Lester Speight facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lester Speight
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Speight in 2016
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| Born | August 28, 1963 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Morgan State University | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Football player, wrestler, actor | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1991–1998 (wrestling) 1997–present (acting) |
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| Known for | Terry Tate: Office Linebacker My Wife and Kids Gears of War |
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Lester Speight (born August 28, 1963) is an American who has had several exciting careers. He started as a football player, then became a professional wrestler, and now he is a well-known actor.
Many people recognize him from the funny Terry Tate: Office Linebacker commercials for Reebok. These ads first appeared during the Super Bowl XXXVII. He is also famous for playing Augustus Cole in the popular Gears of War video game series.
Contents
Early Life and School
Lester Speight was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He went to Old Mill High School in Millersville, Maryland. He was a fantastic athlete there! He is even in his high school's Hall of Fame for playing three different sports: football, track, and basketball.
After high school, he attended Morgan State University from 1981 to 1985. He was a top player, earning the title of Division 1 All-American Linebacker in football.
From Football to Wrestling
After college in 1985, Lester Speight tried to play in the NFL, which is the biggest professional football league. He also tried out for another league called the United States Football League (USFL) that same year. He was incredibly fast, running 40 yards in just 4.3 seconds! This speed got the attention of the Baltimore Stars team.
However, the USFL stopped operating before he could play a full season. He later joined the New York Giants in 1987 as a replacement player during a strike, but he didn't play in any games.
Speight then decided to try professional wrestling. He wrestled for groups like Global Wrestling Federation and Catch Wrestling Association. He was known as Rasta the Voodoo Man. By 1997, he stopped wrestling to focus on acting.
Acting Career
Lester Speight started his acting career with small roles in movies. Some of his early films include the football movie Any Given Sunday and Cradle 2 the Grave. He has also appeared in many TV shows. You might have seen him in Malcolm in the Middle, Walker, Texas Ranger, My Wife and Kids, or NCIS: Los Angeles.
Commercials
In 2003, Speight became very well-known for starring in the Terry Tate: Office Linebacker commercial for Reebok. This ad was a huge hit and is still remembered as one of the funniest Super Bowl commercials ever. Because of how popular it was, he got many more chances to act in movies, TV shows, and even video games.
Television Roles
After the success of Terry Tate, Speight had a regular role on Damon Wayans' ABC show My Wife and Kids. He played Calvin Scott, who was the father of Vanessa Scott. Speight also appeared as a prison inmate named Banks on the show Prison Break.
In 2008, he played a tough convict named "Milton Kennedy" in the TV movie Ring of Death. Milton was a respected gang boss and an undefeated champion in an underground fighting tournament. In 2009, Speight was in an episode of Bones. He played Magnum, a strongman in a traveling circus.
Film Roles
Lester Speight has been in several big movies. In 2011, he played "Hardcore" Eddie in the action-packed movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon, directed by Michael Bay. He also appeared in Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.
Video Game Voice Acting
One of Lester Speight's most famous roles is in video games. For the 2006 Xbox 360 game Gears of War, he voiced the character Augustus Cole. Cole is a former "Thrashball" player, and Speight used some of his funny, well-known lines for the character. He even won an award for Best Voiceover in 2007!
Speight has continued to voice Augustus Cole in many other Gears of War games. These include Gears of War 2 (2008), Gears of War 3 (2011), Gears of War: Judgment (2013), Gears of War 4 (2016), Gears 5 (2019), and Gears Tactics (2020).
Filmography
Films
- 1993: The Meteor Man - Gang Member #1
- 1999: Any Given Sunday - Sharks' Security Guard
- 2003: Cradle 2 the Grave - Chambers Club Doorman
- 2007: Norbit - Blue Latimore
- 2008: Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - Dr. Jonavan White
- 2010: Faster - Hovis Nixon/Baphomet
- 2011: Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Hardcore Eddy
TV Series
- 2000: Walker, Texas Ranger - Flash Armstrong (Episode: The Avenging Angel)
- 2003-2005: My Wife and Kids - Calvin Scott
- 2003: Malcolm in the Middle - Samuel (Episode: Long Drive)
- 2007: Prison Break - Inmate (Episode: John Doe)
- 2009: Bones - Magnum (Episode: Double Trouble in the Panhandle)
- 2017: NCIS: Los Angeles - Max 'Champ' Champion (Episode: Queen Pin)
- 2018: Titans - Clayton Williams/Mr. Atlas (Episode: Jason Todd)
Video games
- 2006: Gears of War - Augustus Cole
- 2008: Gears of War 2 - Augustus Cole
- 2011: Gears of War 3 - Augustus Cole
- 2013: Gears of War: Judgment - Augustus Cole
- 2016: Gears of War 4 - Augustus Cole
- 2019: Gears 5 - Augustus Cole
