Terry Allen Crews was born on July 30, 1968, in Flint, Michigan to parents Patricia and Terry Crews. He was raised Christian, but he grew up witnessing his father abuse his mother.
After earning an Art Excellence Scholarship, he attended the prestigious Interlochen Center of the Arts. From there, he earned a second full scholarship to play football at Western Michigan University, where he majored in art.
Crews was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round of the 1991 NFL Draft, but throughout his career, played for the Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins (now The Washington Football Team), and the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately, during his football career, he was cut many times, but supported himself with his art.
After he retired from the NFL, Terry Crews moved to LA to pursue a new career in acting. He began with small roles like that of a character athlete in Battle Dome and Old Spice commercials. After his iconic role in the cult classic White Chicks, Terry Crews caught the eye of other directors and producers.
He eventually would star in Adam Sandler’s The Longest Yard and gain a leading role in Everybody Hates Chris. His largest role yet came in the form of a sergeant, later Lieutenant, for the NYPD on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. While most of his roles are comedic, he has proven his ability to take even those silly roles to dramatic, serious places.
In addition to his acting roles, Terry Crews has also offered up his voice to cartoon characters in TV shows and movies. He has also had the opportunity to host Ultimate Beastmaster, and America’s Got Talent.
In 2014, He authored a memoir called Manhood: How to Be a Better Man — Or Just Live With One that detailed his early struggles including his childhood, addiction to pornography, and marriage troubles. Terry Crews also made headlines in 2017 by coming forward about his own sexual assault. He had made his feminism and activism clear in the past, but sharing his own sexual assault brought him to the foreground again.
Crews’ career has varied from sports, to literature, to TV and film, and he is proven that he is full of surprises and talent.
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Kassidy Garland has had a great appreciation for reading and writing since she was young. She graduated from West Chester University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English & Women and Gender Studies. With a concentration in creative writing, Kassidy has 5 years of experience writing blogs, articles, and for social media. Kassidy is also pursuing a Master’s degree in IT with a concentration in Web Development. Based out of Philadelphia, Kassidy loves to write about a number of topics and looks forward to sharing her passion with those at FunTimes Magazine.
