View source for Alan Autry

{{Short description|American football player, politician and actor (born 1952)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{BLP sources|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Alan Autry
| birthname           = Carlos Alan Autry Jr.
| image               = Alan Autry.jpg
| alt                 = 
| caption             = Autry in 2003
| order               = 
| office              = 23rd Mayor of [[Fresno, California|Fresno]]
| term_start          = January 5, 2001
| term_end            = January 6, 2009
| predecessor         = [[Jim Patterson (California politician)|Jim Patterson]]
| successor           = [[Ashley Swearengin]]
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1952|7|31}}
| birth_place         = [[Shreveport, Louisiana]], U.S.
| party               = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]
| spouse              = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Vicky Brown|1980|1986|end=divorce}}
* {{marriage|Kimberlee Autry|1994|2025|end=her death}}
}}
| children            = 3
| residence           = [[Fresno, California]], U.S.

| relatives           = [[Gene Autry]] (distant cousin)

| occupation          = [[NFL|NFL football player]], actor, radio host, politician
}}

'''Carlos Alan Autry Jr.''' (also known for a time as '''Carlos Brown'''; born July 31, 1952) is an American actor, [[politician]], and former [[American football|football]] player. During his brief career in the [[National Football League]], he played as a [[quarterback]] and was known as Carlos Brown.

Autry played the role of Captain Bubba Skinner on the [[NBC]], and later [[CBS]], television drama series ''[[In the Heat of the Night (TV series)|In the Heat of the Night]]'', starring [[Carroll O'Connor]]. He has also appeared in films and other television shows. In November 2000, he was elected [[mayor]] of [[Fresno, California]], and served for two four-year terms through January 2009.  From 2008 to 2011, Autry hosted a [[talk radio|talk-radio]] show on [[KYNO]] [[AM 940]] in Fresno. He now hosts a midday show on [[KXEX]] [[1550 AM]] in Fresno.

==Early life==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=May 2016}}
Autry was born in [[Shreveport, Louisiana]], the son of Carl and Verna (née Brown) Autry. His name was changed to Carlos Brown when he was a year old, after his parents divorced. He worked alongside his mother and stepfather, Joe Duty, in California's [[San Joaquin Valley]], where they planted and harvested cotton, grapes, and other crops, traveling around the valley living in [[migrant workrt|migrant-worker]] camps. When he was 12, they settled in [[Riverdale, California]].

==Football career==
In high school, Autry was a star quarterback for the Riverdale Cowboys. He received an [[athletic scholarship]] to the [[University of the Pacific (United States)|University of the Pacific]] in [[Stockton, California]], where he was a second-string [[tight end]] in his senior year for the Tigers. In [[1975 NFL draft|1975]], he was selected by the [[Green Bay Packers]], where he ended up in [[1976 NFL season|1976]], as the starting quarterback for three games.<ref name=pfr>{{cite web|title=Carlos Brown|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BrowCa00.htm|publisher=pro-football-reference.com|access-date=July 1, 2013}}</ref>

His football career ended quickly when he was cut from the team by then-coach [[Bart Starr]]. Autry then went to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles, California|Hollywood]] to become an actor.<ref>{{cite web|last=Leon|first=David|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/pac10/2005-11-17-carroll-mayor_x.htm|title=Actor-turned-Fresno-mayor roots against old pal Carroll|website=usatoday.com|date=November 18, 2005|access-date=July 21, 2016}}</ref> He made a football comeback attempt, playing for the B.C. Lions of the CFL in 1979 (as Carlos Brown). He was the third-string quarterback behind [[Joe Paopao]] and another ex-Green Bay Packer, [[Jerry Tagge]].<ref>[https://www.footballdb.com/teams/cfl/british-columbia-lions/alltime-roster?letter=B "British Columbia Lions All-Time Roster"], ''The Football Database''. Retrieved August 20, 2022.</ref>

==Acting career==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=July 2016}}
Autry made his film debut in the 1978 motion picture ''[[Remember My Name (film)|Remember My Name]]''. He met his father, Carl Autry Sr., for the first time in 1981, while on location in Shreveport for the motion picture ''[[Southern Comfort (1981 film)|Southern Comfort]]'', after he found Carl's name in the telephone book. Afterwards, he made the decision to return to his birth surname of Autry. During his acting years, he struggled with drug and alcohol use, according to an interview with [[Pat Robertson]]'s ''[[The 700 Club]]'' in 2007.

