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Revision as of 22:20, 19 January 2021

Terry Crews
Crews in July 2017
Born
Terrence Alan Crews

(1968-07-30) July 30, 1968 (age 56)
Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Occupations
Years active
  • 1991–1997 (football)
  • 1999–present (acting)
Known for
Spouse
Rebecca King
​
(m. 1989)​
Children5
American football career
No. 51, 90, 94
Position:Defensive end / Linebacker
Personal information
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:Flint Southwestern Academy (Flint, Michigan)
College:Western Michigan
NFL draft:1991 / round: 11 / pick: 281
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Games played:32
Tackles:57
Assists:38
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Terrence Alan "Terry" Crews[1] (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, activist, artist, bodybuilder, and former professional football player. Crews played Julius Rock on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. He hosted the U.S. version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and starred in the BET reality series The Family Crews. He appeared in films such as Friday After Next (2002), White Chicks (2004), Idiocracy (2006), Blended (2014), and the Expendables series. Since 2013, he has played NYPD Lieutenant Terry Jeffords in the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He began hosting America's Got Talent in 2019, following his involvement in the same role for the program's spin-off series, America's Got Talent: The Champions.

Crews played as a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Washington Redskins, as well as in the World League of American Football (WLAF) with the Rhein Fire, and college football at Western Michigan University.

Crews, a public advocate for women's rights and activist against sexism, has shared stories of the abuse his family endured at the hands of his violent father. He was included among the group of people named as Time Person of the Year in 2017 for going public with stories of sexual assault.[2]

Early life and education

Terrence Alan Crews was born on July 30, 1968[3] in Flint, Michigan, the son of Patricia and Terry Crews.[4] He grew up in a strict Christian household in Flint, and was raised mainly by his mother. His father was an alcoholic, and was abusive to his mother.[2][5] Crews received a flute from his great aunt, and took lessons for eight years.[6]

After earning his high school diploma from Flint Southwestern, he received a Chrysler-sponsored art scholarship at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan, which was followed by an Art Excellence scholarship and a full athletic scholarship for football at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. As a defensive end for the WMU Broncos, Crews earned All-Conference honors and won the 1988 Mid-American Conference Championship.[7]

American football career

Crews was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round of the 1991 NFL Draft.[8] His career included stints with the Rams (6 games), the San Diego Chargers (10 games), the Washington Redskins (16 games), and the Philadelphia Eagles (no games). He also played for the Rhein Fire of the World League of American Football (later NFL Europa) during its 1995 season.[9] Repeatedly cut from rosters, Crews often supplemented his football income by receiving portrait commissions from teammates.[10]

Acting career

After retiring from the NFL in 1997, Crews moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He had held a long-standing ambition to work in the film industry, but up until then had no plans to pursue acting, and simply wanting to be involved in some way. A year earlier, he had co-written and co-produced the independent feature film Young Boys Incorporated. A self-funded production filmed in Detroit with an anti-drug message, the film drew on his own observations, as well as those of his friends and family. Despite describing it as a "horrible" film, he credits the experience with getting him interested in the film industry.[11]

In 1999, Crews auditioned for a role as a character athlete (known as Warriors) in the syndicated game show Battle Dome, which became his first acting part. He played T-Money for two seasons until its cancellation in 2001. The audition process and the opportunity to perform in front of an audience made him realize that he wanted to pursue acting as a career. However, he failed to land another acting job for the following two years.[12]

Appearances in commercials, such as Old Spice, films, and music videos soon followed.[11] His breakout role came in Friday After Next starring rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube, for whom Crews had previously worked as on-set security.[13][14] Having never taken acting classes, instead he asked himself what the audience wanted, and he believes this ultimately brought him success. He now believes acting is what he was born to do and would not wish to have any other career, despite the physically demanding nature of the work.[11]

Based on his performance in White Chicks (2004), Adam Sandler changed a role in The Longest Yard (2005) to give it to Crews, who had auditioned for another role in the film.[11] His role as Julius Rock, the father on the UPN/CW sitcom on Everybody Hates Chris, brought Crews wider public recognition, and the series aired for four seasons from 2005 to 2009.[14] Since then, Crews has had main roles as husband and father Nick Kingston-Persons in the TBS sitcom Are We There Yet?, which aired for three seasons from 2010, and as NYPD Sergeant (and commencing in Season 7, Lieutenant) Terry Jeffords in the Fox/NBC ensemble sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which premiered in 2013.[15]

Crews has predominantly portrayed comedic characters, sometimes playing off of his athletic physique.

