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Bernie Casey

Bernie Casey brought an athlete’s physical confidence and a quietly commanding presence to a screen career that moved easily between drama, action, science fiction and comedy. Born in Wyco, West Virginia, on June 8, 1939, he first distinguished himself in sports. At Bowling Green State University, Casey was a record-breaking hurdler, earned All-America recognition and reached the finals of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Trials. He also helped Bowling Green’s 1959 football team win a small-college national championship. Selected ninth overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1961 NFL draft, Casey played eight seasons in the league, six with the 49ers and two with the Los Angeles Rams. That background gave him more than an imposing frame when he turned to acting: he carried himself like someone accustomed to pressure, whether playing authority figures, professionals or men with danger just beneath the surface. Casey began his film career in Guns of the Magnificent Seven and soon appeared opposite fellow former NFL player Jim Brown in...tick...tick...tick.... His range became apparent across projects including the television film Gargoyles, Cleopatra Jones and the series Harris and Company, in which he played widower Mike Harris. In 1981, he appeared opposite Burt Reynolds as a detective in Sharky’s Machine, later reuniting with Reynolds for Rent-a-Cop. His screen work repeatedly found fresh uses for his poise. He played CIA agent Felix Leiter in Never Say Never Again, Colonel Rhombus in Spies Like Us and history teacher Mr. Ryan in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. He also appeared in Revenge of the Nerds, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, Another 48 Hrs. and Under Siege. Television brought roles in The Martian Chronicles, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, SeaQuest 2032 and Babylon 5. Casey was also a painter and director, part of a life that resisted being reduced to a single profession. Across sports, art and acting, he built a career defined by versatility and an unmistakable sense of composure.