Most Successful Athlete/Actor?

[notin]

What the heck? Some non-virus, apolitical discussion. Who are some of the names who have had the most success on the field/rink/gridiron and followed it up with success on the silver/TV screen? The most obvious is OJ Simpson, who also achieved success as a World Class Scumbag. Maybe fewer names on that last list...

[Thunder]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEEYbXVCoT0

[notin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEEYbXVCoT0

Lol. Ever see the version of that Eli did on SNL?

I was wondering if Manning has any acting credits beyond hosting SNL, but he did make about 75,000,000 commercials, so he has a successful portfolio...

[Thunder]

We could also break this outside of sports, like Reagan or Schwarzenegger

[Bellhorn04]

Alex Karras

[notin]

We could also break this outside of sports, like Reagan or Schwarzenegger

I count Schwarzenegger as a former pro athlete with an amazing movie career.

Mike Tyson here too. If anyone hasn’t seen The Mike Tyson Mysteries, it’s hilarious (for people who like gore-tinged tasteless humor)...

[notin]

What about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson?

Certainly the movie success is there. He did play football at The U. But I’m not sure I count his pro wrestling career as a sport...

[notin]

Alex Karras

Also, Jim Brown and Fred Dryer.

[notin]

Liking Schwarzenegger or Tyson as top names so far. Or is Shaquille O’Neal the most successful in both fields?

[notin]

We could also break this outside of sports, like Reagan or Schwarzenegger

Were you going for a sports/politics crossover? I like the way you’re thinking here. If that goes in this thread or another one is made, I would immediately nominate Byron “Whizzer” White. Former Heisman winner as a RB at Colorado State who later became a Supreme Court Justice...

[Bellhorn04]

Also, Jim Brown and Fred Dryer.

Fred Dryer was pretty good.

[Bellhorn04]

Mark Harmon didn't make it the pros, but he was a legit college quarterback.

[Kimmi]

Michael Strahan

[Bellhorn04]

Don Meredith

[notin]

Rick Fox. His moderate acting aren’t might have surpassed his lackluster NBA career...

[notin]

Mark Harmon didn't make it the pros, but he was a legit college quarterback.

Ditto Burt Reynolds. Gary Busey also payed football at Kansas...

[Thunder]

Michael Strahan

I don't know how his expertise in live TV would translate to acting. I would certainly love to see it though!

[notin]

I don't know how his expertise in live TV would translate to acting. I would certainly love to see it though!

Yeah I questioned the inclusion of Strahan and Meredith.

But at least no one mentioned Dan Dierdorf. Great player. Possibly the worst commentator in MNF history...

[Slasher9]

Joe Klecko

[Thunder]

Yeah I questioned the inclusion of Strahan and Meredith.

But at least no one mentioned Dan Dierdorf. Great player. Possibly the worst commentator in MNF history...

I liked Dierdorf on CBS with Greg Gumbel. In fact, I miss him. He does Michigan games on the radio now

[notin]

Joe Klecko

He acted?

[notin]

The late, great Rowdy Roddy Piper had some really fun movie credentials, including James Carpenter's "They Live" and the cult classic "Hell Comes to Frogtown."

But is WWF/WWE really a sport?

[mvp 78]

The late, great Rowdy Roddy Piper had some really fun movie credentials, including James Carpenter's "They Live" and the cult classic "Hell Comes to Frogtown."

But is WWF/WWE really a sport?

Yes

[mvp 78]

Shaq - Kazaam, Blue Chips

[mvp 78]

Kurt Russell played minor league baseball

[mvp 78]

Terry Crews played in the NFL for many years

[mvp 78]

Jim Brown, Kareem, Bob Uecker

[Thunder]

Terry Crews played in the NFL for many years

Yes he's one of the other most notable guys to succeed at both

[Slasher9]

He acted?

