Anecdotes

While he was playing pro football, he was profiled by NFL Films where he was interviewed while painting. He said during the interview that he only played football for money, and if he could make as much money painting, he wouldn't play at all.

Has both a B.A. and a M.A. in Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University.

Was also an accomplished painter whose work has been widely exhibited and a poet with several published books to his name.

He was the first African-American actor to play James Bond's ally CIA Agent Felix Leiter in Jamais plus jamais (1983). Jeffrey Wright would later play the role in Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008).

Played for the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers (1961-1966) and Los Angeles Rams (1967-1968).

Bernie Casey, born in West Virginia in 1939 and raised in Columbus, Ohio, excelled in track and field and football and attended Bowling Green State University on an athletic scholarship. He went on to play wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams before returning to his Alma Mater to get a Master's Degree in Fine Arts. For Casey, the arts always came first. He painted and published books of poetry, but the football association that he viewed as a stepping stone followed him. "It was just a gig," he said in 1977 about football. "But it limits the way people perceive you. That can be frustrating. People have tremendous combinations of talents. A man can be a deep-sea diver and also make ceramic pottery and china." Casey's art captivated many famous minds, including Maya Angelou. "His art makes my road less rocky, and my path less crooked," Angelou said of a 2003 exhibit of his paintings.

Bernie Casey was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the internationally recognized Savannah College of Art and Design.

Was good friends with Stan Winston, whose earliest work included Casey's monster make-up for Gargoyles and Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde. Winston and his wife also owned several of Casey's paintings.

Casey's professional acting career began with "Guns of the Magnificent Seven," a sequel to "The Magnificent Seven," in 1969. Casey appeared in 35 films including "Boxcar Bertha" (1972), "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1976), "Brian's Song" (TV Movie 1971), and "Never Say Never Again" (1983). In 1979, Casey appeared in the role of Bubba Haywood in the TV Mini-Series "Roots: The Next Generation" - episode 1.4). He was featured in the role of Doc Evan in CBS TV's "Murder, She Wrote, episode 'Three Strikes Your Out' " (1989). Casey also starred opposite fellow NFL veteran Jim Brown in "...tick...tick...tick" (1970) and "Black Gunn" (1972). He played Lambda Lambda Lambda head U.N. Jefferson in the TV Movie "Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation" (1992); "Revenge of the Nerds IV" (1994) and as John Slade in Keenan Ivory Wayans' blaxploitation parody "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (1988).

Graduate of Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ohio.

Former pro football player.

Had no children.