He was the original Monster of the Midway.
One of the greatest linebackers and Chicago Bears of all time, Dick Butkus had a life only he could live.
Butkus was a Chicago legend who found further fame on the Silver ScreenGettyFrom historic Soldier Field all the way to Hollywood, Butkus was one of one.
While the Hall of Famer passed away in October 2023 at the age of 80, his legend remains as tall today as it did when he was the best defensive player in the NFL for nearly a decade from 1965-1973.
As beloved as he is in the Windy City, there was a bit of turbulence at one point between Butkus and his beloved Bears.
Back in 1974, Butkus sued his team for $1.6million for breach of contract after suffering a serious knee injury that ultimately forced him into an early retirement at the age of 31.
The New York Times was the first to report it, saying: “Butkus, who suffered a severe knee injury in a game last November, charged in his Circuit Court suit in Chicago that the club management did not provide him with the medical and hospital care it had promised in a five‐year contract he signed last July 13.
“The suit added that extensive injections of cortisone and other drugs caused irreparable damage to Butkus’s knee and that the treatments were made without advising Butkus of the long‐term effects of the drugs.
“Although Butkus’s annual salary under the terms of the contract is $115,000, the suit, filed by James A. Dooley, asked $600,000 in compensatory damages, plus $1‐million in punitive damages.”
The grievance was eventually decided out of court, and the relationship between the franchise and its legendary player was repaired over the years.
After Butkus’ football career came to a sudden end, he found another surprising second wind in an unlikely place.
Hollywood, California.
(L-R) Butkus, Maureen Stapleton, Richard Dimitri, Glynis O’Connor, and Griffin Dunne all starred together in the film Johnny DangerouslyGetty To this day, Butkus remains one of the best defensive players in NFL historyGettyButkus became an actor, starring in several films, television shows and commercials, often as himself.
He appeared in films such as The Longest Yard, Johnny Dangerously and Hamburger: The Motion Picture.
IMDb has Butkus listed as having 62 acting appearances to his credit from 1971 until 2014.
Butkus shed light on his acting career in an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 1998, revealing that his work with fellow former NFL player, Bubba Smith, helped him tremendously.
“I was worried about making a mistake, because people would say, ‘He’s just a football player,’ so I was harder on myself to do it right,” Butkus said.
“Then I learned from the Miller Lite commercials, ‘Who cares if you blow a line?’ It doesn’t matter if you do it in one take or 100 takes, if I can do it better each time.
Butkus eventually took his rugged looks to Hollywood after his NFL career was cut shortGetty“The end result is what people see.
“Working with Bubba, I was able to add things with facial gestures and stuff… I could play off him and add something.
“It didn’t matter if I got the laugh.”
While Butkus doesn’t have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he does have a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio.
Yet his acting career was still nothing to scoff at. That’s how successful both of his wildly different careers were.
From a football helmet to a call sheet, Butkus was one of a kind and remains one of the most legendary figures the sport has ever seen.
Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our NFL Facebook page, subscribe to our talkSPORT End Zone YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( I was Hall of Fame linebacker who sued NFL team for $1.6m in same year I became Hollywood star )
Also on site :