Athletes as Actors
Athletes turned actors- There are several professional athletes who have turned actors over the years and it’s been a common career change. However, some have tried it, only to fail. Some of these guys found success on TV shows and big screen films while others went down as one hit wonders. But we may not see them getting an Oscar or Emmy rather some have become very successful in their second careers.
Going through a list of athletes turned actors is a tough sell, mainly because there really aren’t a lot of good ball players who made much of an impact in their thespian trade. However, a handful of them have been able to make a successful transition from one career to the next. This list takes a few liberties as it includes body builders and wrestlers, but some of the most entertaining “athletes” come from those athletic classifications, and if felt unfair to ignore them.Here's our roundup of some of the more memorable athlete-turned-actors stories.
Jim Brown
He might have been the greatest of all time. Some even say that he was, even if his days in the league were abbreviated. But after he walked away from the football field, Brown went on to have a quite, successful movie career.Pro Sports Career: Played football for the Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965 on the position of Halfback.
Notable Acting Roles:
- Robert Jefferson in The Dirty Dozen (1967)
- Slammer in I'm Gonna Git you Sucka (1988)
- Montezuma Monroe in Any Given Sunday (1999)
- Fireball in The Running Man (1987)
- Appeared on the TV shows CHiPs (1979, 1983), Knight Rider (1984), T.J. Hooker (1983-84), and The A-Team (1986)
Arnold Schwarzenegger
He was the first to really make it big in the film business. All signs pointed to a short, unsuccessful career in acting. After all, he had a heavy Austrian accent, and his long and confusing last name seems impossible to pronounce. But somehow he managed to find staying power with a few key roles.Pro Sports Career: Mr. Universe of 1968, IFBB Mr. Olympia for 1970-1975, 1980
Notable Acting Roles:
- Arnold Strong 'Mr. Universe' in Hercules in New York (1970)
- Conan in Conan the Barbarian (1982)
- Conan in Conan the Destroyer (1984)
- The Terminator in The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2 (1991), and Terminator 3 (2003)
- Kalidor in Red Sonja (1985)
- John matrix in Commando (1985)
- Dutch in Predator (1987)
- Ben Richards in The Running Man (1987)
- Julius Benedict in Twins (1988)
- Douglas Quaid in Total Recall (1990)
- Detective John Kimble in Kindergarten Cop (1990)
- Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin (1997)
Alex Karras
Pro Sports Career: Played football as defensive tackle with the Detroit Lions from 1958-1962 & 1964-1970Notable Acting Roles:
- Mongo in Blazing Saddles (1974)
- Sheriff Wallace in Porky's (1981)
- George Papadapolis in the TV series Webster (1983-89)
- TV sportscaster in Buffalo '66 (1998)
Jason Lee
Professional skateboarding is not exactly the sport you might think of when you hear about pro athletes becoming actors. However when you think of the skill level and the athletic ability involved along with the competitiveness I think it deserves to be here with the other sports.Pro Sports Career: Former professional skateboarder from the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Notable Acting Roles:
- Brodie in Mallrats (1995)
- Banky Edwards in Chasing Amy (1997)
- Zavitz in Enemy of the State (1998)
- Azrael in Dogma (1999)
- Jeff Bebe in Almost Famous (2000)
- Brodie Bruce/Banky Edwards in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
- Brian Shelby in Vanilla Sky (2001)
- Lance Dowds in Clerks II (2006)
- Earl Hickey on the TV series My Name is Earl (2005-present)
Carl Weathers
Pro Sports Career: Played football as Linebacker for the Oakland Raiders (1970-71) and the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League (1971-73).Notable Acting Roles:
- Apollo Creed in Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), and Rocky IV, Dillon in Predator (1987)
- Action Jackson in Action Jackson (1988)
- Chubbs in Happy Gilmore (1996)
- Chubbs in Little Nicky (2000)
- Col. Brewster in Tour of Duty (1989-90)
- Adam Beaudreaux in Street Justice (1991-93)
- Chief Hampton Forbes in The Heat of the Night (1993-94)