# Athletes who became actors (or tried to)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [August 5, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536 "2011-08-05T03:09:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/1 "2011-08-05T03:09:30Z")
The death of Bubba Smith reminded me that for some odd reason a lot of football players in the 60s/70s became actors after or even during their playing days: Dick Butkis, Alex Karras, Rosey Grier, Jim Brown, etc. Why? Do you remember any other atheletes (especially non-Americans) who took up acting? And were any of them legitimately good actors?
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/2 "2011-08-05T03:23:20Z")
[http://listverse.com/2008/07/02/top-12-pro-athletes-turned-actors/](http://listverse.com/2008/07/02/top-12-pro-athletes-turned-actors/) here are the top 12.
Includes Bob Uecker
Rick Fox
Jason lee
Merlin Olsen
Chuck Conners
Carl Weathers
Fred Dryer
Vinnie Jones
Fred Williamson
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/3 "2011-08-05T03:26:14Z")
Johnny Weissmuller.
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/4 "2011-08-05T03:34:45Z")
Buster Crabb
Sonia Hennie
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### Author:  [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/5 "2011-08-05T03:38:04Z")
There was this body builder named Arnold Schwarzenegger…
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/6 "2011-08-05T03:38:38Z")
John Wayne was playing football for USC before he took up acting.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/7 "2011-08-05T03:41:55Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#):
>
> There was this body builder named Arnold Schwarzenegger…
The list **gonzomax** linked to specifically excluded bodybuilders and pro wrestlers.
> [@](#):
>
> I am not including any professional bodybuilders or professional wrestlers in this list because stage presence and theatrics are already exhibited in these two sports.
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### Author:  [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/8 "2011-08-05T03:59:16Z")
The Juice was a pretty good actor.
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/9 "2011-08-05T04:06:41Z")
> [@Palooka](#):
>
> The Juice was a pretty good actor.
I named my beagle Nordberg in honor of his character.
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### Author:  [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/10 "2011-08-05T04:18:55Z")
Burt Reynolds was a college running back.
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/11 "2011-08-05T04:32:11Z")
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar appeared in Bruce Lee’s _ **Game of Death** _, in _ **Airplane!** _, and in _ **Fletch** _.
_ **Airplane!** _ was based on the Fifties disaster movie _ **Zero Hour!** _, which featured another Los Angeles athlete as the co-pilot: wide receiver “Crazy Legs” Hirsch.
Merlin Olsen has already been mentioned, but he was just one of the Rams players who appeared in the John Wayne/Rock Hudson Western _ **The Undefeated** _: his quarterback, Roman Gabriel, had a much bigger part.
Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris starred as themselves in a terrible family drama called _ **Safe at Home.** _
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/12 "2011-08-05T04:35:44Z")
Real life jockey Gary Stevens played jockey George Woolf in _ **Seabiscuit.** _
Raiders defensive lineman John Matuszak was memorable in \*\*\*North Dallas 40, \*\*\*and made a few other movies after that.
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### Author:  [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/13 "2011-08-05T05:16:11Z")
> [@astorian](#):
>
> Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris starred as themselves in a terrible family drama called _ **Safe at Home.** _
Yes, but it inspired a pretty good Brady Bunch episode.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/14 "2011-08-05T05:44:13Z")
_NCIS_’ Mark Harmon was the quarterback for the UCLA Bruins.
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/15 "2011-08-05T13:13:57Z")
O J Simpson. Did a great acting scene while trying on some gloves.
Like you didn’t know I was going to post that!
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/16 "2011-08-05T13:24:54Z")
Johnny Mack Brown
Joe Namath
Tommy Lee Jones
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/17 "2011-08-05T13:39:50Z")
Woody Strode
Brian Bosworth
John Matuzak
Ben Davidson
Howie Long
Terry Bradshaw
Lyle Alzado
Ray Nitschke
Strode may have been the best actor of the bunch.
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### Author:  [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/18 "2011-08-05T13:54:55Z")
> [@installLSC](#):
>
> The death of Bubba Smith reminded me that for some odd reason a lot of football players in the 60s/70s became actors after or even during their playing days: Dick Butkis, Alex Karras, Rosey Grier, Jim Brown, etc. Why? Do you remember any other atheletes (especially non-Americans) who took up acting? And were any of them legitimately good actors?
The ‘Why?’ seems pretty easy: they needed money. Mega-million dollar athletes are a post-1960s invention. And from the other side, they were already famous enough that producers thought it wouldn’t hurt to add them to a movie/TV show.
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/19 "2011-08-05T14:11:10Z")
> [@Quercus](#):
>
> The ‘Why?’ seems pretty easy: they needed money. Mega-million dollar athletes are a post-1960s invention. And from the other side, they were already famous enough that producers thought it wouldn’t hurt to add them to a movie/TV show.
The late Ernie Ladd, a very good defensive lineman in the Sixties, became a cartoonish villain in pro wrestling after leaving the NFL. Years later, when someone asked if he’d cheapened his legacy or embarrassed himself by turning to wrestling, Ladd laughed and said he had no reason to be embarrassed, because he’d made LOADS more money i nwrestling than he ever had in football.
In the Sixties, as you say, football just didn’t pay that much.
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### Author:  [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/20 "2011-08-05T14:18:58Z")
Dan Marino did a pretty good job in Ace Ventura - provided you took nothing about that movie too seriously.
Brett Favre was in Something about Mary. He was bad. Embarrassingly bad. And he only had a few minute cameo.
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