Wikipedia

Lester Speight

Lester Speight(born August 28, 1963), also known asRasta,is a formerAmerican footballplayer who has had subsequent careers as aprofessional wrestlerand thenactor.He achieved significant recognition for his portrayal ofTerry Tate: Office Linebackerin a series ofReebokcommercials that debuted duringSuper Bowl XXXVII,and received further recognition for his portrayal ofAugustus Colein theGears of Warseries of video games.

Lester Speight
Speight in 2016
Born(1963-08-28)August 28, 1963(age 61)
Baltimore, Maryland,U.S.
Alma materMorgan State University
Occupation(s)Football player, wrestler, actor
Years active1991–1998 (wrestling)
1997–present (acting)
Known forTerry Tate: Office Linebacker
My Wife and Kids
Gears of War
Lester Speight
Professional wrestling career
Billed fromJamaica
DebutJune 28, 1991
RetiredApril 18, 1998

Early life, family and education

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Lester Speight was born inBaltimore,Maryland,the son of Gussie Watson and Walter Speight. He graduated fromOld Mill High SchoolinMillersville, Marylandin 1981,[1]where he is in its Hall of Fame for three sports: football, track, and basketball.[2]

He attendedMorgan State Universityfrom 1981 to 1985 and was a Division 1 All-American Linebacker.

Professional football and professional wrestling

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After graduating college in 1985, he attempted to play in theNFLbut did not. He tried out for theUnited States Football League(USFL) the same year. During tryouts, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, which received attention of theBaltimore Stars.[3]Speight and business manager/cousin Butch Groover negotiated a two-year deal with the Stars for more than $200,000. However, the USFL folded before he even played one season.[1]He was with theNew York Giantsin 1987 as a replacement player during the1987 NFL strike,but he did not play in any games.[4]

Speight moved on toprofessional wrestling,working forGlobal Wrestling FederationandCatch Wrestling Associationas Rasta the Voodoo Man. However, by 1997 he quit wrestling to pursue an acting career.

Acting career

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Speight appears atSan Diego Comic-Conin 2010 in support of the Gears of War 3 video game.

Speight began his acting career in minor roles in many films including the football filmAny Given Sunday,13 Moonsand as the club doorman inCradle 2 the Grave.He has also appeared in many television shows such asMalcolm in the Middle,Walker, Texas Ranger,NYPD Blue,Arli$$,My Wife and Kids,andNCIS: Los Angeles.

Commercials

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In 2003, Speight starred in theTerry Tate: Office Linebackerad forReebokthat became an immediate pop-culture phenomenon and is considered among the funniest[5]and most memorable[6]Super Bowl commercialsof all time. The exposure from the popular spot opened the door to further opportunities in film, television and video games.[7]

Television

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Following the success of Terry Tate, Speight had a recurring role onDamon Wayans' ABC seriesMy Wife and Kidsas Calvin Scott, the father of Vanessa Scott. Speight guest-starred as prison inmate Banks on the showPrison Break.Speight appeared in an episode of ESPN'sMayne Streetcomedy short. In the 2008TV filmRing of Death,Speight played convict "Milton Kennedy", a feared and revered gang boss (nicknamed "The President" ), and undefeated champion of an underground fighting tournament in a notorious prison. In 2009, Speight appeared in an episode ofBones,"Double Trouble in the Panhandle", where he played the Traveling Circus'strongman,Magnum.

Film

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Speight had a small role in the filmBachelor Party Vegas,as Gold Tooth, a prison rapist in 2006, before joining theEddie Murphymotion pictureNorbitas Blue, one of the three brothers of Rasputia, in 2007. The next year, he appeared inHarold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,as a character who is interrogated using racist methods. In 2011, Speight played "Hardcore" Eddie in theMichael BayblockbusterTransformers: Dark of the Moon.

Video games

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For the 2006Xbox 360gameGears of War,Speight voiced the role of former "Thrashball" player Augustus Cole (a.k.a. Cole Train), humorously re-using some of his characteristic lines. He won the G-Phoria '07 award for Best Voiceover. Speight later reprised the role forGears of War 2(2008),Gears of War 3(2011),Gears of War: Judgment(2013),Gears of War 4(2016),[8]Gears 5(2019), andGears Tactics(2020).

Filmography

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Films

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TV Series

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Video games

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Other

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  • Kimberly-ClarkHealthy Workplace project (2012) - Eugene Hammer[11]
  • "Bring It On" music video by Kasland - Augustus "Cole Train" Cole

References

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  1. ^abBurris, Joe (February 19, 2007)."Mighty Busy Baltimore native Lester 'Mighty Rasta' Speight tackles many acting opportunities, including his latest role in 'Norbit'".The Baltimore Sun.Archived fromthe originalon October 21, 2013.RetrievedMay 8,2013.
  2. ^Sragow, Michael (July 1, 2011)."Baltimore's Lester Speight defends the human race in 'Transformers 3'".Newsle.com.Archived fromthe originalon January 6, 2014.RetrievedMay 8,2013.
  3. ^Wallace, William N. (June 1, 1986)."U.S.F.L. Tryouts Stir Dreams".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 15,2018.
  4. ^Sheeley, Glenn (September 27, 1987)."Atlanta Fallguys? No, just kidding".The Atlanta Journal.RetrievedJune 26,2024.
  5. ^Hafner, Josh."The funniest Super Bowl ads of all time: Betty White, Terry Tate and avocados".USA Today.RetrievedDecember 28,2020.
  6. ^Bentley, Coleman (January 23, 2020)."The best Super Bowl commercial every year since 2000".Golf Digest.RetrievedDecember 28,2020.
  7. ^Samuel, Anslem."Lester Speight Talks His Way to Success in Gaming World & Hollywood".Black Enterprise.RetrievedDecember 28,2020.
  8. ^"Cole Train Actor Says He'll Reprise His Role in Next Gears of War".Gamespot. July 7, 2014.RetrievedDecember 28,2020.
  9. ^"My Dad's a Soccer Mom".Netflix.RetrievedMay 16,2018.
  10. ^"Gears of War: Judgment Credits".Microsoft Game Studios.RetrievedNovember 19,2014.
  11. ^"Eugene".The Healthy Workplace Project.Kimberly-Clark Professional. Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2012.RetrievedMay 16,2018.
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