Frank McRae Biography
Frank McRae (March 18, 1941 – April 29, 2021) was an American film and television actor and a professional football player.
Early life
McRae was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He graduated from Tennessee State University with a double major in drama and history. He was a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears in the 1967 NFL season appearing in 6 games.
Career
Among his acting roles are bank robber Reed Youngblood in Dillinger (1973); a shouting police captain in 48 Hrs. (1982), a role he later parodied in Last Action Hero (1993) and Loaded Weapon 1 (1993); the history teacher, Mr. Teasdale, in Red Dawn (1984); James Bond's friend Sharkey in Licence to Kill (1989); and former professional boxing champion Harry Noble in Batteries Not Included (1987). He also appeared opposite Sylvester Stallone in 4 films: F.I.S.T. (1978), Paradise Alley (1978), Rocky II (1979), and Lock Up (1989), as well as a protective trucker in The Wizard (1989).
He made an effective pairing with John Candy as two bumbling subordinates; first as two tank soldiers (under an equally bumbling Sgt. Frank Tree played by Dan Aykroyd) in the film 1941 (1979), and later as a "Walley World" security guard in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983). He further showed his comedic abilities as Jim the clumsy mechanic in the cult cl*ic Used Cars (1980). His last role was Cookie in the Hallmark Channel original films Love's Long Journey and Love's Abiding Joy.
Death
On April 29, 2021, McRae died from a heart attack in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 80.
Selected filmography
References
External links
- Frank McRae at IMDb
- Frank McRae (Aveleyman)