==Other==
After nine years in Hollywood, Autry returned home and left his career. "I realized that God had moved in my life like never before. I really realized what God and the power of Jesus Christ was," he said on ''The 700 Club.''<ref>[http://www.cbn.com/700club/guests/interviews/Alan_Autry010907.aspx The 700 Club – Alan Autry: A New Sheriff in Town], cbn.com; accessed July 20, 2016.</ref> 
By 1986, he was divorced and became a [[born-again Christian]] and began to devote much of his time to working with charitable causes. He was married to his second wife, Kimberlee Autry, for 31 years until her death in 2025; the couple has three children.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

==Filmography==
===Television===
====Starring roles====
*''[[In the Heat of the Night (TV series)|In the Heat of the Night]]'' (1988–95) as Officer/Sergeant/Lieutenant/Captain Bubba Skinner
*''[[Grace Under Fire]]'' (1995–96) as Rick Bradshaw
*''[[Style & Substance]]'' (1998) as Earl
*''[[Sons of Thunder (TV series)|Sons of Thunder]]'' (1999) as Butch McMann

====Guest-starring roles====
*''[[Hello, Larry]]'' – "The Final Papers" (1979) as Max [credited as Carlos Brown]
*''[[Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (TV series)|Seven Brides for Seven Brothers]]'' – "Gold Fever" (1982) as J.T. [credited as Carlos Brown]
*''[[Best of the West]]'' – "The Funeral" (1982) [credited as Carlos Brown]
*''[[Cheers]]'' – "[[The Boys in the Bar]]" (1983) as Tom Kenderson
*''The Mississippi'' – "Murder at Mt. Parnassus" (1983)
*''[[The A-Team]]''
** "Labor Pains" (1983) as Gary Crenshaw
** "Quarterback Sneak" (1986) as Mike "The Hammer" Horn
*''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]''
** "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Duke" (1984) as Hurley
** "10&nbsp;Million Dollar Sheriff" (Parts 1&2) (1981) as Dawson [credited as Carlos Brown]
*''[[Hunter (1984 American TV series)|Hunter]]'' – "High Bleacher Man" (1984) as Whitey McVee
*''[[Newhart]]'' – "Will the Real Dick Loudon Please Shut Up?" (1986) as Ed McKendrick
*''[[St. Elsewhere]]'' – "Out on a Limb" (1986) as John Corzinsky
*''[[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]]'' – "Peekskill Law" (1988) as Clark Darrin
*''[[Hart of Dixie]]'' (2015) – as Mayor Todd Gainey Sr. of rival town Fillmore, AL
*''[[Tulsa King]]'' (2022) - as Brian Gillen
*''[[9-1-1: Lone Star]]'' (2023–24) - as Ranger Chief Bridges

===Films===
Credited as Alan Autry
*''[[Roadhouse 66]]'' (1984) as Hoot
*''[[O.C. and Stiggs]]'' (1985)
*''The Eagle and the Bear'' (1985)
*''[[Brewster's Millions (1985 film)|Brewster's Millions]]'' (1985) as Biff Brown
*''[[House (1985 film)|House]]'' (1985) as Cop #3
*''[[Nomads (1986 film)|Nomads]]'' (1986) as Olds
*''Blue de Ville'' (1986) as Sgt. Auggie Johnson
*''[[At Close Range]]'' (1986) as Ernie
*''Proud Men'' (1987) as Brian Winoon
*''Destination America'' (1987) as Larry Leathergood
*''[[Amazing Grace and Chuck]]'' (1987) as George
*''World Gone Wild'' (1987) as Hank
*''[[Street of Dreams (1988 film)|Street of Dreams]]'' (1988) as Maury Fields
*''[[The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake]]'' (1990) as Matt
*''Intruders'' (1992) as Joe Wilkes
*''[[The Legend of Jake Kincaid]]'' (2002) as Jake Kincaid
*''Forgiven'' (2011) as Jake Kincaid
*''Victory by Submission'' (2016) as Hank Hendricks

