Terry Crews's Real Name: Terry Alan Crews

Quick answer: Terry Crews's full name is Terry Alan Crews. He was born on July 30, 1968, in Flint, Michigan. He played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Washington, and Philadelphia Eagles before turning to acting. He went on to roles in Everybody Hates Chris, The Expendables, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, along with a run of Old Spice commercials and TV hosting jobs (Library of Congress; Biography.com).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Crews, Terry, 1968-." Its citation reads "Terry Crews; Terry Alan Crews; born July 30, 1968 in Flint, Michigan." The same note describes him as a former player with the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, and Philadelphia Eagles.

Biography.com says Crews graduated from Flint's Southwestern Academy. He earned an Art Excellence Scholarship to the Interlochen Center for the Arts and then a full football scholarship to Western Michigan University, where he majored in art. As a defensive end he earned all-conference honors and played on the 1988 Mid-American Conference champion Broncos.

Career highlights

The Los Angeles Rams selected Crews in the 11th round in 1991. He played two seasons with the Rams, then with the San Diego Chargers (1993–94), Washington (1995), and the Philadelphia Eagles (1996). He also played a season with the Rhein Fire in the World League of American Football. During his playing years he created a line of NFL-licensed lithographs.

After retiring in 1997, Crews played T-Money on the competition show Battle Dome and made his film debut in The 6th Day (2000). Small parts in Friday After Next and White Chicks followed. In 2005 he landed the recurring role of Julius on Chris Rock's sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. His film roles grew to include The Longest Yard (2005), Get Smart (2008), Terminator Salvation (2009), and Bridesmaids (2011). He played Hale Caesar in The Expendables (2010) and its sequels.

On television he starred in the BET reality series The Family Crews (2010–11) and appeared in Are We There Yet? and Arrested Development. He joined the cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a Golden Globe winner. He became widely recognized as the pumped-up spokesman in Old Spice ads. He played Bedlam in Deadpool 2 (2018), hosted Ultimate Beastmaster (2017), and hosted America's Got Talent: The Champions (2019). In 2014 he published the memoir Manhood: How to Be a Better Man—Or Just Live With One. Biography.com says he has been married to Rebecca Crews since 1990 and that they have five children.

Name notes for searchers

Terry is his given first name, Alan his middle name, and Crews his family surname. He has used his own name in both football and entertainment. The Washington team he played for is now the Commanders.