# 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:** 7\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/41 "2011-08-06T03:48:23Z")

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Kurt Thomas. Olympic gymnast. Starred in [Gymkata](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089243/). Best fight scene EVAR.

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**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/42 "2011-08-06T04:06:15Z")

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Dean Cain played volleyball and football at Princeton (and signed a free agent contract w the Bills before an injury curtailed football); David Duchovny, also Princeton, played baseball (and JV hoops); Andrew Shue played soccer at Dartmouth and played professionally very briefly in Scotland.

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**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/43 "2011-08-06T09:51:47Z")

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Hellllllloooo. Shaquille O’Neal.

Sadly, because of the lingering social politics in Hollywood, he was denied a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in “Blue Chips” because he is black.\*

\*And also because he can’t act.

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**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/44 "2011-08-06T13:35:21Z")

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Dennis Rodman made a marvelous appearance as himself on 3rd Rock from the Sun.

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**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/45 "2011-08-06T15:23:00Z")

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Estella Warren was on Canada’s national synchronized swimming team in the 1990s, before moving on to modeling and acting (Planet of the Apes remake being the most notable).

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/46 "2011-08-13T01:35:24Z")

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Mike Modano has a SAG membership voucher for his cameo in _The Mighty Ducks_. (I think that might have been when the Stars were still in Minnesota!)

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**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/athletes-who-became-actors-or-tried-to/591536/47 "2011-08-13T04:28:24Z")

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How about Chuck Norris?

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