Find A Grave Mike Henry (1936-2021)

Mike Henry
Personal information
Birth 15 Aug 1936
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA
Death 8 Jan 2021 (aged 84)
Burbank, Los Angeles County, California, USA
Burial Details Unknown
Full Name  Michael Dennis Henry
Former NFL Player and Actor

He was a linebacker in the NFL who traded football for acting and went on to star in the Tarzan films of the 1960s and worked alongside Burt Reynolds in the ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ movies.

 

Born Michael Dennis Henry, he grew up in East Los Angeles. In high school, a city council member saw him play football and facilitated his tryout for USC’s football team. After college, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, for which he played from 1958 to 1961. Wanting to try his luck with acting, Henry requested a transfer to play for the Los Angeles Rams, which he did from 1962 to 1964.

Where is Mike Henry buried?

In one of his final games as a Ram linebacker, a producer spotted Henry and asked him to test for the role of Tarzan. Between 1966 and 1968, he starred in three films based on the franchise: ‘Tarzan and the Valley of Gold,’ ‘Tarzan and the Great River’ and ‘Tarzan and the Jungle Boy.’

But he was best known for his role in three ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ action comedies from 1977, 1980 and 1983, playing Junior, the son of Jackie Gleason’s character. His other movie roles included ‘The Green Berets’ (1968), ‘Rio Lobo’ (1970), ‘Soylent Green’ (1973), ‘The Longest Yard’ (1974).

Where Was Mike Henry born?

TV roles included ‘General Hospital,’ ‘Lou Grant,’ ‘Rhoda,’ ‘Fantasy Island,’ ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ and ’77 Sunset Strip.’ Henry,l who worked behind the scenes in film and TV for the rest of his professional career until he retired in 1988, died after many years of dealing with chronic traumatic encephalopathy and Parkinson’s disease brought on by the head injuries sustained during his football career.