Alan Autry’s Varied Career Includes Having Been an NFL Player, an Actor, and Mayor

Alan Autry has had a layered career in five different fields, some of which are unrelated. He began as an NFL quarterback, then moved on to acting. After establishing himself as an actor, he served as a politician for eight years before dabbling with radio and entrepreneurship.

In Shreveport, Louisiana, Carl Autry and Verna Brown welcomed their son, Carlos Alan Brown, on July 31, 1852. Despite being white, the couple named their son Carlos in honor of a politician from Louisiana whom Carl respected. Alan’s parents divorced shortly after his birth, causing him to relocate to his mother’s family home in central California.

After the relocation, Alan’s last name changed to Brown; however, the “In the Heat of the Night” star reconnected with his father in 1981, reverted to his original last name, and dropped Carlos, reintroducing himself as Alan Autry. Here are the facts about the actor’s career and children from two marriages.

Alan Autry at the 34th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards hosted at the Universal Amphitheater in Universal City, California on May 5, 1999. | Source: Getty Images

Did You Know That He Even Had a Football Career?

Alan is not only accomplished as an actor; the 70-year-old also had an athletic stint when he was drafted into the Green Bay Packers squad as a backup quarterback in 1975. His career as a football player began at Riverdale High School, where he was the star quarterback on the senior team.

His time at the Packers saw him start three games under the name Carlos Brown before he was axed from the squad by his coach Bert Sarr in 1976. Two years before he married for the first time, Alan played for the Canadian Football League team British Columbia Lions in 1978. Allan once said, “I had a great career in the NFL until they put me in.”

After his poor performances got him removed from the NFL and no success in the CFL, Alan began to weigh his career options. “I went down the list: insurance salesmen? No. Hollywood actor? Hey, those guys have it. It must make you feel like you’re worth something, like football, did for me,” he recalled.

Alan Autry at the NBC TV Affiliates Party hosted at the Registry Hotel in LA, California on August 7, 1988 | Source: Getty Images

In 1978, Alan got his start in Hollywood when he starred as Rusty in “Remember My Name”—a drama thriller about a young woman who was released from prison and embarked on a journey of beginning a new life. His debut film also features the 70-year-old father of two, Jeff Goldblum.

Alan was also a frontrunner in the anti-gay marriage ban of California during his double term as mayor.

Alan pursued a career in Hollywood to make something of himself and escape the unpleasant situation he watched his father endure.

A scene from Episode 14 (Peekskill Law) of “The Facts of Life” featuring Alan Autry, Cloris Leachman, and Lisa Whelchel on November 24, 1987 | Source: Getty Images

Alan Autry Often Acted in Movies and TV Series in the 80s and 90s

Alan made numerous guest appearances in movies and series in the 80s, including “Cheers” starring now-75-year-old actor Ted Danson in 1983; the 1983 series “The A-Team” starring Dirk Benedict; and “Dukes of Hazzard, starring now-deceased actor Denver Pyle.

Alan is also the father of a boy named Austin Autry, who he welcomed with his second and current wife, Kimberly Autry, in 1996.

The early 90s was also an eventful time for the Louisiana-born actor. He starred as Sergeant ‘Bubba’ Skinner in the 1988 series “In the Heat of the Night” alongside now-deceased comedy star Carroll O’Connor. The 1998 series ran until 1995, a year after he exchanged vows for the second time.

Alan Autry at the funeral of Carroll O’Connor at St. Paul The Apostle Church in West Los Angeles, CA, on June 26, 2001 | Source: Getty Images

Autry Was Mayor of the City for Two Terms

After attaining success in Hollywood, Alan turned to a career in politics, getting elected as the mayor of the city he was brought up in. November 2000 was the beginning of Alans’s run as the mayor of Fresno. His work in the city was largely successful, earning him a second term in 2004 after he swooped 72% of the votes.

The actor managed to keep a good balance between expenditure and income of the city’s budget. His sincere work as the mayor saw him gain a surplus of funds for Fresno without cutting down any of the municipal jobs. Alan was also a frontrunner in the anti-gay marriage ban of California during his double term as mayor.

In 2004, Alan initiated a campaign to put homeless people from the streets into encampments. However, this did not go as intended as the federal court considered his campaign a violation of the rights of homeless people’s 4th and 5th Amendments. He later apologized and mentioned that he felt the policy was unjust.

Alan Autry Is Married and Has 2 Kids

After his second term as mayor ended in 2008, Alan turned to his fourth career path as a talk show host on a radio station in Fresno. He spent two years as a radio host and then shifted his focus to his company, Dirt Road Productions, which launched in 2002.

Aside from his layered career, Alan is also a father of two. He welcomed his daughter Lauren Autry with his first wife, Vicky Brown, in 1981. Lauren’s mother was married to the ex-mayor from July 21, 1980, until they divorced on June 26, 1986.

Alan is also the father of a boy named Austin Autry, who he welcomed with his second and current wife, Kimberly Autry, in 1996.

Alan Autry and Kimberlee Autry at the 34th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards hosted at the Country Star Restaurant, Universal City, California on May 4, 1999. | Source: Getty Images

Kimberly and Austin also have a history in screen acting and have appeared in the 2002 movie “The Legend of Jake Kincaid” together. Alan’s wife, born Kimberly Jean Green, also has another child from a previous relationship, daughter Heather Autry. Heather has an acting credit in the 1993 movie “Grace Under Fire.”

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