Alan Autry has followed one of the more unusual career paths in American entertainment. He went from professional football to television, filmmaking, local politics, and radio. Many viewers still recognize him first as Captain Bubba Skinner from In the Heat of the Night.
Quick answer: Alan Autry is an American actor, former NFL quarterback, radio host, and former mayor of Fresno, California. Born July 31, 1952, he is 74 years old in 2026. His best-known acting role was Bubba Skinner on In the Heat of the Night, while his public career included two terms leading Fresno.
| Key fact | Details |
| Full name | Carlos Alan Autry Jr. |
| Date of birth | July 31, 1952 |
| Age in 2026 | 74 |
| Birthplace | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Profession | Actor, former NFL player, former mayor, radio host |
| NFL team | Green Bay Packers |
| Famous role | Bubba Skinner, In the Heat of the Night |
| Fresno mayoral service | January 2001, January 2009 |
| First wife | Vicky Brown |
| Second wife | Kimberlee Autry, who died in 2025 |
| Children/family | Lauren, Austin, and stepdaughter Heather |
Who Is Alan Autry?
His story stretches across sports, Hollywood, public service, and broadcasting. He was born Carlos Alan Autry Jr. in Shreveport, Louisiana. After his parents separated, he spent much of his childhood in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
His family moved frequently while doing agricultural work before settling in Riverdale, California. Football eventually provided a route to college and professional sports. That opportunity became the first major turn in a career filled with unexpected changes.
Readers interested in other careers that crossed entertainment and public life can browse the MagVibes entertainment section. The site also covers careers built across several fields. Its profile of Chandler Jones offers another detailed look at an NFL career.
His Early Life in California
The future actor grew up far from Hollywood’s traditional entertainment circles. His mother and stepfather worked in agriculture, and the family followed seasonal farm work around California. They harvested crops including cotton and grapes during his childhood.
By age 12, he was living in Riverdale in California’s Central Valley. Sports became an important part of his high school years there. His performance as a quarterback helped him earn a college opportunity at the University of the Pacific.
That Central Valley background remained important long after football ended. He eventually returned to the region and established a lasting connection with Fresno. Years later, that relationship would lead him into elected office.
From College Football to the Green Bay Packers
His professional football chapter was short, but it was genuine NFL experience. The Green Bay Packers selected him in the 12th round of the 1975 NFL Draft. He was selected 296th overall and played as Carlos Brown.
Pro-Football-Reference records 26 regular-season appearances across the 1975 and 1976 seasons. He started three games at quarterback in 1976. His career passing totals included 396 yards and three touchdowns.
Football did not become his long-term profession. After leaving the Packers, he pursued acting and began building an entirely different career. That shift eventually made him much more familiar to television audiences than football fans.
How Bubba Skinner Made Him a Familiar TV Face
His early screen career included Remember My Name, released in 1978. Other film and television opportunities followed during the 1980s. His breakthrough came after he joined the cast of In the Heat of the Night.
He played Bubba Skinner, the imposing police officer who became one of the series’ familiar characters. The television drama starred Carroll O’Connor and developed a loyal audience. His work on the program remains the role most closely connected with his acting career.
The series also gave him an identity separate from his earlier football years. Viewers who never saw him play quarterback came to know him through television. His career would later move away from Hollywood again, this time toward civic life.
For another MagVibes profile focused on a long television career, read about Peter Hermann’s acting career and family life. Hermann likewise built recognition through recurring television characters. His career, however, followed a different route outside those roles.
Alan Autry as Mayor of Fresno
The former actor entered Fresno politics and won the city’s mayoral election in November 2000. His first term began in January 2001. He subsequently won reelection and remained mayor until January 2009.
His mayoral years included debates over development, education, homelessness, budgets, and public safety. Contemporary reporting also documented disagreements with other Republican officials on some state issues. Those records show that his political identity did not always produce agreement with fellow party members.
A 2009 congressional statement marking his departure credited his administration with infrastructure improvements and work in underserved Fresno neighborhoods. Such statements represent the views of the member who entered them into the Congressional Record. His administration also faced criticism and litigation over Fresno’s treatment of homeless encampments.
His two terms therefore form a substantial part of his public biography. They were not a brief celebrity campaign followed by an immediate return to entertainment. He spent eight years leading one of California’s largest cities.
