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Bubba Smith, the 6-foot-7 former National Football League player and one of the performers in the Police Academy movies, was found dead earlier today at his Baldwin Hills home in Los Angeles. Smith was 66. No foul play is suspected. As a professional football player, Charles Aaron 'Bubba' Smith (born February 28, 1945, in Beaumont, Texas) played with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers from the late '60s to the mid-'70s. From the late '70s on, Smith began to sporadically appear in films. His one notable big-screen role was that of soft-spoken florist-turned-police cadet Moses Hightower, later promoted to sergeant and finally lieutenant in the Police Academy movies of the mid-to-late '80s. Those were inane slapstick fare that was generally derided by critics; the first movie in the series, however, became a major box-office hit, collecting more $81 million in 1984 (or about $192 million today). Hugh Wilson directed, and...

Former NFL star-turned-actor Bubba Smith has passed away. A spokesman for Los Angeles police said that the 66-year-old, who is known for his role as Moses Hightower in "Police Academy" movies, was found dead at his home on Sunlight Place in Baldwin Hills on Wednesday, August 3.

The body of the former defensive lineman, whose real name is Charles Aaron Smith, was discovered by his caretaker. While an autopsy will be conducted later this week to determine the exact cause of his death, police said there were no signs of foul play. Authorities also believe he died of natural causes.

Bubba was a star college football player at Michigan State University. He began his NFL career in 1967 and played nine seasons with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers. Throughout his career, the 6-foot-7 went to two Pro Bowls and won Super Bowl V with the Colts in 1970.

After retiring...