While it is not a rare case that many celebrities are active in sports since it can help them to keep an attractive appearance, some famous actors were very popular in the sport before they started acting. Interestingly, some successful athletes became famous actors.
A lot of people love to watch sports events on lines.com, and it will amuse them, even more, when some of their favorite players decide to turn into actor after finishing the career. Popular athletes are also considered celebrities these days, especially stars from NBA and NFL.
Besides that, if you are interested in checking the reviews of the last Super Bowl, and read more about the prediction about the following event in 2024, visit sports.borgataonline.com. Moreover, we are going to introduce you to some of the most popular actors who were professional athletes before becoming successful in the movie industry.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
We are going to start with a famous actor and senator of California. The Austrian-born movie star, mostly known for his roles in Terminator, Predator, Conan, and many other movies had a successful career as a bodybuilder before his acting career.
During the 70s, he was one of the best bodybuilders in the world. He has many titles like World Champion, Mister Olympia, and many other prizes. Interestingly, he went to the US to promote this sport, but eventually got noticed by producers, and managed to become one of the most popular actors in Hollywood.
Forest Whitaker
Forest is another popular actor who was very good as a football player. The most interesting is that he has so many interests in different areas. For example, besides football, he also has a degree in music. The most impressive fact is that his first professional acting role was in the movie Fast Times as Ridgemont High, where was playing the role of a football player.
Vinnie Jones
This actor is known for his roles in Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Euro Trip, and more. In most movies, he is acting like a tough guy always in some troubles, fights, and a lot of action. On the other hand, he was a very popular soccer player in the UK. He played for some of the most popular clubs like Leeds United, Wimbledon, QPR, and Chelsea.
The interesting part of his career is that he was a tough player who committed lots of fouls, got a lot of red cards, and even some opponents injured. That and his unique charm made him famous as an actor as well.
Jason Segel
While being known for his roles in How I Met Your Mother, Knocked Up, and many other movies and TV shows, he was also a great basketball player. When he was attending high school, Jason was one of the best players in the class, and the biggest award is the title from 1997, where his team won the state championship tournament. The impressive fact is that some of his teammates were Jason and Jaron Collins, professional NBA players.
Tommy Lee Jones
This is another football player who became a famous actor. Tommy was playing for his college team during the 60s, and the biggest achievement was a title in the Ivy League. Younger people probably don’t know, but he was one of the most popular college players during that time. Another fascinating thing about Tommy is that his roommate was Al Gore, who was Vice President during the 90s.
Dwayne Johnson
The popular “Rock” is known for his performances and huge success as professional wrestles in WWE. However, many people don’t know that he was playing football as well. Dwayne was active as a pro in football during the 90s.
Unfortunately, the injury made him stop playing this sport when he went to become one of the most popular faces on WWE. The popularity that he had as a wrestler lead him to become one of the most popular and highest-paid actors today. Some of the best movie roles are Fast and Furious, Jumanji, Pain and Gain, and more.
Chuck Norris
If you ever wondered why has Chuck had so many roles where he was beating his opponents, that is linked with the fact that he was a pro in martial arts like jiu-jitsu, judo, and more. One of the first roles that made him popular was in the movie The Way of the Dragon, with Bruce Lee. Chuck Norris is a legend when it comes to showing martial arts in movies.
John Cena
He is currently one of the most popular actors, but as a celebrity, he is holding high popularity for a long time for his achievements and roles in WWE. He showed some excellent acting skills as a wrestler. Some of the best movies where he is playing are Fast and Furious 9, The Marine, The Suicide Squad, Bumblebee, and more.
Jason Statham
Jason is one of the most impressive people on this list since he was very successful as a professional diver. He was part of the National Squad in the UK. Besides diving, he was a model for the brand Tommy Hilfiger. Also, we have to mention that he was training martial arts and football as well. He quoted professional career to become an actor, which proved to be the best choice since he is one of the most popular Britain actors of all time.
Last Words
Many other famous actors were also active in sport. On the other side, we can notice that some currently active players are planning to become actors. Some of them already had some roles, such as Boban Marjanovic, Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Garnett, and more. It will be interesting to watch sports stars in movies after they finish their careers in clubs.