Yup. And I bet you liked the movie. Cannonball Run.
Terry Bradshaw was in it as well

[notin]

Yup. And I bet you liked the movie. Cannonball Run.
Terry Bradshaw was in it as well

Bradshaw has been in a few movies, hasn’t he? He was Matthew McConaughey’s dad in “Failure to Launch,” for example. Forgot about him...

[notin]

Yup. And I bet you liked the movie. Cannonball Run.
Terry Bradshaw was in it as well

And for the record, “Death Race 2000” all day over “Cannonball Run”...

[notin]

So does Chuck Norris count as a professional athlete? Not sure if all his martial arts were paid or not...

[Bellhorn04]

Yeah I questioned the inclusion of Strahan and Meredith.

Meredith did some acting.

[Bellhorn04]

Wilt Chamberlain was in one of the Conan movies LOL

[Bellhorn04]

John Matuszak was in the football movie North Dallas Forty. And his acting was quite a bit better than Bo Svenson's was in that movie.

[Bellhorn04]

To connect a couple of things, the character of quarterback Seth Maxwell in North Dallas Forty was assumed, with very good reason, to be based on Don Meredith.

[notin]

John Matuszak was in the football movie North Dallas Forty. And his acting was quite a bit better than Bo Svenson's was in that movie.

Matuszak was also in “Caveman,” opposite Ringo Starr.

Lawrence Taylor did some acting as well, including “Any Given Sunday”...

[notin]

To connect a couple of things, the character of quarterback Seth Maxwell in North Dallas Forty was assumed, with very good reason, to be based on Don Meredith.

But did Meredith ever act? I wouldn’t put Jimmy Piersall on this list but he clearly inspired “Fear Strikes Out”...

[notin]

But did Meredith ever act? I wouldn’t put Jimmy Piersall on this list but he clearly inspired “Fear Strikes Out”...

I stand corrected. As ex-athletes go, Meredith appeared in a lot of things, mostly as a recurring character in Police Story.

I also want to give an Honorable Mention to Bill Laimbeer. Before he was a Detrot Piston and really, even before Notre Dame, he was a sleestak in the original Land of the Lost TV show...

[Kimmi]

I don't know how his expertise in live TV would translate to acting. I would certainly love to see it though!


Yeah I questioned the inclusion of Strahan and Meredith.

But at least no one mentioned Dan Dierdorf. Great player. Possibly the worst commentator in MNF history...

1. He was the first and only person I could think of at the moment.

2. In defense of myself, when reading the opening post, it said "followed it up with success on the silver/TV screen". Strahan has certainly had great success on TV, regardless of whether he can actually act or not.

:)

[Kimmi]

Wilt Chamberlain was in one of the Conan movies LOL

Wasn't Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the Airplane movies?

[Bellhorn04]

Wasn't Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the Airplane movies?

Yes.

[notin]

Wasn't Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the Airplane movies?

YES!!

Also, he displayed his martial arts skills in "The Game of Death" opposite Bruce Lee...

[Bellhorn04]

The original version of The Longest Yard featured a number of NFL players, including Joe Kapp and Ray Nitschke.

[notin]

The original version of The Longest Yard featured a number of NFL players, including Joe Kapp and Ray Nitschke.

I want to say there was another movie that included a prison football game against a bunch of former NFL players, including Jim Kelly and Ben Davidson. I think it was "Necessary Roughness" with Scott Bakula...

[Jasonbay44]

I feel like The Rock has to be #1.

[Bellhorn04]

I want to say there was another movie that included a prison football game against a bunch of former NFL players, including Jim Kelly and Ben Davidson. I think it was "Necessary Roughness" with Scott Bakula...

Yes. There were piles of NFL players in that one.

More importantly, Kelly Ireland was in it.

[notin]

Yes. There were piles of NFL players in that one.

More importantly, Kelly Ireland was in it.

Kathy. Not Kelly.

