Fred Williamson

Frederick Robert Williamson, born March 5, 1938, in Gary, Indiana, is an American actor, filmmaker, and former professional football player known during his athletic career by the nickname the Hammer. He played college football at Northwestern University, where he also earned a degree in architecture, and had an eight-season professional career from 1960 to 1967 that included one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, four seasons with the Oakland Raiders earning three All-Star selections, and three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, winning an AFL championship in 1966. After retiring from football in 1968, Williamson became a leading figure in 1970s blaxploitation and action cinema, starring in films including Black Caesar in 1973 and The Legend of Nigger Charley in 1972. He has directed more than twenty features and formed the production company Po' Boy Productions to develop action films, working extensively in Italian cinema.