The Top 10 Best Athletes Turned Actors

Good Thing One Kind of Famous Wasn’t Enough for these Athletes Turned Actors

Stars & Popcorn has a lot of top 10 lists that deal with movies or fictional characters. However, this week I’ve decided to take a look at the people who actually make the films we love, which is why I’ve pulled together a list of the best athletes turned actors. Now, before I start rattling names off, I need to put a few rules in place:

Rule 1) In order to be considered an athlete, the people on this list had to compete in events requiring physical prowess or skill (individually or as a team). Because of that, I will not be including WWE wrestlers, since their events are scripted (no disrespect to the physical demands of their job) Rule 2) The people on this list must have been professionals to qualify. Because of that, I won’t be including college or high school athletes, and martial artists are a bit iffy as far as that goes too. Rule 3) They must have been an athlete before they were an actor. Rule 4) This list will be based on a combination of how talented an athlete and successful an actor they became. 

So, with that in mind, let’s start counting down the 10 best athletes turned actors. They brought their physical skills to the big screen, and we lucked out because of it!

10. Jason Lee 

Notable Works: Almost Famous, Mallrats, and Dream Catcher

Kicking off this list of athletes turned actors is former professional skateboarder, Jason Lee. While you might be more familiar with his work in the View Askewniverse or from his tv series, My Name is Earl, Lee was a pro in the late 80s and early 90s. These days he’s still pretty active in the community and owns skateboard company Stereo Sound Agency with fellow pro-skater Chris “Dune” Pastras. He’s also appeared in a few skateboard video games over the years as well. Lee’s had a pretty respectable career since coming to Hollywood though and while he’s probably not at any risk at winning an Oscar anytime soon, his films have been consistently entertaining (yeah, even those dumb Alvin and the Chipmunk movies).     

9. Jim Thorpe

Notable Works: Mostly Uncredited

One of the most impressive athletes of all time also starred in a few classic cowboy flicks back in the day. Jim Thorpe was an All-American athlete, Olympic gold-medalist, and professional baseball, basketball, and football player (he also won the 1912 Intercollegiate Ballroom Dancing Championship). That’s probably why the associated press named him the greatest athlete of the first half of the 20th century in 1950. Too bad athletes didn’t make the big bucks back in those days, which is why he turned to acting in movies. Being Native American, Thorpe found his home in big-screen westerns, though most of his performances were in minor roles that he was largely uncredited for. Despite his acting career not being that impressive, Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes of all time which earns him a well-deserved spot on this list.  

8. Gina Carano

Notable Works: Haywire, Deadpool, and Fast and Furious 6

It would be pretty sexist if this list of athletes turned actors only consisted of men. Good thing one of the best MMA fighters that traded in the octagon for the silver screen also happens to be a badass woman. Gina Carano has been proving herself one of the best rising stars in the action genre over the past few years with films like Haywire, Furious 7, and Deadpool in recent years. Recently she even appeared on the small screen in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, in a recurring role as a former rebel shock trooper turned mercenary. Carano brings the same kind of brutal physicality she had in the ring, which makes her one of my favorite big-screen brawlers. She’s definitely one of the best athletes turned actors in the industry today, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.   

7. Jim Brown

Notable Works: The Dirty Dozen, Mars Attacks, and The Running Man

There are a few football players on this list of athletes turned actors, but few had as impressive a professional career as Jim Brown. Not only did he spend seven years playing the sport professionally, but he left with a number of records under his belt. Sure, he was a great football player, but he went on to appear in some of the best World War II, alien invasion, football, and Stephen King movies of all time, making him one of the most diverse athletes turned actors on this list. He even had a streak of films in which he was the leading man for MGM, before tackling blaxploitation films in the 70s. Both on and off the field Brown had a pretty impressive career which makes him a solid choice for this list. Too bad he’s not acting any more these days, then again, retirement seldom sticks with actors.   

6. Fred Williamson

Notable Works: MASH, From Dusk til Dawn, and Starsky & Hutch

Of all the athletes turned actors on this list, Fred Williamson has had one of the strangest careers. He started off playing football for several teams in the NFL and the AFL (back in the 60s before the NFL absorbed it). Williamson’s first major film role was in M*A*S*H* where he played a minor role as a doctor/ringer for the strangely tacked on football game at the end. Since then he’s starred in tons of films from blaxploitation flicks to one of the best vampire movies of all time, From Dusk til Dawn. Of course, Williamson has starred in his fair share of terrible films, but with over 100 acting credits, you can’t expect them all to be winners. That number alone makes him one of the most successful athletes turned actors on this list as well. All things considered though, he’s probably one of the most beloved cult actors out there these days.