Alex Karras

Alexander George Karras (July 15, 1935 – October 10, 2012) was an American football player, professional wrestler, and actor. He was a four-time Pro Bowl player with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), where he played from 1958 to 1962 and 1964 to 1970. As an actor, Karras is noted for his role as Mongo in the 1974 comedy film Blazing Saddles, and for starring in the ABC sitcom Webster (1983–1989) alongside his wife Susan Clark, as the title character's adoptive father. He was also featured prominently in Victor/Victoria, starring Julie Andrews and James Garner. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. 2College career Karras was born in Gary, Indiana, the son of Dr. George Karras, a Greek immigrant (from Chios) who graduated from the University of Chicago and got his medical degree in Canada. There, George Karras met and married a Canadian woman, Alex's mother, Emmeline (née Wilson), a registered nurse. George Karras opened a medical practice in Gary, but he died when Alex was thirteen years old. By that time, Alex Karras had learned to play football in a parking lot near his home, and he blossomed into a four-time Indiana all-state selection at Gary Emerson High Schoo