On The Fire Line Former Defensive Lineman Howie Long Makes His Starring-Role Debut In ‘Firestorm’

Here’s how Howie Long became a film star:

Rupert Murdoch thought the ex-Los Angeles Raider and current Fox TV sportscaster looked like an action hero. So Murdoch called one of his employees - the president of Fox TV - and asked why the film division hadn’t recruited Long.

“When Rupert calls, you take the meeting,” laughs Long, who was perfectly content co-hosting “Fox NFL Sunday,” the wildly successful pre-game show. Long met with the film honchos and eventually was cast in director John Woo’s “Broken Arrow.”

Woo liked the former All-Pro so much he kept expanding Long’s role during filming. Twentieth Century Fox felt the same way: It signed Long to a three-picture contract while “Broken Arrow” was still in production.

“Firestorm,” the first flick in the deal, opened Friday. Long stars as a “smoke jumper” (forest firefighter) who battles nature and some escaped cons.

“Hollywood has a need for the next big action star,” says Tom Sherak, chairman of the Fox film division. “Howie brings to the party likability, (plus) he’s big, strapping and good-looking.”

Long, a former defensive lineman, is following in some well-trodden footsteps: Players have been making the move to film since the 1920s, when football superstar Red Grange starred in three silent pictures. Since then, Jim Brown, Alex Karras, O.J. Simpson and many others have made the jump.

Football “is so interwoven into American culture, the fans strive to see these guys any chance they can,” says Paul Speaker of the National Football League. “The movie business is searching (them out).”

Long, who played college ball at Villanova, says there are a lot of similarities between football and film making: “You come together as a team. The head coach is the director, the quarterback is the lead actor, and the offensive linemen are the grips.”

There’s also the physicality. Ex-football stars have made it as action stars because, says Long, “you don’t have to sell the fact that a football player has toughness.”

And because the athletes work in relative anonymity - their features disguised by pounds of equipment and large helmets - they become fresh faces after making the switch to acting.

“The beauty of having played pro football for so long is that people haven’t seen me angry, overly happy or despondent - the range of emotions a human being shows,” says Long.

Long has yet to take acting lessons, and he refuses to watch dailies, the unedited footage from daily filming. So he admits he’s not quite sure what others find compelling about his work.

But he says Fox executives keep saying he has “‘a presence.’ I don’t know what that means, honestly. I think what I try to do is be honest in the portrayal of what I’m doing; I put myself in the situation.

“What it comes down to is, people either want to watch what you’re doing (or they don’t).”

Right now, Long and a gaggle of Hollywood big shots are waiting to see if he’s got what audiences will pay to see. Long says he’s not particularly nervous about “Firestorm’s” box office showing, but his calm has little to do with the picture itself. A working-class kid who never thought he could have the kind of life he’s enjoyed so far (which includes a Super Bowl ring and an Emmy for his Fox TV work, as well as a devoted wife and three sons), Long has it all in perspective.

“People are waiting to see how this film does,” he says.

“Am I concerned about it? Not particularly. I have had a dream life.

“If (the film career) ended tomorrow, I’ve had the (kind of) life that people could only dream about.”

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GRIDIRON PLAYERS MAKE MOVE TO ACTING New York Daily News A slew of pro football players have made the transition from gridiron to silver screen (or TV) glory. Among them: Jim Brown Team: Cleveland Browns. Key films: “The Dirty Dozen,” “Slaughter,” “Rio Conchos.” Bernie Casey - Team: Los Angeles Rams. Key films: “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” “Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde,” “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.” O.J. Simpson - Teams: Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers. Key films: “Capricorn One,” “Naked Gun” movies. Alex Karras - Team: Detroit Lions. Key films: “Blazing Saddles,” “Victor/ Victoria.” TV series: “Webster.” Fred Williamson - Team: Kansas City Chiefs. Key films: “Black Caesar,” “Three the Hard Way,” “Hell up in Harlem.” Fred Dryer - Teams: Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants. TV series: “Hunter.” Carl Weathers - Team: Oakland Raiders. Key films: “Rocky I, II, III, IV,” “Action Jackson.” Joe Namath - Team: New York Jets. Key films: “C.C. and Company,” “Norwood.” TV series: “The Waverly Wonders.”