And she proved it is easier to go from athlete to actor than supermodel to actress. Ever seen "Alien from LA"? She stars in it as the classic nerd by taking a real life supermodel, putting glasses on her, and pulling her hair back and someone saying "Yeah she looks like a social misfit now." And then to top it off, her acting skill is so bad, she could not convince you she was falling if you threw her off a cliff.

It's hard to make Kathy Ireland unwatchable. "Alien From LA" took on that challenge and won...

[mvp 78]

I feel like The Rock has to be #1.

I would disagree only because he didn't play in the NFL.

[Thunder]

I would disagree only because he didn't play in the NFL.

In the show Ballers, he owns the Chiefs

[notin]

I feel like The Rock has to be #1.

I metnioned the Rock earlier, but I don't think I can count pro wrestling as a sport. Also takes down Rowdy Roddy Piper and Andre the Giant.

I do consider pro bodybuilding to be a sport, albeit an unwatchable one. So Schwarzneggar has to be a top candidate. Along with bodybuilding rival Lou Ferrigno, who had a pretty good acting career of his own...

[Bellhorn04]

Kathy. Not Kelly.

I can't believe I got that wrong LOL. Even worse, I was thinking what a cool name Kelly Ireland is.

[Jasonbay44]

I would disagree only because he didn't play in the NFL.

This is true. But he did play at a huge football school in college, and I don’t know if it’s really a sport, but it takes a lot of effort and training to be a wrestler.

[mvp 78]

This is true. But he did play at a huge football school in college, and I don’t know if it’s really a sport, but it takes a lot of effort and training to be a wrestler.

I halfway agree on the wrestling aspect. At that point you need to add in Bruce Lee. Lee is probably the GOAT if we are going outside the big 4 sports.

[notin]

This is true. But he did play at a huge football school in college, and I don’t know if it’s really a sport, but it takes a lot of effort and training to be a wrestler.

It’s not a sport because it’s largely predetermined and scripted. It takes a lot of training and effort to be an acrobat in the circus, too. But that doesn’t make the trapeze a sport...

[Bellhorn04]

It’s not a sport because it’s largely predetermined and scripted. It takes a lot of training and effort to be an acrobat in the circus, too. But that doesn’t make the trapeze a sport...

Hmmm...the trapeze is not one of your better examples. Gymnastics and figure skating are sports, and they are very much predetermined and scripted.

[notin]

Hmmm...the trapeze is not one of your better examples. Gymnastics and figure skating are sports, and they are very much predetermined and scripted.


Not for end result to determine the winner, like wrestling is.

Unless there is cheating involved.

I don’t like any sport that relies on judges, but there is a difference between being scored by a judge and acting out in what is essentially a play...

[Bellhorn04]

Not for end result to determine the winner, like wrestling is.

Unless there is cheating involved.

I don’t like any sport that relies on judges, but there is a difference between being scored by a judge and acting out in what is essentially a play...

Pro wrestling is the furthest thing from sport, that's for sure.

Might be able to make an argument for the flying trapeze, though.

[notin]

Pro wrestling is the furthest thing from sport, that's for sure.

Might be able to make an argument for the flying trapeze, though.

Well, the lack of any sort of competitive contest. I do think part of being a sport involves having a method of determining a winner in some sort of contest. Not everything with a winner is a sport (checkers, for example, is not a sport) but every sport has to have a method of determining a winner.

[Bellhorn04]

Well, the lack of any sort of competitive contest. I do think part of being a sport involves having a method of determining a winner in some sort of contest. Not everything with a winner is a sport (checkers, for example, is not a sport) but every sport has to have a method of determining a winner.

That seems fair.

[notin]

I want to nominate Wade Boggs for his portrayal of a backwoods hick deputy sheriff who clearly peaked in high school in the SyFy original movie “Swamp Shark.”

I believe Boggs also played some baseball at some point...

[notin]

Fans of the Daily Show might know Michael Costa, Daily Show Correspondent and former professional tennis player...