Terry Crews
Terry Alan Crews[2] (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former football player. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, which aired from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Terry Jeffords in the Fox and NBC sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021). Crews starred in the BET reality series The Family Crews (2010–2011), and hosted the U.S. version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 2014 to 2015. He has appeared in films, including Friday After Next (2002), White Chicks (2004), Idiocracy (2006), Blended (2014), the Expendables series (2010–2014), and Rumble (2021). Crews began hosting America's Got Talent in 2019, following his involvement in the same role for the program's spin-off series America's Got Talent: The Champions.
Terry Crews
- Actor
- television host
- football player
- 1991–1997 (football)
- 1999–present (acting)
5
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
Flint Academy (Flint, Michigan)[1]
1991 / Round: 11 / Pick: 281
32
32
3
1
Crews played as a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Washington Redskins, as well as in the World League of American Football (WLAF) for the Rhein Fire and college football at Western Michigan University.
A public advocate for women's rights and activist against sexism, Crews has shared stories of the abuse his family endured at the hands of his violent father, and was also included among the group of people named as Time Person of the Year in 2017 for going public with stories of sexual assault during the MeToo movement.[3]
Early life and education
Crews was born on July 30, 1968,[4] in Flint, Michigan, the son of Patricia Ann (née Simpson) and Terry Crews.[1][5] The middle child of three,[6] he grew up in a strict Christian household in Flint and was raised mainly by his mother, who was 18 when he was born.[5] His father was an alcoholic and abusive to his mother.[3][7] Crews received a flute from his great aunt, and took lessons for eight years.[8] He spent a summer at Interlochen Arts Academy and entered Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo on an art scholarship. After his freshman year, he tried out for the football team and earned a full athletic scholarship.[6]
Other ventures
Illustration and portraiture
Crews's first job in the arts was as a courtroom sketch artist in Flint, Michigan. He received an art scholarship from college before an athletic scholarship.[13] He later worked as courtroom sketch artist for WJRT. During his football career, Crews supplemented his income by creating portraits of fellow players. At times it was the primary income on which his family depended, typically bringing $5,000 for a two-month commission.[30] His work included a series of NFL-licensed lithographs.[14] He believes his imaginative side has transferred itself to his acting work.[14]
Design
Crews and fashion designer Nana Boateng founded a design company called Amen & Amen.[31][32] Their first collection was a set of furniture and light fixtures by the designer and artist Ini Archibong.[33][34] In 2017 Crews designed a collection of furniture for Bernhardt Design which was shown at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York.[35][36]
Film production
In 2021, announced that Amen & Amen had entered the film production sector as a "virtual production studio" based in Pasadena, California.[37]
Writing
In 2021 Crews and his wife Rebecca King wrote a memoir titled Together: How Fame, Failure and Faith Transformed Our Lives.[38] He has written several other books including Tough: My Journey to True Power.[39] He has also written and illustrated children's books including Terry's Crew, and with Ken Harvey, Come Find Me, a story about the adventures of two brothers, Anthony and Marcus, who are based on Crews' sons.[40]
Food manufacturing
Together with Unnar Helgi Danielsson, Dylan Sprouse and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Crews is a co-founder and brand ambassador of Thor's Skyr, an American-made high-protein cultured dairy product based on a traditional Icelandic recipe, which is high in probiotics and low in sugar.[41][42]