5 Athletes Turned Actors
To the arena to the movie screen, these 5 athletes have made some major waves in Hollywood!
5: LeBron James
Still an active player for the Los Angeles Lakers, King LeBron James has already started making the transition into Hollywood, setting himself up a future off the court! LeBron made his first on screen appearance in the 2015 Judd Apatow comedy Trainwreck, and lent is voice to the character Gwangi in the 2018 Warner Bros. animated film, Smallfoot! Since making his way onto the silver screen, King James has also launched his own production company Spring Hill Company in which he produced and also starred in a remake of the beloved 90’s sports-animation crossover Space Jam: A New Legacy!
4: Terry Crews
Before winning over the hearts of comedy fans everywhere, Terry Crews was a defensive end and linebacker in the NFL! The former 11th round draft pick played in 32 professional NFL games between 4 teams from 1991 to 1996, before making his television debut on the American Gladitor-esque television show Battle Dome in 1999! Crews would go on to make his film debut alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the Sci-Fi action film The 6th Day but would come into his own and see his career hit new heights with his role in the 2004 comedy White Chicks! I mean come-on, who doesn’t love THAT scene, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Crews would continue to build his reputation as a comedic actor with roles in the hilarious films The Longest Yard, Idiocracy, and Bridesmaids! Crews would also tap back into the action genre by appearing in The Expendables franchise!
3: Jason Lee
Best known for playing a character named “Earl”, Jason Lee is a former professional skateboarder and the co-founder of Stereo Skateboards! Getting his start mostly in music videos for punk bands like Sonic Youth, Lee left life as professional skateboarder in 1995 to pursue acting. Known mostly for playing the title character in the TV Series My Name Is Earl, Lee has also been apart of some of our absolute favorite cult classic, such as Almost Famous, Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Balls of Fury! Lee would also show up in mainstream hits like The Incredibles, by providing the voice of ‘Syndrome’ and playing ‘Dave’ in Alvin and the Chipmunks!
2: Dwane “The Rock” Johnson:
Arguably the biggest name in Hollywood today, Dwane Johnson got his start as a professional wrestler for the WWE! The former WWE Champion broke into Hollywood with the role of ‘The Scorpion King’ in the 2001 action-adventure movie The Mummy Returns! Since then, ‘The Rock’ has gone on to join the Top 15 Highest Grossing Actors of All time, staring in iconic films such as The Fate of the Furious, The Scorpion King, and Black Adam!
1: Arnold Schwarzenegger
This man needs no introduction, but we’re going to give him one anyways! Starting out a professional body builder, Arnold Schwarzenegger is not only one of the most iconic action stars in history, but also the biggest name to make the cross over from the world of sports to acting. Seven years into his career as a professional body builder, Arnold made his acting debut in the 1969 low budget film, Hercules in New York which saw his lines dubbed over due to his thick Austrian accent and saw him billed as “Arnold Strong” due to fear over the pronunciation of his last name. Schwarzenegger would go on to be the biggest action star of the 1980’s staring in unforgettable classics such as The Terminator, Conan The Barbarian, Commando, Predator, and many many more!