Charles 'Bubba' Smith has been found dead at his Los Angeles home.

The 66-year-old actor and former NFL star - who was best known for his role as Moses Hightower in the hit comedy movie series 'Police Academy' - was found by police yesterday afternoon (03.08.11) after officers were called to his property.

According to TMZ, when police arrived, they found the star already deceased and it appeared that he died of natural causes although the coroner is investigating.

Smith played in the NFL for nine seasons before deciding to become an actor in the early 70s.

He landed the role of Cadet Moses Hightower in Police Academy in 1984 and appeared in all but one of the seven sequels.

Other stars of the movies include David Graf, G. W. Bailey, Steve Guttenberg and Leslie Easterbrook.

As well as the 'Police Academy' franchise, Smith also had several small TV roles, which included 'Half Nelson' and 'Married with Children'.