Bernie Casey
Encyclopedia
Bernard Terry "Bernie" Casey (born June 8, 1939) is a professional actor who initially had a career as an interscholastic, intercollegiate and professional football player. Casey was also a record-breaking track and field
athlete for Bowling Green State University
. As one of the nation's best high-hurdlers; Casey earned All-America
recognition and a trip to the finals at the 1960 United States Olympic Trials. In addition to national honors, Bernie Casey won three consecutive Mid-American Conference
titles in the high-hurdles, 1958-60.
, a sequel
to The Magnificent Seven
. From there he moved between performances on television and the big screen such as playing team captain for the Chicago Bears
in the TV film Brian's Song
. He portrayed The Gargoyle in the 1972 television movie Gargoyles. In 1979 he starred as widower Mike Harris in the NBC
television series Harris and Company
, the first weekly American TV drama series centered around an African American
family. In 1981, he played a vice detective opposite Burt Reynolds in the feature film, Sharky's Machine.
In 1983 he played the role of Felix Leiter
in the rogue (non-EON Productions
) James Bond
film Never Say Never Again
. His comedic role as Colonel Rhumbus in the John Landis
film Spies Like Us
was followed by appearances in the Revenge of the Nerds
sequels; Casey also starred in the blaxploitation
movie Hit Man.
Also, during his career he worked with such well-known directors as Martin Scorsese
in his 1972
film Boxcar Bertha
and appeared on such television series as The Streets of San Francisco
and as U.N. Jefferson, the national head of the Lambda Lambda Lambda
fraternity in Revenge of the Nerds
. In a good-natured spoof of 70s blaxploitation flicks, he played a caricature of himself, and other football players turned actors, in Keenen Ivory Wayans
's 1988 comedic film I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
. He played a high school teacher in the cult-classic Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
, released in 1989. In Eddie Murphy's 1990 Another 48 Hours, sequel to 48 Hours, Bernie Casey starred as Kirkland Smith, a very influential prisoner with outside connections. 1994 saw Casey guest-starring in a two-episode story arc in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
(along with series star Avery Brooks
) as the Maquis
leader Lieutenant Commander Cal Hudson, and in 1995 as a guest-star on Babylon 5
as Derek Cranston
. He has continued working as an actor. In 2006
, he co-starred in the film When I Find the Ocean alongside such actors as Lee Majors
.
In a piece for NFL Films
, he expressed his disillusionment with the NFL and professional sports in general, feeling like his creativity and individuality were thwarted by conservative elements in the league and ownership hierarchy. He also showed off some paintings of his own creation during the piece.
. He now resides in Los Angeles, California
.
He remains an avid Seventh-day Adventist
.
He also enjoys eating at Jerry's Famous Deli
in Marina del Rey, CA.
He's also known to frequent 24hr fitness clubs in Los Angeles.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete for Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
. As one of the nation's best high-hurdlers; Casey earned All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
recognition and a trip to the finals at the 1960 United States Olympic Trials. In addition to national honors, Bernie Casey won three consecutive Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
titles in the high-hurdles, 1958-60.
Career
Casey began his acting career in the film Guns of the Magnificent SevenGuns of the Magnificent Seven
Guns of the Magnificent Seven is a Zapata Western and the second sequel to the 1960 western film, The Magnificent Seven ....
, a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is an American Western film directed by John Sturges, and released in 1960. It is a fictional tale of a group of seven American gunmen who are hired to protect a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding Mexican bandits...
. From there he moved between performances on television and the big screen such as playing team captain for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the TV film Brian's Song
Brian's Song
Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the details of the life of Brian Piccolo , a Wake Forest University football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro, told through his friendship with Chicago Bears running back teammate and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale...
. He portrayed The Gargoyle in the 1972 television movie Gargoyles. In 1979 he starred as widower Mike Harris in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series Harris and Company
Harris and Company
Harris and Company is an American television drama series which aired on NBC during March and April of 1979. The series starred Bernie Casey as Mike Harris, a working-class African American father of five who relocates his family from Detroit, Michigan to Los Angeles, California after the death of...
, the first weekly American TV drama series centered around an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
family. In 1981, he played a vice detective opposite Burt Reynolds in the feature film, Sharky's Machine.
