While most athletes are far better at their chosen craft than they ever were when they tried their hands at acting, there’s always an anomaly – or seven.
While legendary athletes like Jim Brown and hell, even O.J. Simpson were Hall of Fame athletic talents, the vast majority of athletes that have tried to turn their athletic fame into a fortune in the acting industry have failed and often miserably.
Still, there have been several other athletes that have left their respective sport to become even bigger stars on the big and small screen. This look at the top six athletes that were better actors than athletes will both, inform and entertain. Let’s get started with these betting picks.
Analyzing The Top 7 Athletes Who Are Better Actors: Stick To The Script Will Ya’?
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Sport: Bodybuilder
You may know Arnold Schwarzenegger for his now famous acting career, but did you know that he was once the most beloved bodybuilder on the face of the planet? The Austrian-born superstar won the coveted Mr. Olympia at age 20 and is considered arguably the greatest male bodybuilder of all-time.
Schwarzenegger made his first big splash as Conan The Barbarian in 1982 before going on to even bigger fame in The Terminator two years later. Since then, Schwarzenegger has gone on to appear in it films like Predator, Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Escape Plan and the Expendables.
Jason Statham
Sport: Diver for Great Britain
You might know Jason Statham for his roles in The Transporter, The Italian Job, Crank, Death Race, The Expendables and Spy. Statham was also a diver for Great Britain in the 1990s and competed for his nation in the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
Sport: Wrestling
After reaching the pinnacle of his profession as a wrestler in the WWF and WWE, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has become an even bigger star as an actor in recent years.
Johnson has now appeared in hit films like The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King, The Rundown, The Fast and Furious, the Rundown, Doom, Race to Witch Mountain and more recently, Furious 7, San Andreas and Central Intelligence.
Mark Harmon
Sport: Football
Mark Harmon may be more known for his acting career, but did you know that he also played football for UCLA in 1972 and 1973? After his collegiate career ended, Harmon eventually made his way into acting and is now known for his cinematic roles in The Presidio, and Freaky Friday not to mention his even bigger roles in The West Wing, JAG and of course, NCIS.
Terry Crews
Sport: Football
You may know Terry Crews for his still-blossoming acting career, but did you know that he was once a college football player that was drafted in the 11th round of the 1991 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams?
After playing professional football for five years, Crew eventually went into acting and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, Crews is better known for his roles in hit films like Friday After Next, deliver Us from Eva, Malibu’s Most Wanted, White Chicks, Click and the Expendables.
Carl Weathers
Sport: Football
You may know Carl Weathers for his excellence as Apollo Creed in the Rocky films first and foremost, but did you know that Weathers also played football in college and for a brief time, the NFL?
Weathers played linebacker for seven games for the Raiders in 1970 and one game in 1971, but he has gained world-wide acclaim for his roles as Creed in the Rocky films while also starring in Predator 2, Action Jackson and Heat of the Night while appearing in lesser roles in movies like Happy Gilmore and Little Nicky. Weathers has also made numerous television appearances on shows like Good Times, Starsky and Hutch and Chicago P.D.
Gina Carano
Sport: Mixed Martial Arts
After kicking basically everyone’s ass in Strikeforce and EliteXC, Carano went into acting and made her debut in one of the lead roles of Haywire in 2011. Two years later, Carano appeared in Fast and Furious 6 where she kicked some more ass (duh). Since then, she’s appeared in six more films, including Marvel’s wildly popular Deadpool.
