The actor Charles "Bubba" Smith (66), who starred in the Police Academy films, has died.
The body of the former American football player was found yesterday at his home in the Baldwin Hills suburb of Los Angeles, said a Los Angeles police spokesman. He is believed to have died of natural causes, but the coroner's office has not made a final determination, police said.
The lineman won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Colts and had a second career acting in a number of Police Academy films.
Smith played for Michigan State University and entered the NFL when he was drafted first overall by the Baltimore Colts in 1967.
Aside from winning a Super Bowl with the Colts in 1971, Smith also went on to play with the Oakland Raiders and the Houston Oilers before he retired in 1976, after being twice selected to the Pro Bowl.
After retiring, Smith appeared in small television roles before he gained fame in Police Academy for playing Moses Hightower, a police recruit who was as soft-spoken as he was physically imposing.
Smith, who stood 6ft 7in starred in the first six Police Academy films, and also appeared in several Miller Lite commercials in which he ripped off the tops of beer cans.
Reuters