In 1983 he played the role of Felix Leiter
Felix Leiter
Felix Leiter is a fictional CIA agent created by Ian Fleming in the James Bond series of novels and films. In both, Leiter works for the CIA and assists Bond in his various adventures as well as being his best friend. In further novels Leiter joins the Pinkerton Detective Agency and in the film...
in the rogue (non-EON Productions
EON Productions
Eon Productions is a film production company known for producing the James Bond film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom...
) James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Never Say Never Again
Never Say Never Again
Never Say Never Again is a 1983 spy film based on the James Bond novel Thunderball, which was previously filmed in 1965 as Thunderball...
. His comedic role as Colonel Rhumbus in the John Landis
John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
film Spies Like Us
Spies Like Us
Spies Like Us is a 1985 American comedy film directed by John Landis and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, and Donna Dixon...
was followed by appearances in the Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds is a 1984 comedy film satirizing social life on a college campus. The film stars Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards, with Curtis Armstrong, Ted McGinley, Julia Montgomery, Brian Tochi, Larry B. Scott, John Goodman, and Donald Gibb...
sequels; Casey also starred in the blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
movie Hit Man.
Also, during his career he worked with such well-known directors as Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
in his 1972
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
film Boxcar Bertha
Boxcar Bertha
Boxcar Bertha , director Martin Scorsese's second film, is a loose adaptation of Sister of the Road, the fictionalized autobiography of radical and transient Bertha Thompson as written by Ben Reitman...
and appeared on such television series as The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros...
and as U.N. Jefferson, the national head of the Lambda Lambda Lambda
Lambda Lambda Lambda
Lambda Lambda Lambda is a social collegiate co-ed fraternity founded in 2006 at University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. Inspired by movies like Revenge of the Nerds and National Lampoon's Animal House, it was established as a fraternity that is dedicated to the enjoyment and enrichment...
fraternity in Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds is a 1984 comedy film satirizing social life on a college campus. The film stars Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards, with Curtis Armstrong, Ted McGinley, Julia Montgomery, Brian Tochi, Larry B. Scott, John Goodman, and Donald Gibb...
. In a good-natured spoof of 70s blaxploitation flicks, he played a caricature of himself, and other football players turned actors, in Keenen Ivory Wayans
Keenen Ivory Wayans
Keenen Ivory Wayans is an American actor, comedian, director and writer known as the host and creator of the FOX sketch comedy series In Living Color, which also starred Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, brothers Damon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans, sister Kim Wayans, David Alan Grier, Tommy...
's 1988 comedic film I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is a 1988 blaxploitation parody film written by, directed by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans. Featured in the film are several black actors who were part of the blaxploitation phenomenon; including Jim Brown, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas and Isaac Hayes...
. He played a high school teacher in the cult-classic Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a 1989 American science fiction–comedy buddy film and the first film in the Bill & Ted franchise in which two metalhead slackers travel through time to assemble a menagerie of historical figures for their high school history presentation.The film was written by...
, released in 1989. In Eddie Murphy's 1990 Another 48 Hours, sequel to 48 Hours, Bernie Casey starred as Kirkland Smith, a very influential prisoner with outside connections. 1994 saw Casey guest-starring in a two-episode story arc in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
(along with series star Avery Brooks
Avery Brooks
Avery Franklin Brooks is an American actor, television director, jazz musician, opera singer and college professor. Brooks is perhaps best known for his television roles as Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and as Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and its spinoff A Man Called Hawk, and in the...
) as the Maquis
Maquis (Star Trek)
In the American Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Maquis are a 24th Century paramilitary organization or terrorist group first introduced in the 1994 episode "The Maquis" of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, who subsequently also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation and...
leader Lieutenant Commander Cal Hudson, and in 1995 as a guest-star on Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
as Derek Cranston
Hunter, Prey
"Hunter, Prey" is an episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Out of curiosity, John Sheridan visits Docking Bay 13 to get a look at Kosh's ship, accompanied by a hesitant Susan Ivanova. As he reaches forward to touch the ship, a device forms on...
