Whatever Happened to Fred Dryer, Former NFL Player and ‘Hunter’ Star?
What To Know
- Fred Dryer had a distinguished NFL career from 1969 to 1981, notably becoming the only player to record two safeties in a single game.
- After retiring from football, Dryer transitioned to acting, achieving fame as Sgt. Rick Hunter on the long-running NBC series Hunter and later moving into producing.
- Dryer has remained active in television with various acting and producing roles, making his recent Hollywood Show appearance a nostalgic moment for fans.
If you’re heading to The Hollywood Show this weekend, there’s a very good chance one familiar face will stop you in your tracks: Fred Dryer, now 79, is one of those rare stars whose career comes with two completely different claim-to-fame stories, and both still hold up. Before he ever played TV detective Sgt. Rick Hunter on the show Hunter, Dryer spent 13 seasons in the NFL.
How did Fred Dryer begin his career?
Born John Frederick Dryer on July 6, 1946, in Hawthorne, California, Fred played at Lawndale High School, then attended El Camino Junior College before transferring to San Diego State. His college years were marked by honors, including later recognition from both schools and, eventually, induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
The NFL chapter of his life began in 1969, when Dryer was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants. He played with the Giants from 1969 to 1971, then spent the bulk of his career with the Los Angeles Rams from 1972 to 1981. He remains the only NFL player to record two safeties in a single game, which happened in 1973 against the Green Bay Packers.
Stephen J. Cannell Prod./Everett Collection
After retiring from football in 1981, Dryer moved right into television as an NFL color commentator for CBS, then shifted into acting full-time. He appeared on Cheers in multiple episodes as sportscaster and former Red Sox player Dave Richards, and also on CHiPs as Lt. John LeGarre.
Then came the role that turned him into a true TV star. In March 1984, Dryer was hired by Stephen J. Cannell to play Sgt. Rick Hunter on NBC’s Hunter. The series ran for seven seasons and became his defining role. Over the years, the show’s female lead changed, starting with Stepfanie Kramer, then Darlanne Fluegel, and finally Lauren Lane, but Dryer remained at the center of the series throughout.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for TNT
As Hunter went on, Dryer’s interest started shifting behind the camera, too. He produced the sixth and seventh seasons, and that move seemed to set the tone for what came next. After Hunter ended its original run, he leaned further into producing by forming Fred Dryer Productions, following Brandon Tartikoff to Paramount Studios in the early ’90s. Under that banner, he produced two NBC movies: Day of Reckoning, shot on location in Bangkok, Thailand, and The Return of Hunter.
Where is Fred Dryer today?
After leaving Paramount in August 1993, Dryer moved into first-run syndication with an action series called Land’s End. He also kept acting and continued popping up in familiar places over the years. His later credits include appearances on Diagnosis: Murder, Crisis, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and NCIS, which makes him one of those actors who never really “left,” even if he wasn’t headlining network TV the way he did in the ’80s. All of which makes his Hollywood Show appearance feel like a full-circle moment.
Remind 