Before he played Mongo, Alex Karras played football

Long before he became an actor, Alex Carris learned that even in professional

football

, casting was a reality early in my career. I don't know, they had the idea that I was a tough, tough character and that I

played

that role because, uh, when you double that role, you could also play that role Caris also

played

a leadership role Caris was an inspiration to our baseball club , he was Johnny Unius, Jim Brown, Doug Atkins of our team, he played and made no mistakes and that's what made him so great, he had that big body and short legs, so his center of gravity was a little lower than mine and that made it another challenge for me.

He couldn't get low enough and still be mobile to stop it. It was a handful the five times all the pros sat out in the 1963 season when he was suspended for betting on games when it came time we had to part ways in 1963 when he was suspended for betting he hurt our team tremendously and Alex was trapped and became an example, all I can tell you is that it is absolutely harmless, absolutely harmless, what was happening I felt was an injustice and I never excused anyone for what they did for me, I never said I was wrong and I did it I did.

Not kissing anyone's ass to come back while suspended Caris was wrestling professionally found out the blood was fake but the money was real I got a paycheck that was almost as much as you know if Iigh had been playing ball and I said to myself you know showbiz isn't that bad despite being bitten by the showbiz virus. Caris proved that there was still plenty of All Pro Caliber

football

left in his burly frame, but he also kept an eye on Hollywood and in 1968 made his film debut in Paper Lion playing himself. Caris was a natural and impressed some important people.

I got a call from someone and they said it's very important that you talk to her so I went to the phone and it was Lucy and she said hi this is Lucy B. I said okay I just thought of something and she said I saw the line of paper. I thought you were really good at it and I want to see if I can get you some work here. Would you like to do that? I said everything in my life I've wanted to do that, so yes, I would like to do that after I retired in 1971.

Carris became a full-time actor. Roles such as Monstrous in Blazing Saddles made him a cult favorite. Ask me to come and I'll come and I'll see all these people doing my dialogue and it's not much, but they still know it, you know it's an amazing character, hey, you can't park that animal there, it's illegal. but Caris ultimately showed that he could play both Savage and sensitive, especially as the closeted gangster Victor Victoria. My agent said they have an idea for you to do something and I'm a little worried about that. I said: what is it? She said well, they want you to play a gay man and I said yes, very good, she said, don't you think that would be too little?

I told him no, no, that's fine, tender on screen but tough on the field, the multi-talented Alex Caris was one of the most unique personalities to ever play this game Alex is a kind man, he was one of the nicest guys greatest, meanest and kindest man I have ever known, he was a tremendously witty and funny man and yet he was a fierce and tough competitor, Alex Carris has Now I consider him the guy who knocked out the horse and Blazing Saddles, but I will always remember Alex Carris as one of the best inside football players to ever play.