. He has continued working as an actor. In 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
, he co-starred in the film When I Find the Ocean alongside such actors as Lee Majors
Lee Majors
Lee Majors is an American television, film and voice actor, best known for his starring role as Colonel Steve Austin in The Six Million Dollar Man and as Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy ....
.
In a piece for NFL Films
NFL Films
NFL Films is a Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based company devoted to producing commercials, television programs, feature films, and documentaries on the National Football League, as well as other unrelated major events and awards shows...
, he expressed his disillusionment with the NFL and professional sports in general, feeling like his creativity and individuality were thwarted by conservative elements in the league and ownership hierarchy. He also showed off some paintings of his own creation during the piece.
Personal life
Casey was born in Wyco, West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. He now resides in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
He remains an avid Seventh-day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
.
He also enjoys eating at Jerry's Famous Deli
Jerry's Famous Deli
Jerry's Famous Deli is a chain of delicatessens famous for its large menu, which has offered as many as 700 items. The original deli was founded in Studio City, California, in 1978 by Isaac Starkman and Jerry Seidman...
in Marina del Rey, CA.
He's also known to frequent 24hr fitness clubs in Los Angeles.
Feature filmography
- Guns of the Magnificent SevenGuns of the Magnificent SevenGuns of the Magnificent Seven is a Zapata Western and the second sequel to the 1960 western film, The Magnificent Seven ....
(1969) - ...tick...tick...tick......tick...tick...tick......tick...tick...tick... is an American movie made in 1970 directed by Ralph Nelson. Racially provocative for its time, it stars Jim Brown in the role of an African-American man elected as the sheriff of a rural county in the American South...
(1970) - Black Chariot (1971)
- Boxcar BerthaBoxcar BerthaBoxcar Bertha , director Martin Scorsese's second film, is a loose adaptation of Sister of the Road, the fictionalized autobiography of radical and transient Bertha Thompson as written by Ben Reitman...
(1972) - Black Gunn (1972)
- Hit ManHit Man (film)Hit Man is a 1972 American Crime film directed by George Armitage and starring Bernie Casey, Pam Grier and Lisa Moore. It is based on the Ted Lewis's novel Jack's Return Home, more famously adapted as Get Carter, with the action relocated from Britain to the United States.-Plot :Tyrone Tackett, ...
(1972) - Cleopatra JonesCleopatra Jones-Plot:Cleopatra Jones is a strikingly beautiful black model with an array of flamboyant outfits. Modeling, however, is only a cover for her real job as a secret government agent. Jones is a Bond-like heroine with power and influence; an object of awe for her flashy wardrobe, her ’73 silver and...
(1973) - MaurieMaurieMaurie is a 1973 American semi-biographical feature film directed by Daniel Mann. Distributed by National General Pictures, the film covers the lives and relationship of two NBA Hall of fame basketball players, the forward Jack Twyman, and his teammate the forward Maurice Stokes.-Plot summary:The...
(1973) - Cornbread, Earl and MeCornbread, Earl and MeCornbread, Earl and Me is a 1975 American drama film that stars Tierre Turner as Earl Carter, Laurence Fishburne as Wilford Robinson and Jamaal Wilkes as Nathaniel "Cornbread" Hamilton. It was directed and produced by Joseph Manduke...
(1975) - Dr. Black, Mr. HydeDr. Black, Mr. HydeDr. Black, Mr. Hyde is a 1976 blaxploitation horror film. It was loosely inspired by the novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film stars Bernie Casey and Rosalind Cash and was directed by William Crain, who had also directed the successful Blacula for...
(1976) - The Man Who Fell to EarthThe Man Who Fell to Earth (film)The Man Who Fell to Earth is a 1976 British science fiction film directed by Nicolas Roeg.The film is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, about an extraterrestrial who crash lands on Earth seeking a way to ship water to his planet, which is suffering from a severe drought...
(1976) - Brothers (1977)
- Sharky's MachineSharky's MachineSharky's Machine may refer to:* Sharky's Machine , a 1981 film* Sharky's Machine , a novel by William Diehl...
(1981) - Never Say Never AgainNever Say Never AgainNever Say Never Again is a 1983 spy film based on the James Bond novel Thunderball, which was previously filmed in 1965 as Thunderball...
