Chicago Bears linebacker turns actor at age 80 – The Hollywood Reporter

Dick Butkus, the fierce middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears who brought his reputation as an NFL brute to Hollywood in Miller Lite commercials, sitcoms and movies, has died. He was 80 years old.

Mr. Butkus, a member of the Screen Actors Guild for more than 40 years, died Thursday at his home in Malibu. chicago tribune Confirmed.

From 1987 to 1989, Butkus played the recurring role of cafe owner Ed Krawicki. my two dadsan NBC sitcom about two single men (Paul Reiser, Greg Evigan) raising a teenage daughter (Stacy Keenan).

Butkus appears on NBC Saturday morning series hang time He took over from former NBA star Reggie Theus in 1998 as Mike Katwinski, the Deering High Tornados’ basketball coach, for the program’s final three seasons.

Previously, Butkus was a regular on two short-lived, light-hearted network dramas: ABC’s series blue thunderfeaturing Dana Carvey and a gadget-filled helicopter, as well as the NBC show. half nelsona film starring Joe Pesci created by Glenn A. Larson and based on the Beverly Hills security guard.

And in a teen sex comedy Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986), he starred as Drutin, a drill sergeant-like teacher at Buster Burger College (a school for aspiring fast food franchise owners).

Butkus played all nine NFL seasons with the Bears from 1965 to 1973, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 245 pounds, he was known for his incredible drive, strength, leadership, speed, agility, and his ability to demoralize opponents.

“He’s the meanest, angriest, toughest, dirtiest son in football. An animal, a savage, a subhuman.” What does that mean? playboy His profile was published in October 1971 in the magazine.

The late Steve Sabol, co-founder of NFL Films, once called Butkus his favorite NFL player, saying: … Remember how he was tackling? If anything hangs down, like your chinstrap, elbow pads, shoulder pads, or shoes, it will get ripped off. He hit the ball carrier and tore him apart. ”

A native Chicagoan, Butkus attended Chicago Vocational High School and then starred at the University of Illinois. The Bears retired number 51 in 1994.

After hanging up his helmet, Butkus showed his comedic talents in commercials for Miller Lite, often appearing alongside fellow former NFL player Bubba Smith, and playing polo, tennis, and going to the opera. I tried to pretend to be a sophisticated gentleman.

When it came to acting, he said, “I was worried that I would fail. People would say, ‘He’s just a football player,’ so I was harder on myself to try and do it right.” chicago tribune “Then I learned from a Miller Lite commercial: ‘Who cares if the lines fly?’ It doesn’t matter if you do it in one take or 100 takes if you can do it better every time.”

“The end result is what people see. Working with Bubba, I was able to add things with facial gestures and things like that. … I was able to attack him and add things. It didn’t matter if I got a laugh or not.”

The youngest of nine children in a Lithuanian-American family, Richard Marvin Butkus was born on December 9, 1942. His father was an electrician and his mother worked at a dry cleaners. He grew up on the city’s South Side, rooting for the old Chicago Cardinals and building muscle by moving furniture with his four older brothers.

Butkus played fullback and linebacker in high school, making 70 percent of his team’s tackles, and then led the Fighting Illini to a Rose Bowl victory over Washington in 1964, his junior year.

In the cover story of October 12, 1964, sports illustrated, Dan Jenkins started an article about him. “If every college football team had a linebacker like Illinois’ Dick Butkus, soon every fullback would be three feet tall and sing soprano.” Dick Butkus Special A kind of beast whose special talent is to crush runners into strange shapes. ”

The Bears selected him with the third pick in the 1965 NFL Draft and signed him for less than what was offered by the rival Denver Broncos of the American Football League — Butkus would play in Chicago. I was hoping for

As a rookie, he was named to the All-NFL first team (1st of 6) and appeared in the Pro Bowl, his first of eight consecutive seasons. He finished his career with an NFL-record 27 successful fumble recoveries, many of which came from devastating hits, leading ESPN to rank him as the 70th greatest athlete of the 20th century. listed.

“When I would go out on the field to warm up, I would manufacture things that would drive me mad,” he once said. “If someone on the other team was laughing, I’d pretend he was laughing at me or the Bears. That always worked for me.”

While still in his prime, Butkus appeared in the first Preston antifreeze commercial. monday night football Broadcast on television in 1970, brian’s songan acclaimed 1971 ABC television movie about his doomed teammate, running back Brian Piccolo.

Butkus said he fought Hollywood’s “dumb jock” stereotype with the help of actor friends such as Larry Hagman and Tom Poston.

In addition to the Miller Lite spot, blue thunder and half nelsonhe and Smith were also paired in an episode of . coach and MacGyver; In a 1978 television movie, superdome; and in the 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: New batch.

As befits a real actor, Butkus played a spaghetti western. cipola colt (1975), his house in Malibu sits on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

He also received critical acclaim for his role as Brom Bones in the 1980 television film adaptation. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow He also appeared in other films such as Mother, Jags & Speed (1976), gas (1976), Johnny Dangerous (1984), required roughness (1991) and given sunday (1999).

His television resume also included the following episodes: emergency! , police story, rockford file, growing pains, wonder woman, Magnum, PI and night coat.

Butkus replaces the fired Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder as studio analyst at CBS. today’s nfl In 1988 (he worked there for two seasons), he called the Bears’ match on the radio as a WrestleMania referee.

He married his high school sweetheart Helen Essenberg in 1963 and they had three children, Ricky, Matt, and Nicky.

somewhere else sports illustrated In this story written by Rick Telander in 2004, Butkus detailed the difference between soccer and acting for him.

“Soccer was never a job for me,” he said. “If you love something, it’s not a job. …But if acting was my real, true love, I’d go to the fucking theater and hone my craft, right?”