Frank Gifford

As one who holds equal weight for his professional football career with the New York Giants, his lengthy tenure as one of America's most respected sports broadcasters, and his early-'80s run as the anchor of Good Morning America, the genial Frank Gifford elevates the term Renaissance man to a new sphere. Particularly for one whose primary claims to fame lie outside of the theatrical realm, Gifford sports a surprisingly healthy cinematic resumé, with the preponderance of his onscreen roles tied to his football activity -- as in the 1968 Paper Lion, the 1973 Disney farce The World's Greatest Athlete, and Cameron Crowe's 1996 sports drama Jerry Maguire. He netted cinematic recognition in 2006 when he participated (alongside Gay Talese and others) in Kristi Jacobson's acclaimed documentary Toots, about the life of one of New York's most famous "inside" celebrities: the bartender Toots Shor.

~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide