<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Player stats at NFL.com </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> College Football Hall of Fame </Td> </Tr> <P> Alexander George Karras (July 15, 1935--October 10, 2012) was an American football player, professional wrestler, sportscaster, 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 1970 . As an actor, Karras is noted for his role as Mongo in the 1974 comedy film Blazing Saddles . He was also known for starring as Webster Long's (Emmanuel Lewis) adoptive father, George Papadopolis, in the ABC sitcom Webster (1983--1989) alongside his wife Susan Clark . 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 . </P> <P> Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, Karras was 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's Emerson High School . </P>

Who played the character mongo in the movie blazing saddles