Iconic American football player turned actor Jim Brown has passed away at the age of 87.
Brown’s passing was confirmed by his wife, Monique, in an Instagram post on Friday. Brown reportedly “passed peacefully” on Thursday night in their Los Angeles home.
She says in her posting:”To the world he was an activist, actor, and football star. To our family, he was a loving and wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Our hearts are broken.”
Often considered one of the greatest players in NFL history, the former Cleveland Browns fullback also had an extensive acting resume which began with a role in 1964’s “Rio Conchos”.
He broke through on screen with key supporting roles in 1967 cinematic classic “The Dirty Dozen,” 1968’s Alistair MacLean adaptation “Ice Station Zebra,” and 1970 treasure-hunting tale “El Condor”.
As the blaxploitation era blossomed, so did his roles in films like “Slaughter,” “Black Gunn” and “Three the Hard Way” along with the latter 1980s comedy satire of the genre “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka”. He also was a TV guest star staple in shows like “CHiPs,” “Knight Rider,” “I Spy,” “T.J. Hooker” and “The A-Team”.
He continued working in the 1980s and 1990s with films like the Schwarzenegger-led “The Running Man,” Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks!,” Spike Lee’s “He Got Game,” Joe Dante’s “Small Soldiers,” and Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday”. His last screen role was in 2014’s “Draft Day”.
