Lester Speight aka Terry Tate
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Posted By: Reginald Culpepper on March 06, 2008 Lester "Mighty Rasta" Speight was an American football player who became a professional wrestler and then actor. Speight achieved significant recognition for his portrayal of Terry Tate: Office Linebacker in a series of Reebok commercials that first debuted during the 2003 Super Bowl. Speight's path to stardom began during his time at Morgan State University as a Division 1 All American Linebacker. In 1985 he signed with the Baltimore Stars of the USFL. Unfortunately for Speight, the USFL folded before he even played one season. He never made it into the NFL. Following his ill fated professional football career, Speight moved on to professional wrestling as "Rasta the Voodoo Man" (a character he originated for the show Battle Dome). It wasn't long however, before he quit wrestling to pursue an acting career. From there he went on to appear in other minor roles in many films including 13 Moons. Speight has also appeared in many television shows such as Malcolm in the Middle, NYPD Blue, Arli$$, and My Wife and Kids. In 2003 Lester Speight appeared in a Reebok commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. The role was based on a character that Speight had played in a short independent film in 2000. In the commercial, Speight plays Terry Tate, an office linebacker charged with the enforcement of office policies. For example, when one employee finishes the office's coffee and fails to begin brewing more, he is quickly tackled by Tate, who stands over the man, screaming "You kill the joe, you make some mo'!" Within the commercials, Speight promotes recycling, dutiful work, and several other courteous actions. According to Speight, "as funny as it may be, there is a good message behind all of the ads[1]." The commercials received critical acclaim, and according to The Hollywood Reporter was the most watched part of the Super Bowl by TiVo viewers. Currently, Lester Speight has a recurring role on Damon Wayan's ABC series My Wife and Kids as Calvin Scott. For the 2006 Xbox 360 game Gears of War, Speight voiced the role of 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 guest-starred as prison inmate Banks on the show Prison Break. Speight also had a role in the 2007 Eddie Murphy motion picture Norbit as Blue, one of the three brothers of Rasputia. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Reginald Culpepper
President, Fulfillment and Web Services, HBCUCONNECT Clark Atlanta University class of 1998 Member Since September 2000 |
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