Celebrity Nooz: Alan Autry

Alan Autry (Actor) - In the Heat of the Night

Updated: 12/19/18

Name: Alan Autry

Birth Name: Carlos Alan Autry

Born: July 31, 1952, Shreveport, Louisiana

Claim To Fame: He is best known for his role as Captain Bubba Skinner on the television series In the Heat of the Night.

Family Life: Autry was married to Vicky Brown from 1980-1986, and they have a daughter, Lauren (b. 1981). Autry is currently married to Kimberlee Autry. She has a daughter Heather from a previous marriage. Together they have a son, Austin (b. 1996).

Info: As a child, Autry worked with his mother and stepfather Joe Duty in the fields of California's San Joaquin Valley, planting and harvesting cotton, grapes and other crops.

At the age of 12, the family settled in Riverdale, California. He was a star quarterback for the Riverdale Cowboys in high school and received an athletic scholarship to the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1975 and ended up as starting quarterback in 1976. However, his football career came to a sudden end when he was cut from the team by then coach Bart Starr. That's when he decided to pursue a career in acting.

His first film appearance was in the 1978 motion picture Remember My Name under the name Carlos Brown. He also had small parts in North Dallas Forty (1979) and Popeye (1980) under that name.

While filming Southern Comfort (1981) in Louisiana in 1981, he made contact with his father and decided to change his name back to Autry. This is also when he began going by his middle name, Alan, instead of by Carlos. His acting career peaked when he played a small-town Mississippi policeman in the "In the Heat of the Night" (1988) TV series which ran from 1988 to 1995.

Trivia: Is a born-again Christian and began to devote much of his time to working with charitable causes.

Is a Republican.

Joined forces with his In the Heat of the Night co-star Randall Franks to produce the charity "In the Heat of the Night" CD "Christmas Time's A Comin'" featuring the cast of the show.

Though not Hispanic, Autry's parents named him "Carlos" after a Louisiana politician admired by his father.

In November 2000, he was elected mayor of Fresno, California, serving for two 4-year terms, through January 2009.

As of September 2008, Autry had been hosting a radio news talk show on KYNO 940 AM in Fresno. Autry left his duties as host of the news talk show in the spring of 2011.

Where Are They Now: The last screen appearance of Alan Autry was in the 2017 movie Victory by Submission. Autry has a great screen presence, voice, and acting talent. I hope that he makes a comeback in a big way.

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