Police Academy star Charles ‘Bubba’ Smith dies

Smith’s body was found at his home in Los Angeles, according to a police spokesman.

He is believed to have died of natural causes, but the coroner’s offices has not yet confirmed the cause of death.

The 6ft 7ins giant made his name playing American football. Smith was an NFL Lineman with the Baltimore Colts when his team won a Super Bowl in 1967.

He went on to play for the Oaklands Raiders and the Houston Oilers before retiring from professional football.

Police Academy fame

But Smith was not to stay off the TV screen for long, and after his retirement he started appearing in television shows.

His big film break came in Police Academy, where he played the well-loved, softly spoken giant Moses Hightower. He starred alongside Steve Guttenberg, David Graf and Michael Winslow.

Smith starred in six Police Academy films in total. He also appeared in several Miller Lite commercials in which he was seen ripping off the tops of beer cans.