The instances of athletes turned actors isn’t quite as rare as you may think. Matter of fact, it happens a lot.
For example, did you know that Don Gibb, who played Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds, also played for the San Diego Chargers? Some of our most loved Hollywood legends started their lives as athletes. Some of them, you will be very familiar with, and some of them may stump you.
If you’re looking for a good read, and a few things you may not know about a few people that you may know, then you’ve come to the right place. Here is a quick collective list of five athletes that successfully made the jump from sports to Hollywood.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
You just can’t deny the talent and intellect of the Terminator. Starting his journey as the strongest man in the universe, Arnold is a man of many talents. Currently serving as Governor of California, he has been a bodybuilder, a movie star, and a moving political figure. Schwarzenegger has starred in at least sixteen top selling action movies. Though he may not be the best actor in the world, he has most certainly made his mark on society.
Chuck Norris
If you don’t know Chuck Norris, then you must’ve been in some other world for the length of your life. He is a legend in the martial arts world. Some people are petty, and argue that Bruce Lee was better than Norris. They should do a bit of reading, and they will discover that it wasn’t a competition between the two of them. They were actually pretty close friends.
Bruce Jenner
Bruce Jenner is the most discombobulating of the list of athletes who made it to Hollywood. It’s not clear right now whether or not Bruce is Caitlyn or Bruce. The track star has gone public about his struggle with being transgender, but shortly thereafter reneged on his confession. Maybe too many years of oxygen deprivation to his brain has left him confused? Maybe being on the tv show The Kardashians did some real damage to his self image?
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson has most definitely made his place on the big screen. He has moved from college football player for the Miami Hurricanes, to WWE Wrestler “The Rock”, to an award winning actor starring in numerous blockbuster films. His most recent movie, San Andreas, just dropped into RedBox a couple of weeks ago. So far, it’s had great reviews and great sales.
Jason Lee
Jason Lee might be the one surprise on this list to most of you. He started his career skateboarding. Kevin Smith made his career explode on screen with the release of the movie Mallrats in the nineties. He’s had several different roles in movies written by Kevin Smith, but he has definitely made his own name in Hollywood outside of that relationship. Jason has made many appearances at California’s famed convention Comic-Con in San Diego.
Originally posted on November 19, 2015 @ 8:34 am