Crews has appeared mainly in comedic roles, such as President Camacho in Idiocracy, but he later found success in action roles beginning with his part as Hale Caesar in The Expendables series, which saw him make his first appearance in a film sequel. Although he has managed to sustain an athletic physique in his career as an actor, Crews has avoided being type-cast as a muscle-bound action hero and has attained critical success through exploiting the contrast of his elaborate character comedy with his physique, which extends to the point of even mocking the stereotype of the gym-obsessed bodybuilder. This contrast has also led to sustained work as part of various humorous Old Spice TV commercials.[13][16][17]

He has lent his voice to animations such as American Dad! and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. He found that he enjoyed the work and sought out more of it, finding satisfaction in how it carries his spirit into the animation.[14] From 2010 to 2011, Crews starred in his own reality series on BET, The Family Crews. It ran for two seasons. From 2014 to 2015, he hosted the syndicated game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He has also been the American host of Netflix's Ultimate Beastmaster.

Crews cites the many similarities between acting and professional football, including the structure and expectations, as helping his transition between the two careers. He credits Reginald Hubbard with mentoring him in his early career in the film business.[11]

In June 2017, he was cast in the science fiction comedy film Sorry to Bother You.[18] The film was released in theaters on July 6, 2018.[19] Also in 2018, he appeared as Bedlam in the superhero film Deadpool 2.[20] Crews made appearances in the music videos for "Pressure" and “Algorithm” by British rock band Muse.[citation needed]

Crews also starred in the video for Brittany Howard's 2019 song "Stay High" in which he lip syncs the vocals.[21]

Artistic work

Illustration and portraiture

Crews's first job in the arts was as a courtroom sketch artist in Flint, Michigan. He received an art scholarship from college before an athletic scholarship.[10] He later worked as courtroom sketch artist for WJRT. During his football career, Crews supplemented his income by creating portraits of fellow players. At times it was the primary income on which his family depended, typically bringing $5,000 for a two-month commission. His work included a series of NFL-licensed lithographs.[11] He believes his imaginative side has transferred itself to his acting work.[11]

Design

Crews is a co-founder of design company Amen&Amen, with fashion designer Nana Boateng.[22] Their first collection was a set of furniture and light fixtures designed by Ini Archibong.[23]

Personal life

Crews with his wife Rebecca in South Korea, 2019

Crews married Rebecca King on July 29, 1989.[24] They have five children and one grandchild.[25] He is a devout Christian.[26][27]

In 2014, Crews released his autobiography, Manhood: How to Be a Better Man or Just Live with One.[28] In the book, Crews detailed his long-standing pornography addiction, which had seriously affected his marriage and his life, but which he overcame around 2009 and 2010 after entering rehabilitation. Since then he has taken an active role in speaking out about the condition and its impact.[29][30][31]

Sexual assault

On October 10, 2017, in the wake of numerous Hollywood actresses going public with their stories of sexual harassment and assault by film producer Harvey Weinstein, Crews revealed that a male Hollywood executive had groped him at a party in 2016 but he did not report the incident for fear of retaliation.[32][33] It was later revealed that the "high-level executive" was Adam Venit, head of the motion picture department of the talent company William Morris Endeavor (WME).[34]

For his part in coming forward with the sexual assault allegations, Crews was named as one of the "Silence Breakers" from the Time Person of the Year award in 2017.[35] WME reportedly concluded from an investigation that the incident was isolated. Venit was demoted and returned to work after a one-month suspension. In response, Crews stated, "Someone got a pass".[36] Crews filed a lawsuit against Venit and WME for sexual assault.[37] Some witnesses stated that Venit had gotten intoxicated, dismissed the groping as "horseplay", and apologized to Crews the next day. WME responded to the lawsuit, arguing that their reaction to Crews' claims was "both swift and serious".[38] In March 2018, prosecutors decided not to file any charges against Venit. The city attorney's office announced that the statute of limitations to prosecute Venit had expired, as the incident was in February 2016 and Crews had not reported it until November 2017.[39]

LGBTQ comments

In March 2019, Crews faced criticism and backlash after responding to a New York Times op-ed by human rights lawyer Derecka Purnell, who stated, "Love is not gendered. A child will not starve with only one gender loving them." Crews responded, "But they will be severely malnourished."[40] Crews deleted the tweet and apologized the next day after speaking with his Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-star Stephanie Beatriz, stating, "Had a great talk with @iamstephbeatz this morning on set that shed a lot of light on why the LBGTQ community were hurt by my comments. I want to apologize for anyone who was triggered or felt targeted. I was speaking out of my very personal experiences as a black Father."[41]

