The Last Movie Terry Funk Was In Before He Died
Professional wrestler Terry Funk passed away on August 23 of undisclosed causes at the age of 79. Behind him lies a long legacy of impressive matches — and a surprisingly lengthy acting career. During some of his prime years, Funk kept a side hustle alive in Hollywood, working on and off in the entertainment industry from 1978 to 2005. While he may be best known for his appearance in the cult classic "Road House" as Morgan, his final film appearance was in 2005's Farrelly Brothers film "The Ringer."
The Johnny Knoxville-starring comedy sees Funk put in a cameo appearance. He plays a character named Frankie, but he has no lines. Instead, he sits in a bar and reacts as Steve Barker's (Knoxville) rival, Glen (Jed Rees), takes money for a bet placed on Steve during his time competing in the Special Olympics. Frankie is the exact same moniker Funk sported during his first film appearance in 1978's "Paradise Alley," which turns the cameo into a fun nod to his acting history. But that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Funk's Hollywood sojourn, which took him to some surprising places — and put him in the orbit of several big Hollywood celebrities.
Terry Funk had a fruitful acting career during the 1990s
Aside from his appearances in "Road House" and "The Ringer," Terry Funk's acting career mainly spanned from the 1980s into the 1990s. He was a regular on the short-lived western drama "Wildside," where he played Prometheus Jones for six episodes. Being a Texan, Funk was often called upon by the acting community to portray wrestlers or cowboys. He popped up as Carl in "Heart of a Champion," a Season 3 episode of "Quantum Leap" that sees Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) jump into the body of a wrestler.
Funk was cast against type as a police officer and had a regular role on the one-season wonder CBS comedy "Tequila and Bonetti" as Sgt. Nuzo. Funk's character did not survive the show's soft reboot, which saw Bonetti (Jack Scalia) and his canine partner move together to Italy. Funk also appeared in the 1989 television version of "Swamp Thing" and in the pilot for "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr." as an accused criminal.
Funk's appearance as Frankie the Thumper in "Paradise Alley" also resulted in a working relationship with star Sylvester Stallone; the wrestler later appeared in the Stallone-starring arm-wrestling epic "Over the Top" as Ruker and provided additional stunt work for "Rambo III" and "Rocky V." Stallone specifically called on Funk's expertise to help him stage the alley brawl between his Rocky Balboa character and the boxer's former protege Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison) during the film's final fight sequence.
Whether it involved laying down the law or avoiding it, never let it be said that Terry Funk didn't know how to beat his acting competition to the punch.