(1983) - Revenge of the NerdsRevenge of the NerdsRevenge of the Nerds is a 1984 comedy film satirizing social life on a college campus. The film stars Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards, with Curtis Armstrong, Ted McGinley, Julia Montgomery, Brian Tochi, Larry B. Scott, John Goodman, and Donald Gibb...
(1984) - Spies Like UsSpies Like UsSpies Like Us is a 1985 American comedy film directed by John Landis and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, and Donna Dixon...
(1985) - Steele JusticeSteele Justice-Taglines:"When the police needed someone to stop the Vietnamese Mafia, there was only one choice...""You don't recruit John Steele. You unleash him.""The only law is the Black Tiger's. The only justice is John Steele's."-Plot:...
(1987) - Amazon Women on the MoonAmazon Women on the MoonAmazon Women on the Moon is a 1987 American satirical comedy film that parodies the experience of watching low-budget movies on late-night television...
(1987) - Rent-A-CopRent-A-CopRent-a-Cop is a 1987 action / comedy / crime film starring Burt Reynolds and Liza Minnelli. Reynolds plays a disgraced police officer, now working as a security guard, who falls in love with Minnelli, who plays a prostitute....
(1987) - BackfireBackfire (film)Backfire is a 1987 mystery-thriller film about a murderous love triangle which forms between an affluent Vietnam War veteran, his wife, and another man. The film was directed by Gilbert Cates, and stars Karen Allen, Keith Carradine, and Jeff Fahey.-Plot:...
(1988) - I'm Gonna Git You SuckaI'm Gonna Git You SuckaI'm Gonna Git You Sucka is a 1988 blaxploitation parody film written by, directed by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans. Featured in the film are several black actors who were part of the blaxploitation phenomenon; including Jim Brown, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas and Isaac Hayes...
(1988) - Bill & Ted's Excellent AdventureBill & Ted's Excellent AdventureBill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a 1989 American science fiction–comedy buddy film and the first film in the Bill & Ted franchise in which two metalhead slackers travel through time to assemble a menagerie of historical figures for their high school history presentation.The film was written by...
(1989) - Another 48 Hrs.Another 48 Hrs.Another 48 Hrs. is a 1990 action-comedy film and a sequel to the 1982 film 48 Hrs.. It was directed by Walter Hill and stars Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Brion James, Andrew Divoff, and Ed O'Ross. Nolte returns as San Francisco police officer Jack Cates, who has 48 hours to clear his name from a...
(1990) - Chains of GoldChains of GoldChains of Gold is a 1991 Made-for-TV crime drama/action film starring and co-written by John Travolta. It was directed by Rod Holcomb and included one of the early performances of Joseph Lawrence, who was nominated for Young Artist Award for his role in the movie.The film was released as a...
(1991) - Under SiegeUnder SiegeUnder Siege is a 1992 American action film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Steven Seagal as a former Navy SEAL who must stop a group of mercenaries, led by Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey, on a U.S. Navy battleship...
(1992) - The Cemetery ClubThe Cemetery Club-Plot:Based on the play by Ivan Menchell, this drama concerns three friends, Doris , Lucille , and Esther . All three live in the same Jewish community in Pittsburgh, are in their mid-to-late 50s, and have become widows within the past few months...
(1993) - Street KnightStreet KnightStreet Knight is a 1993 American action film starring Jeff Speakman. It was last film released by Cannon Films.The film currently holds a 4.5/10 user rating on the Internet Movie Database.-Plot:...
(1993) - The Glass ShieldThe Glass ShieldThe Glass Shield is a 1995 crime drama film starring Ice Cube, Michael Boatman and Lori Petty, directed by Charles Burnett.-Plot:Deputy John Johnson is a rookie in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the first black deputy at the station to which he is assigned...
(1994) - In the Mouth of MadnessIn the Mouth of MadnessIn the Mouth of Madness is a 1995 American horror film directed by John Carpenter and written by Michael De Luca, who was at the time of the film's release in charge of New Line Cinema...
(1995) - Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored (1995)
- On the Edge (2002)
- Vegas Vampires (2003)
- When I Find the Ocean (2006)
External links
- Bernie Casey at FelixLeiter.com