Breaking into Hollywood isn’t easy, but neither is competing as an athlete at the top levels of competition! These impressive actors managed to do both—and excel! Here are the top ten athletes who transitioned from competition to work in front of the camera.
Dave Bautista
Professional wrestlers seem to have the easiest time moving from the world of sports to acting, perhaps because showmanship is so important in their field. Dave Bautista rocks as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy, and has even had bigger roles in movies like Dune.
Carl Weathers
You might be thinking “of course Carl Weathers was an athlete before he was an actor, he was a boxer!” You’d be only half right. He was an athlete, but he played professional football in Canada. He played a boxer in the Rocky franchise, but he had a believable physique in the role due to his background.
Lou Ferrigno
Professional gigantic man Lou Ferrigno was one of the foremost figures in body building for years. He was so absurdly massive that he was cast as the Hulk in the 70s show The Incredible Hulk. You know, the big green guy who’s known for being superhumanly strong.
Tony Danza
The man who played a dozen characters named Tony was actually a professional boxer before his work on Taxi and Who’s the Boss. He wasn’t bad, either, with a record of nine wins and three losses on the professional circuit!
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Lou Ferrigno’s chief rival in bodybuilding and, ironically, on the big screen, was Arnold Schwarzenegger. A fateful role as the title character in Terminator turned Arnie from a well-known athlete into a renowned action movie superstar. He would, it turned out, be back. A lot.
Joel McHale
Believe it or not, Community star Joel McHale actually played college football with the Washington Huskies before he got his start in comedy. He might not “look” like an athlete at a glance, but don’t let his slim frame fool you. The man is absolutely jacked!
Kurt Russell
Did you know Kurt Russell was an athlete before becoming one of the most recognizable leading men of the 80s? He played minor-league baseball for a few teams in his 20s. His dad, Bing Russell, was a professional baseball player and owned the Portland Mavericks, who Kurt played for briefly.
John Cena
For a guy with the catchphrase “you can’t see me,” John Cena sure is everywhere, huh? His acting roles started off as a lot of “rah rah, Marine guy” dreck, but he’s since graduated to some seriously killer stuff. His turn as Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad and his own Max TV series shows that the man is a genuinely phenomenal actor.
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Jason Statham
Jason Statham was not a soccer player, contrary to popular misconception. He was actually a competitive diver (and an amateur martial artist!) before he got work in a few Guy Ritchie films. It’s hard to imagine him doing anything else, actually, given how great he is in roles like The Transporter.
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Dwayne Johnson got his nickname, “The Rock,” as a professional wrestler. He then translated his skillset to the big screen so naturally that it’s actually hard to picture him as anything other than a huge movie star. In fact, he’s one of the highest paid actors in the world right now!
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