Filmography

Main article: Terry Crews filmography

References

  1. ^ Terry Crews Goes Undercover on Reddit, YouTube and Twitter. GQ (YouTube). January 9, 2019. Event occurs at 05:34. Retrieved February 7, 2020. I am not a 'Jr.' Terry Crews is my dad, but I have a middle name: I am Terry Alan Crews [highlights spelling "Alan", and does not dispute "Terrence"]. So that technically does not make me a 'Jr.'
  2. ^ a b Wong, Curtis M. (May 16, 2018). "Terry Crews: Me Too Movement 'Is The Emancipation Proclamation'". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  3. ^ "Terry Crews". National Football League. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  4. ^ "Terry Crews attributes his Hollywood star power comedy and dancing in 'White Chicks' and 'Everybody Hates Chris' to his Flint upbringing". MLive.com. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  5. ^ "No One Wants To Be With The Marlboro Man: Terry Crews On 'Manhood'". NPR. May 17, 2014.
  6. ^ Messina, Victoria (June 18, 2019). "Terry Crews Crashing an AGT Audition to Play the Flute Shirtless Has Me Cackling". POPSUGAR Entertainment. Corden, James (September 23, 2016). "The Late Late show with James Corden: Terry Crews Hidden Talents". YouTube.
  7. ^ "Terry Crews". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  8. ^ "Terry Crews NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. USA Today. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  9. ^ Zimmerman, Paul (December 11, 1995). "Terry Crews". Sports Illustrated – via si.com.
  10. ^ a b "Terry Crews Reveals Secret Art Practice". artnet News. September 4, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Tucker, Mark Lubischer and Betty Jo. "ReelTalk Movie Reviews". www.reeltalkreviews.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  12. ^ Appearance on the Late Late Show with James Corden, September 23, 2016
  13. ^ a b "Terry Crews makes it big". IFC. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c "Terry Crews Talks Meatballs and Superheroes". EBONY. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  15. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (January 23, 2013). "Newsroom's' Terry Crews Joins Fox's Cop Comedy From 'Parks and Recreation' Duo". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  16. ^ "Watch Terry Crews And James Corden Hilariously Show People How To Work Out - CINEMABLEND". CINEMABLEND. September 20, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  17. ^ "2012 Terry Crews Interview for Expendables 2 | LatinRapper.com". www.latinrapper.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  18. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (June 27, 2017). "'Power' Star Omari Hardwick & Terry Crews Join Boots Riley's 'Sorry To Bother You'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  19. ^ Blistein, Jon (May 17, 2018). "Watch Lakeith Stanfield Make Millions With 'White Voice' in Wild 'Sorry to Bother You' Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  20. ^ Polo, Susana (March 23, 2018). "Who is Bedlam, Terry Crews' Deadpool 2 character". Polygon. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  21. ^ Blistein, Jon (July 16, 2019). "Watch Terry Crews Sing Brittany Howard's New Song 'Stay High' in Delightful Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  22. ^ "In The Secret Garden by Ini Archibong for Amen&Amen". Design Milk. July 1, 2016.
  23. ^ "Turns out actor Terry Crews is a huuuuuge design buff. Who knew?". Los Angeles Times. September 17, 2016.
  24. ^ Adebowale, Temi (April 17, 2019). "Terry and Rebecca Crews Are Marriage Goals—Here's What You Didn't Know About Them". Men's Health.
  25. ^ "Terry Crews Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions". Wired. Event occurs at 3:58. Retrieved May 15, 2018 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Patrick, Kris (April 2, 2013). "Terry & Rebecca Crews Talk Hardships and Faith in Holllywood".
  27. ^ "Actor Terry Crews and his wife say experience will keep them safe from reality TV pitfalls". The Times-Picayune (NOLA.com). February 20, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  28. ^ "No One Wants To Be With The Marlboro Man: Terry Crews On 'Manhood'". NPR.org. May 17, 2014.
  29. ^ "Terry Crews' New Book Details Struggle With Porn Addiction - Black America Web". Black America Web. May 27, 2014. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014.
  30. ^ "Terry Crews Says Porn Addiction Nearly Ruined His Life". ABC News.
  31. ^ Brandon Griggs (February 24, 2016). "Terry Crews: Porn addiction 'messed up my life'". CNN.
  32. ^ Mumford, Gwilym (October 11, 2017). "Actor Terry Crews: I was sexually assaulted by Hollywood executive". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  33. ^ "Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor claims groping". BBC News. October 11, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  34. ^ "Terry Crews Details Alleged Sexual Assault by WME's Adam Venit". November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  35. ^ Dockterman, Eliana. "Terry Crews: 'Men Need to Hold Other Men Accountable'". TIME. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  36. ^ Siegel, Tatiana. "WME's Adam Venit Returns After Suspension Over Terry Crews' Groping Claim". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  37. ^ Stedman, Alex. "Terry Crews Sues WME Agent Adam Venit for Sexual Assault". Variety. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  38. ^ Johnson, Victoria (February 3, 2018). "Adam Venit Files Response to Terry Crews Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Him: 'No Harm, No Foul'". Complex. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  39. ^ "Terry Crews sexual assault case rejected, no charges laid". Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  40. ^ Miller, Hayley (March 3, 2019). "Terry Crews Apologizes For Claiming Kids Of Same-Sex Parents 'Severely Malnourished'". HuffPost. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  41. ^ Moore, Matt (March 10, 2019). "Terry Crews apologises for calling children of same-sex parents "malnourished"". Gay Times. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
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