Background and career
Lester Speight (born August 28, 1963), also known as Rasta, is an American actor, former football player and professional wrestler. He achieved significant recognition for his portrayal of Terry Tate: Office Linebacker in a series of Reebok commercials that debuted during Super Bowl XXXVII, and received further recognition for his portrayal of Augustus Cole in the Gears of War series of video games.
Lester Speight was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Gussie Watson and Walter Speight. He graduated from Old Mill High School in Millersville, Maryland in 1981, where he is in its Hall of Fame for three sports: football, track, and basketball. He attended Morgan State University from 1981 to 1985 and was a Division 1 All-American Linebacker.
After graduating college in 1985, he attempted to play in the NFL but did not. He tried out for the United States Football League (USFL) the same year. During tryouts, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, which received attention of the Baltimore Stars. Speight and business manager/cousin Butch Groover negotiated a two-year deal with the Stars for more than $200,000. However, the USFL folded before he even played one season. He was with the New York Giants in 1987 as a replacement player during the 1987 NFL strike, but he did not play in any games. Speight moved on to professional wrestling, working for Global Wrestling Federation and Catch Wrestling Association as Rasta the Voodoo Man. However, by 1997 he quit wrestling to pursue an acting career.
Speight began his acting career in minor roles in many films including the football film Any Given Sunday, 13 Moons and as the club doorman in Cradle 2 the Grave. He has also appeared in many television shows such as Malcolm in the Middle, Walker, Texas Ranger, NYPD Blue, Arli$$, My Wife and Kids, and NCIS: Los Angeles.
In 2003, Speight starred in the Terry Tate: Office Linebacker ad for Reebok. The ad is notable for its popularity as a Superbowl commercial. The exposure from the commercial opened the door for further opportunities in film, television, and video games.
Following the success of Terry Tate, Speight had a recurring role on Damon Wayans' ABC series My Wife and Kids as Calvin Scott, the father of Vanessa Scott. Speight guest-starred as prison inmate Banks on the show Prison Break. Speight appeared in an episode of ESPN's Mayne Street comedy short. In the 2008 TV film Ring of Death, Speight played convict "Milton Kennedy", a feared and revered gang boss (nicknamed "The President"), and undefeated champion of an underground fighting tournament in a notorious prison. In 2009, Speight appeared in an episode of Bones, "Double Trouble in the Panhandle", where he played the Traveling Circus' strongman, Magnum.