Credited as Carlos Brown
*''[[Remember My Name (film)|Remember My Name]]'' (1978) as Rusty
*''[[North Dallas Forty (film)|North Dallas Forty]]'' (1979) as Balford
*''Rage!'' (1980) as Man #B
*''[[Popeye (film)|Popeye]]'' (1980) as Slug (a bully)
*''[[Southern Comfort (1981 film)|Southern Comfort]]'' (1981) as Cpl. Nolan (Coach) Bowden
*''Dangerous Company'' (1982) as Donald Robinette

==Politics==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=May 2016}}
Autry, a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], was elected [[2000 Fresno mayoral election|in 2000]] to succeed [[Jim Patterson (mayor)|Jim Patterson]] as the mayor of Fresno, defeating former mayor [[Dan Whitehurst]]. He was elected to a second term (2005–2009) [[2004 Fresno mayoral election|on March 2, 2004]], with more than 72% of the vote. Because of [[Term limits in the United States|term limits]], he was ineligible to run for re-election. In November 2008, he endorsed [[Ashley Swearengin]], who was elected to succeed him as mayor.

==Dirt Road Productions==
In 1997, Autry launched his own production company, Dirt Road Productions. In 2002, he released ''[[The Legend of Jake Kincaid]]'', a Western-based on a story he wrote. He was also the director of this film.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264789/|title=The Legend of Jake Kincaid (TV Movie 2002)|website=IMDB}}</ref>

==Music==
{{BLP sources section|date=January 2017}}
Autry and his ''In the Heat of the Night'' co-star [[Randall Franks]] joined forces under the banner of Autry-Franks Productions to produce the charity ''In the Heat of the Night'' CD ''Christmas Time's A Comin''', featuring the cast of the show. The project raised funds for drug-abuse prevention charities. With Franks producing, Autry performed his rendition of "[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]" in homage to [[Gene Autry]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://randallfranks.com/christmas-times-a-comin/ | title=Christmas Times' A Comin' }}</ref> (Gene and Alan were distant cousins, descended from William A. Autry (5 August 1784 – 2 April 1836) and Mary Campbell of North Carolina/Tennessee.)

Franks and Autry both performed on "[[Jingle Bells]]" and "Christmas Time's A Comin'". The duo was able to include many music legends, including [[Kitty Wells]], [[Jimmy Dickens]], and [[Pee Wee King]], and many from the [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]] genre, from [[Jim & Jesse]] to [[The Lewis Family]]. The ''Christmas Time's A Comin''' CD, released on Sonlite and [[MGM/UA Entertainment Co.#MGM/UA, Turner and Pathé|MGM/UA]], was one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clinchmountainecho.co.uk/disc/son140cd.php|title=Christmas Time's A Comin' — Featuring In The Heat Of The Night Cast & Friends|website=Clinchmountainecho.com}}</ref>

Crimson Records released their second Autry-Franks Productions project ''Alan Autry and Randall Franks Mississippi Moon: Country Traditions'' in 2013, an Americana CD featuring both actors vocally on various classic and original songs. The project, which incorporates country, bluegrass, and [[Southern gospel]], includes special appearances by Bluegrass Hall of Fame members Jim and Jesse McReynolds and three-time [[Dove Award]] nominee Mark Wheeler of the Marksmen Quartet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cybergrass.com/node/2941|title=A Musical "Mississippi Moon" Shines for Two American Actors|website=Cybergrass.com|date=September 19, 2013|access-date=July 21, 2016|archive-date=August 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819011516/http://www.cybergrass.com/node/2941|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
{| class=wikitable
!colspan=5|[[2000 Fresno mayoral election]]<ref>{{cite web |title=RESULTS OF MARCH 7, 2000 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION |url=https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/county-clerk-registrar-of-voters/election-information/election-results/results-of-march-7-2000-presidential-primary-election |publisher=Fresno County |access-date=30 September 2019 |date=4 April 2000 |archive-date=September 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901132425/https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/county-clerk-registrar-of-voters/election-information/election-results/results-of-march-7-2000-presidential-primary-election |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=RESULTS OF NOVEMBER 7, 2000 CONSOLIDATED GENERAL ELECTION |url=https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/county-clerk-registrar-of-voters/election-information/election-results/results-of-november-7-2000-consolidated-general-election |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201103845/http://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/county-clerk-registrar-of-voters/election-information/election-results/results-of-november-7-2000-consolidated-general-election |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 1, 2018 |publisher=Fresno County |access-date=30 September 2019 |date=27 November 2000 }}</ref>
|-
!colspan=1 rowspan=2 |Candidate
!colspan=2 |First round
!colspan=2 |Runoff
|-
!Votes
!%
!Votes
!%
|-
| '''Alan Autry'''        
| align="right" | '''22,951'''
| align="right" | '''28.75'''
| align="right" | '''66,555'''
| align="right" | '''61.23'''
|-
| [[Dan Whitehurst]]
| align="right" | '''22,177'''
| align="right" | '''27.78'''
| align="right" | 41,920
| align="right" | 38.57
|-
| Chris Mathys
| align="right" | 10,503
| align="right" | 13.16
| colspan=2 bgcolor=darkgray |
|-
| Garry Bredefeld
| align="right" | 10,029
| align="right" | 12.56
| colspan=2 bgcolor=darkgray |
|-
| Daniel Ronquillo
| align="right" | 7,929
| align="right" | 9.93
| colspan=2 bgcolor=darkgray |
|-
| Sal Quintero
| align="right" | 5,046
| align="right" | 6.32
| colspan=2 bgcolor=darkgray |
|-
| Chris Petersen
| align="right" | 699
| align="right" | 0.88
| colspan=2 bgcolor=darkgray |
|-
| Benjerman J. Raya
| align="right" | 214
| align="right" | 0.27
| colspan=2 bgcolor=darkgray |
|-
| Michael Eagles	
| align="right" | 203
| align="right" | 0.25
| colspan=2 bgcolor=darkgray |
|-
| ''[[Write-in candidate|Write-ins]]''
| align="right" | 86
| align="right" | 0.11
| align="right" | 214
| align="right" | 0.20
|-
! Total
! 79,837
! 100
! 108,689
! 100
|}

