Though not Hispanic, Autry's parents named him "Carlos" after a
Louisiana politician admired by his father. The couple soon divorced,
however, and Autry's mother took him to be with her family in central
California. Carlos Autry now became Carlos Brown. Autry played sports
in high school and earned a scholarship to the University of the
Pacific where he played quarterback and then tight end on the football
team. He attracted attention in the 1975 football draft and wound up
playing for the Green Bay Packers. He started three games as
quarterback but his efforts were disappointing and coach
Bart Starr cut him from the team in 1977.
Autry then moved into acting and played small parts in
Die Bullen von Dallas (1979) and
Popeye - Der Seemann mit dem harten Schlag (1980) under the name "Carlos
Brown". While filming
Die letzten Amerikaner (1981) in
Louisiana in 1981, he again made contact with his father and afterwards
decided to change his name back to Autry. He also dropped the "Carlos"
and began to use his middle name -- Alan. His acting career peaked when
he played a small-town Mississippi policeman in the
In der Hitze der Nacht (1988)
TV series which ran from 1988 to 1995. Later, Autry moved into politics
and was elected mayor of Fresno, California, in 2000. In 2004, he was
re-elected.
