Celebrity Nooz: Fred Dryer

Fred Dryer (Actor) - Hunter

Updated: 1/23/19

Name: Fred Dryer

Birth Name: John Frederick Dryer

Born: 6 July 1946, Hawthorne, California, USA

Nickname: Hunter

Claim To Fame: He is best known for his lead role as LAPD Homicide Detective Sergeant Richard Hunter on the TV series Hunter.

Family Life: Married to actress and Playboy centerfold Tracy Vaccaro from 1983 until their divorce in 1988, they have one daughter together.

Info: Former College Football standout at San Diego State University where he played Defensive End. Was a first round Draft Pick of the New York Giants in 1969 where he played for 3 seasons before finishing his 13 year career with the Los Angeles Rams.

After his football career, Fred did sportscasting on CBS, quitting after 10 games because he felt he had no freedom in that job; besides, he was tired of traveling.

In the 80s, he started acting. In 1979, he began studying with actress and acting coach Nina Foch.

With the movies Gus and Prime Time, he got his Screen Actors Guild card. His first important role was in The Starmaker, where he played Melanie Griffith's stepfather.

In 1982, Fred auditioned for Cheers. One of 3 finalists, he lost the male lead to actor Ted Danson. Later, he made several guest appearances on the show as Dave Richards, Sam's former Boston Red Sox teammate turned sportscaster.

In 1984, Fred was chosen to play the leading role of the TV series Hunter: LAPD Homicide Detective Sergeant Richard Hunter, a mobster's son turned cop. Hunter, created by Frank Lupo and produced by Stephen J. Cannell, is TV's version of Clint Eastwood's violent big screen cop Dirty Harry. Hunter's partner is Sergeant DeeDee McCall, a beautiful and tough widow, known around the squad as "The Brass Cupcake", played by Stepfanie Kramer. Hunter ran on NBC from 1984 to 1991.

With Hunter, Dryer became a producer and director.

Trivia: Member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Holds the NFL record for most safeties (two safeties) in a single game.

Nearly won the role of Sam Malone on Cheers (1982), but lost it to Ted Danson when the writers decided they'd rather have the owner of the bar be a baseball player instead of a football player.

Born on the same day as George W. Bush and Sylvester Stallone.

Once promised to set his hair on fire in the end zone if he ever scored an NFL touchdown. Fortunately, never did.

Due to the fact that the enormous Dryer is a foot taller than his "Hunter" co-star Stepfanie Kramer, she had to stand on an egg crate while they were in the same shot so that both of them could be seen.

One of his college football teammates at San Diego State was Carl Weathers.

Where Are They Now: Dryer still acts occasionally, most recently appearing on the CBS hit series NCIS and in the Transformers spinoff Bumblebee as Sheriff Lock.

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