# Athletes who became actors (or tried to) **URL:** \ **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:** 2
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/21 "2011-08-05T14:20:45Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/22 "2011-08-05T14:39:13Z")
Howie Long was pretty good as one of John Travalta’s henchmen in “Broken Arrow.” Who could forget Bob Uecker as the hapless George in TV’s “Mr. Belvedere”? No, wait, we’re talking about athletes, of which Uecker by his own frequent admission wasn’t. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/23 "2011-08-05T14:52:15Z")
English soccer player Vinnie Jones has been in quite a few movies, including some big ones like _Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels_ and _X-Men: The Last Stand_. He’s pretty one-dimensional, and tends to play the same character every time, but he does fine in those roles, IMO. His on-screen persoan is actually pretty much the same as his on-field persona was: enforcer, tough-guy type. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/24 "2011-08-05T14:56:07Z")
I love watching Vinnie Jones, primarily because, like you say, he’s the real deal. Nice performance in _Snatch_ as well. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/25 "2011-08-05T15:29:59Z")
“Who does this guy think he is?” “_I’m_ Keith Hernandez.” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/26 "2011-08-05T16:56:31Z")
Duplicate. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/27 "2011-08-05T16:59:45Z")
[Minor league pitcher Byron Browne, Jr.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0114971/) took up acting (and producing) after blowing out his arm. His only appearance before the injury was in _Major League_. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/28 "2011-08-05T17:01:05Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > The list **gonzomax** linked to specifically excluded bodybuilders and pro wrestlers. Would pro-wrestling count as “acting”? “Macho Man” Randy Savage went from the Cardinals farm system to wrestling. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/29 "2011-08-05T17:01:47Z")
When you are looking for a huge menacing character, you can not go wrong with a wrestler or football player. Although Randal Tex Cobb did a good job in Raising Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/30 "2011-08-05T17:14:58Z")
John Beradino played MLB (not very well) before acting. Esther Williams was a championship swimmer who was supposed to compete in the 1940 Olympics. When the games were canceled, she turned to show business. Oddly enough, she replaced Eleanor Hom, who won a medal in the 1932 Olympics, but turned to show business after she was suspended from the 1936 team. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/31 "2011-08-05T18:35:19Z")
What about former heavyweight boxing champ Ken Norton’s foray into “acting” in movies like _ **Mandingo?** _ ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/32 "2011-08-05T18:41:29Z")
Cripes, how could we all overlook Alex “Mongo Just Pawn in Game of Life” Karras, of the Detroit Lions, “Blazin’ Saddles” and “Webster”? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/33 "2011-08-05T18:56:18Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > Cripes, how could we all overlook Alex “Mongo Just Pawn in Game of Life” Karras, of the Detroit Lions, “Blazin’ Saddles” and “Webster”? We couldn’t, he was in post number 1. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/34 "2011-08-05T19:06:40Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > We couldn’t, he was in post number 1. Damn, I’d better go see the eye doctor again. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/35 "2011-08-05T20:51:34Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Would pro-wrestling count as “acting”? > > “Macho Man” Randy Savage went from the Cardinals farm system to wrestling. There are a lot of atheletes who go from college or pro sports to pro wrestling. Lex Luger, Leon “Vader” White, Ron Simmons, the Rock, Steve Austin, and Bill Goldberg all played football. Kurt Angle was a gold medal winning wrestler. It’s true. It’s true. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/36 "2011-08-06T00:50:30Z")
Ray Allen did well as Jesus Shuttleworth in “He Got Game”. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/37 "2011-08-06T01:07:15Z")
Already mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/38 "2011-08-06T01:16:58Z")
Ed Marinaro finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1971, and played several years for the Vikings, Jets, and Seahawks. He was cast as a regular in **Hill Street Blues** and has done a lot of TV work. Michael Warren, also a regular on **Hill Street Blues** , was a part of the UCLA basketball team and won two national championships with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He’s also a successful TV actor. Former Dodgers first baseman Wes Parker was a regular in the Norman Lear comedy **All That Glitters.** Heavyweight champion Max Baer went into acting and appeared in around 15 films (his son, Max Baer, Jr., played Jethro Bodine). Even more successful was boxer “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom, who had a solid career in Hollywood and TV after retiring from the ring. Bruce Jenner in **Can’t Stop the Music.** Shaquille O’Neal in **Kazaam** ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/39 "2011-08-06T01:23:49Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > Cripes, how could we all overlook Alex “Mongo Just Pawn in Game of Life” Karras, of the Detroit Lions, “Blazin’ Saddles” and “Webster”? And Victor/Victoria! ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/40 "2011-08-06T01:41:41Z")
Tony Danza was a pro boxer with a 9-3 record(all his fights, both wins and losses ended with KO’s) before he was on Taxi. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536.md?page=3)