Goodbye to Bubba 'Hightower' Smith

An an 80s child, the Police Academy series of films were a rite of passage and I lapped them all up (well, apart from the final installment).

The ludicrous characterisation of the main characters is what made the brand such a popular and long-lasting one.

It was therefore with no small degree of sadness that I heard a few days ago that one of its giants, both literally and metaphorically speaking, has died aged just 66.

Bubba Smith
It can be far too easily forgotten that Charles Aaron 'Bubba' Smith was in fact first and foremost, a famed professional sportman who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Colts in 1970.

But for those of my generation, it was his gentle giant Hollywood turn as Moses Hightower that will go down in the memory. Here is a brief compilation that has been put together by ITN to mark this sad occasion.

RIP Bubba 'Hightower' Smith