Bernie Casey

Bernard Terry Casey (June 8, 1939 – September 19, 2017) was an American professional football player and actor. At Bowling Green State University he was a football player and an All-American hurdler. He turned professional as a wide receiver in the National Football League, playing first for the San Francisco 49ers and then the Los Angeles Rams.

Casey made his acting debut in the Western film Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969), and after retiring from football he became a leading man and action hero in the blaxploitation films of the 1970s. He took prominent roles in Brian's Song (1971), Boxcar Bertha (1972), Cleopatra Jones (1973), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Sharky's Machine (1981), Revenge of the Nerds (1984), Spies Like Us (1985), and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). He won an NAACP Image Award for his portrayal of basketball player Maurice Stokes in the biographical film Maurie (1973). He played Felix Leiter in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983) and appeared in the miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.

Beyond athletics and acting, Casey was a published poet and a painter. He died on September 19, 2017.