{{Election box begin no party no change| title=[[2004 Fresno mayoral election]]<ref name=results>{{cite web|title=RESULTS FOR MARCH 2, 2004 CONSOLIDATED PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION Report|url=https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/county-clerk-registrar-of-voters/election-information/election-results/results-for-march-2-2004-consolidated-presidential-primary-election|publisher=Fresno County|access-date=30 September 2019|archive-date=September 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902191723/https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/county-clerk-registrar-of-voters/election-information/election-results/results-for-march-2-2004-consolidated-presidential-primary-election|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} 
{{Election box winning candidate no party no change|
  |candidate  =  Alan Autry (incumbent)
  |votes      = 48,744
  |percentage = 72.53
}}
{{Election box candidate no party no change|
  |candidate  = Sue Saigal
  |votes      = 13,904
  |percentage = 20.69
}}
{{Election box candidate no party no change|
  |candidate  = Johnny W. Nelum, Sr.
  |votes      = 2,348
  |percentage = 3.49
}}
{{Election box candidate no party no change|
  |candidate  = Benjamin Junior Ra
  |votes      = 2,389
  |percentage = 4.54
}}
{{Election box candidate no party no change|
  |candidate  = Tony Farmer
  |votes      = 813
  |percentage = 1.21
}}
{{Election box candidate no party no change|
  |candidate  = Barbara Ann Hunt (write-in)
  |votes      = 8
  |percentage = 0.01
}}
{{Election box candidate no party no change|
  |candidate  = ''Other write-ins''
  |votes      = 225
  |percentage = 0.33
}}
{{Election box total no party no change
| votes = 67,201
| percentage =
}}
{{Election box end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0042641|name=Alan Autry}}
* [http://www.justsportsstats.com/footballstatsindex.php?player_id=browncar001 Stats Crew profile]

{{S-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{Succession box| before =[[Jim Patterson (mayor)|Jim Patterson]] |title=23rd Mayor of [[Fresno, California]]| years = January 2001 – January 6, 2009 | after = [[Ashley Swearengin]] }}
{{S-end}}

{{Green Bay Packers starting quarterbacks}}
{{Green Bay Packers 1975 NFL draft picks}}
{{Mayors of Fresno, California}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Autry, Alan}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century mayors of places in California]]
[[Category:American actor-politicians]]
[[Category:American athlete-politicians]]
[[Category:American Christians]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:Green Bay Packers players]]
[[Category:Louisiana Republicans]]
[[Category:Mayors of Fresno, California]]
[[Category:Pacific Tigers football players]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Shreveport, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Male actors from Shreveport, Louisiana]]
[[Category:University of the Pacific (United States) alumni]]