Michael Ballew was an American actor, stuntman and transportation coordinator. He began playing football as a high school freshman after his family moved to Leavenworth, Washington, and he received a partial football scholarship to Shoreline Community College in Seattle.

After junior college, he transferred to the University of Washington to study sociology. After college, he played as a defensive end for the Hagerstown Bears, a minor league team in Maryland, for two seasons. He was signed to the Chicago Bears in 1973, and played half a season with the team before being cut.