Marriage, Children, and Family Life
He first married Vicky Brown in 1980, and they had a daughter, Lauren. They divorced in 1986. He later married Kimberlee Green in 1994.
Kimberlee had a daughter, Heather, from an earlier relationship. The couple also had a son, Austin. Family obituary records identify Lauren, Heather, and Austin among Kimberlee’s surviving family members.
Kimberlee died in October 2025 after more than three decades of marriage. Her obituary records her work alongside her husband and her time as Fresno’s first lady. This detail matters because several older online biographies still describe the marriage in the present tense.
Alan Autry: What Did He Do After Leaving City Hall?
Leaving elected office did not mean disappearing from public life. He returned to broadcasting and continued pursuing media projects. Fresno-area reporting documented his return to local radio on KXEX in 2021.
Apple Podcasts also lists The Alan Autry Show, with episodes from 2024. Its program description identifies him as host of a show associated with Talkradio 1550 KXEX. This continued his connection with Fresno audiences after his mayoral years.
His post-political work fits a pattern seen throughout his career. He has repeatedly moved between professions rather than staying inside one field. Football, acting, production, government, and broadcasting have each formed distinct chapters.
What About His Net Worth?
Online estimates of celebrity wealth should be treated carefully. Private assets, investments, debts, contracts, and taxes are rarely available for independent review. That makes an exact personal net-worth figure difficult to verify.
Published entertainment sites currently offer differing estimates. Celebrity Net Worth lists approximately $3 million, while another biography site has published a $4 million estimate. Neither figure should be treated like an audited financial disclosure.
His documented income-producing work has included professional football, acting, producing, public service, and broadcasting. Those career sources are easier to establish than a precise current fortune. Readers should therefore view specific net-worth numbers as third-party estimates.
Why His Career Still Stands Out
Few television actors can also claim regular-season NFL appearances and eight years as a major-city mayor. Those changes make his biography unusual without requiring exaggerated claims. Substantial public records support each career stage.
His path also connects several parts of American popular culture. Sports fans may remember his Packers history, while television audiences associate him with Bubba Skinner. Fresno residents may instead recognize him most strongly from local government and radio.
That combination helps explain why people continue searching for information about him decades after his television breakthrough. His story cannot be summarized through one role alone. It spans professional sports, network television, municipal politics, filmmaking, and local broadcasting.
For more entertainment biographies, MagVibes readers can also explore Chynna Phillips’ career and family story. MagVibes covers similar profiles across television, music, sports, and entertainment.
A Career With Several Distinct Chapters
The lasting interest in this biography comes from how dramatically its chapters differ. A migrant-worker childhood led to college football and the Green Bay Packers. Professional sports then gave way to acting, public office, production work, and radio.
Bubba Skinner remains the role that introduced him to millions of viewers. Fresno residents also saw another side during his eight years as mayor. His later broadcasting work kept that connection with Central California alive.
For readers discovering him through reruns, football history, or Fresno politics, the full story offers more than one recognizable achievement. His public life crosses several American institutions and several decades. That range remains the clearest reason his career continues attracting attention.
Frequently Asked Questions About Alan Autry
How old is he in 2026?
He is 74 years old as of September 2026. He was born on July 31, 1952, in Shreveport, Louisiana. Multiple biographical and football records confirm that birth date.
What is he most famous for?
He is best known to television audiences for playing Bubba Skinner on In the Heat of the Night. The role became his defining screen performance. The series kept him before a national television audience for several years.
Did he really play in the NFL?
Yes. He played quarterback for the Green Bay Packers under the name Carlos Brown. Official statistical records show 26 appearances and three starts during the 1975 and 1976 seasons.
Was he really the mayor of Fresno?
Yes. He won the mayoral election in 2000 and began serving in January 2001. He completed two terms before leaving office in January 2009.
Is his wife Kimberlee still alive?
No. Kimberlee Jean Autry died in October 2025, according to her family obituary. She and her husband had married in 1994 and remained married until her death.
Is he related to Gene Autry?
Biographical references describe the two men as distant cousins. They should not be confused despite sharing the famous surname. Alan built his public career independently through football, acting, broadcasting, and politics.
