Lester Speight (born August 28, 1963), also known as Rasta, is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player who has had subsequent careers as a

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

and then

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

. He achieved significant recognition for his portrayal of '' Terry Tate: Office Linebacker'' in a series of

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

commercials that debuted during

Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) cha ...

, and received further recognition for his portrayal of

Augustus Cole Augustus "Cole Train" Cole is a fictional character in the ''Gears of War'' media franchise. He first appeared in the first video game of the series as a supporting character, and has since appeared in some capacity for every mainline and spin-o ...

in the ''

Gears of War ''Gears of War'' is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The franchise is best known for its third-person shooter v ...

'' series of video games.

Early life, family and education

Lester Speight was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

, the son of Gussie Watson and Walter Speight. He graduated from Old Mill High School in Millersville, Maryland in 1981, where he is in its Hall of Fame for three sports: football, track, and basketball. He attended

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known a ...

from 1981 to 1985 and was a Division 1 All-American Linebacker.

Professional football and professional wrestling

After graduating college in 1985, he attempted to play in the NFL but did not. He tried out for the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL) the same year. During tryouts, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, which received attention of the Baltimore Stars. 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. Speight moved on to

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

working for

Global Wrestling Federation Global Wrestling Federation was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. Often the promotion pr ...

and

Catch Wrestling Association The Catch Wrestling Association (CWA) was a professional wrestling organization based in Austria and Germany that was founded in 1973. It was run by Otto Wanz. The CWA featured a traditional brand of mat wrestling mixed with various “Strong Man ...

as Rasta the Voodoo Man. However, by 1997 he quit wrestling to pursue an acting career.

Acting career

Lester Speight Comic Con International 2010

Speight began his acting career in minor roles in many films including the football film ''

Any Given Sunday ''Any Given Sunday'' is a 1999 American sports drama film directed by Oliver Stone depicting a fictional professional American football team. The film features an ensemble cast, including Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, J ...

'', '' 13 Moons'' and as the club doorman in '' Cradle 2 the Grave''. He has also appeared in many television shows such as ''

Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American family television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. The series follows a dysfunction ...

'', ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film '' Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the ...

'', ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensembl ...

'', '' Arli$$'', ''

My Wife and Kids ''My Wife and Kids'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001, to May 17, 2005. The series was produced by Touchstone Television. It starred Damon Wayans as Michael Kyle, the patriarch of an African-American family. Wayans and ve ...

'', and '' NCIS: Los Angeles''.

Commercials

In 2003, Speight starred in the Terry Tate: Office Linebacker ad for

that became an immediate pop-culture phenomenon and is considered among the funniest and most memorable

Super Bowl commercials Super Bowl commercials, colloquially known as Super Bowl ads, are high-profile television commercials featured in the U.S. television broadcast of the Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). Super Bowl commercial ...

of all time. The exposure from the popular spot opened the door to further opportunities in film, television and video games.

Television

Following the success of Terry Tate, Speight had a recurring role on

Damon Wayans Damon Kyle Wayans Sr. (; born September 4, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. Wayans performed as a comedian and actor throughout the 1980s, including a year long stint on the sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live.' ...

' ABC series ''

'' as Calvin Scott, the father of Vanessa Scott. Speight guest-starred as prison inmate Banks on the show ''

Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial drama television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) and Michael Scofield ( Wentworth Miller); Burrows has been sentenced ...

''. Speight appeared in an episode of ESPN's ''Mayne Street'' comedy short. In the 2008 TV film '' Ring 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 of '' Bones'', "Double Trouble in the Panhandle", where he played the Traveling Circus' strongman, Magnum.

Film

Speight had a small role in the film ''

Bachelor Party Vegas ''Bachelor Party Vegas'' is a 2006 American direct-to-video comedy film written and directed by Eric Bernt in his directorial debut. It stars Kal Penn, Jonathan Bennett, Charlie Spiller, Diora Baird and Donald Faison. In was released by Sony Pic ...

'', as Gold Tooth, a prison rapist in 2006, before joining the

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

motion picture '' Norbit'' as Blue, one of the three brothers of Rasputia, in 2007. The next year, he appeared in '' Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay'', as a character who is interrogated using racist methods. In 2011, Speight played "Hardcore" Eddie in the

Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use ...

blockbuster Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Video games

For the 2006

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

game ''

'', 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 for '' Gears of War 2'' (2008), ''

Gears of War 3 ''Gears of War 3'' is a third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the third installment of the Gears of War, ''Gears of War'' series. Originally due for re ...

'' (2011), '' Gears of War: Judgment'' (2013), '' Gears of War 4'' (2016), '' Gears 5'' (2019), and ''

Gears Tactics ''Gears Tactics'' is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Splash Damage in conjunction with The Coalition and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a spin-off of the '' Gears of War'' franchise and a prequel to the first game. The game ...

'' (2020).

Filmography

Films

*1993: '' The Meteor Man'' - Gang Member #1 *1999: ''

International Khiladi ''International Khiladi'' () is a 1999 Indian action drama film directed by Umesh Mehra starring Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna in the lead roles. In an interview with Lehren Network, Khanna said that the film didn't follow a conventional scr ...

'' - Gang Member *1999: ''

'' - Sharks' Security Guard *2002: '' 13 Moons'' - Vincent *2003: '' Cradle 2 the Grave'' - Chambers Club Doorman *2006: ''

'' - Gold Tooth *2007: '' Norbit'' - Blue Latimore *2007: ''

Who's Your Caddy ''Who's Your Caddy?'' is a 2007 American comedy film directed by Don Michael Paul and starring Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Andy Milonakis, Faizon Love, Terry Crews, Tony Cox, Jeffrey Jones and Jesper Parnevik. It is the first film produced by Robert ...

'' - 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 ''Peep World'' is a 2010 American comedy-drama film directed by Barry W. Blaustein and starring an ensemble cast, including Ron Rifkin, Lesley Ann Warren, Ben Schwartz, Michael C. Hall, Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Kate Mara, Judy Greer, ...

'' - Wizdom *2011: '' Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' - Hardcore Eddy *2014: '' Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King'' - Herman *2014: ''My Dad's a Soccer Mom'' *2017: ''

Speech & Debate ''Speech & Debate'' is a 2017 American film directed by Dan Harris. The film is an adaptation of the play of the same name and was released on April 7, 2017, by Vertical Entertainment. Plot The film features three misfit students in a high s ...

TV Series

*2000: ''

'' - Flash Armstrong (Episode: The Avenging Angel) *2003-2005: ''

'' - Calvin Scott *2003: ''

'' - Steve (Episode: Cops and Robbers) *2003: ''

'' - Samuel (Episode: Long Drive) *2007: ''

'' - 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 Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always en ...

'' - 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 In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Gai ...

'' - Clayton Williams/Mr. Atlas (Episode: Jason Todd)

Video games

*2006: ''

'' - Augustus Cole *2008: '' Gears of War 2'' - Augustus Cole *2011: ''

'' - Augustus Cole *2013: '' Gears of War: Judgment'' - Augustus Cole *2016: '' Gears of War 4'' - Augustus Cole *2019: '' Gears 5'' - Augustus Cole

Other

Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand ...

Healthy Workplace project (2012) - Eugene Hammer * "Bring It On" music video by Kasland - Augustus "Cole Train" Cole

References

External links

*
Lester Speight at MobyGames

Lester Speight plays HUGH on Rockville, CA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Speight, Lester Living people Players of American football from Baltimore African-American players of American football African-American male professional wrestlers American male television actors American male video game actors Morgan State Bears football players American male professional wrestlers 1963 births 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople