Recent Obituaries, Classic Films Only

[CBHagman]

22. Football great/actor Alex Karras, 77.

Karras (far right) with Victor/Victoria stars Robert Preston, Julie Andrews, and James Garner

Detroit Lions lineman Alex Karras has died. I include him in Classic Films because of his memorable role in Victor/Victoria, a very entertaining film memorable not only for its music and fun but for its (for the time) groundbreaking depiction of gay characters.

From what I've read, Alex Karras and his wife, Susan Clark, could be relied on to support Democrats and progressive causes in general.

[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/sports/football/alex-karras-nfl-lineman-and-actor-dies-at-77.html[/url]

Alexander George Karras was born on July 15, 1935, in Gary, Ind., where his father, George, a Greek immigrant, was a doctor, and his mother, the former Emmeline Wilson, was a nurse. An all-state football player in high school, he attended the University of Iowa, where in 1957 he won the Outland Trophy as the outstanding interior lineman in college football. In 1958, he was drafted in the first round by the Lions.

Karras’s other film credits included roles in the raunchy comedy “Porky’s,” the suspense thriller “Against All Odds” and the gender confusion comedy “Victor/Victoria.” He spent three seasons in the broadcast booth, working with Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford on ABC’s “Monday Night Football,” and later wrote a novel, “Tuesday Night Football,” sending up his experience. He also wrote an autobiography, “Even Big Guys Cry.”