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 | |||||||||||
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Born | Baltimore, Maryland,U.S. | August 28, 1963||||||||||
Alma mater | Morgan State University | ||||||||||
Occupation(s) | Football player, wrestler, actor | ||||||||||
Years active | 1991–1998 (wrestling) 1997–present (acting) | ||||||||||
Known for | Terry Tate: Office Linebacker My Wife and Kids Gears of War | ||||||||||
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Early life, family and education
editLester 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
editAfter 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
editSpeight 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
editIn 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
editFollowing 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
editSpeight 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
editFor 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
editFilms
edit- 1993:The Meteor Man- Gang Member #1
- 1999:International Khiladi- Gang Member
- 1999:Any Given Sunday- Sharks' Security Guard
- 2002:13 Moons- Vincent
- 2003:Cradle 2 the Grave- Chambers Club Doorman
- 2006:Bachelor Party Vegas- Gold Tooth
- 2007:Norbit- Blue Latimore
- 2007:Who's Your Caddy- Hardcore Inmate
- 2008:Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay- Dr. Jonavan White
- 2008:Finding Amanda- Black guy #1
- 2008:Ring of Death- The President
- 2008:Unemployed- Jacker #1
- 2010:Something like a Business- Rockstone
- 2010:Knucklehead- Redrum
- 2010:Faster- Hovis Nixon/Baphomet
- 2011:Peep World- Wizdom
- 2011:Transformers: Dark of the Moon- Hardcore Eddy
- 2014:All Hail the King- Herman
- 2014:My Dad's a Soccer Mom[9]
- 2017:Speech & Debate
TV Series
edit- 2000:Walker, Texas Ranger- Flash Armstrong (Episode: The Avenging Angel)
- 2001:That’s My Bush- Kid Spandex (Credited as Mighty Rasta) (Episode: Fare Thee Welfare)
- 2003-2005:My Wife and Kids- Calvin Scott
- 2003:NYPD Blue- Steve (Episode: Cops and Robbers)
- 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)
- 2009:Cold Case- Virgil 'Sticky' Jones (Episode: Read Between the Lines)
- 2015:Scorpion- Ten-Ton (Episode: Fish Filet)
- 2016:In the Cut- Gordon (Episode: Jailbreak)
- 2017:NCIS: Los Angeles- Max 'Champ' Champion (Episode: Queen Pin)
- 2017:The Mick- Dominic (Episode: The Visit)
- 2018:Titans- Clayton Williams/Mr. Atlas (Episode: Jason Todd)
Video games
edit- 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[10]
- 2019:Gears 5- Augustus Cole
Other
edit- Kimberly-ClarkHealthy Workplace project (2012) - Eugene Hammer[11]
- "Bring It On" music video by Kasland - Augustus "Cole Train" Cole
References
edit- ^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.
- ^Sragow, Michael (July 1, 2011)."Baltimore's Lester Speight defends the human race in 'Transformers 3'".Newsle.Archived fromthe originalon January 6, 2014.RetrievedMay 8,2013.
- ^Wallace, William N. (June 1, 1986)."U.S.F.L. Tryouts Stir Dreams".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 15,2018.
- ^Sheeley, Glenn (September 27, 1987)."Atlanta Fallguys? No, just kidding".The Atlanta Journal.RetrievedJune 26,2024.
- ^Hafner, Josh."The funniest Super Bowl ads of all time: Betty White, Terry Tate and avocados".USA Today.RetrievedDecember 28,2020.
- ^Bentley, Coleman (January 23, 2020)."The best Super Bowl commercial every year since 2000".Golf Digest.RetrievedDecember 28,2020.
- ^Samuel, Anslem."Lester Speight Talks His Way to Success in Gaming World & Hollywood".Black Enterprise.RetrievedDecember 28,2020.
- ^"Cole Train Actor Says He'll Reprise His Role in Next Gears of War".Gamespot. July 7, 2014.RetrievedDecember 28,2020.
- ^"My Dad's a Soccer Mom".Netflix.RetrievedMay 16,2018.
- ^"Gears of War: Judgment Credits".Microsoft Game Studios.RetrievedNovember 19,2014.
- ^"Eugene".The Healthy Workplace Project.Kimberly-Clark Professional. Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2012.RetrievedMay 16,2018.