Song, playing a team captain for the Chicago Bears.
In 1979, he starred in the TV series Harris and Company. This show was important because it was the first weekly American TV drama series focused on a black family. He also played Major Jeff Spender in the TV mini-series The Martian Chronicles in 1980. This series was based on a book by Ray Bradbury.
Famous Roles
In 1981, Casey played a detective with Burt Reynolds in the movie Sharky's Machine. He worked with Reynolds again a few years later in Rent-a-Cop.
A very well-known role for Casey was playing CIA agent Felix Leiter in the 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Again. He also had a funny role as Colonel Rhombus in the movie Spies Like Us. Many people remember him as U.N. Jefferson in Revenge of the Nerds and its sequels. He also played Mr. Ryan, a high school history teacher, in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure in 1989.
Casey continued to act in many TV shows and movies. He appeared in Another 48 Hrs. and as a Naval officer in Under Siege. In 1994, he was a guest star in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appeared in SeaQuest 2032 and Babylon 5 in 1995. His final film role was in Vegas Vampires in 2007.
His Life Off-Screen
Besides acting and football, Bernie Casey also loved painting and writing poetry. In 1969, a book called Look at the People was published. It featured his paintings and poems. Bernie Casey passed away on September 19, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, after having a stroke.
See also
In Spanish: Bernie Casey para niños
