Athlete Turned Actor: Celebrities That Started Off in Sports

Published on 01/28/2020
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19. Terry Crews

Terry Crews saw being a pro footballer as somewhat of a stepping stone, which is unusual to hear about. It is widely known that his true passion lies with art, albeit that he couldn’t afford tuition for the college he wanted to go to, so he decided he would do something to make money before pursuing it as a career.

Terry Crews

Terry Crews

While improving his acting skills was seen as a long-term goal, he did manage to play enough football to be drafted to the Los Angeles Rams in 1991, even moving to San Diego two years later for a stint with the chargers. Once done, he headed to Los Angeles and worked as a security guard for a famous rapper, before getting a breakout role in Ice Cube’s ‘Friday After Next’. Those acting classes paid off? It turns out he never took one.

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20. Gina Carano

Gina Carano is a name synonymous with MMA and Muay Thai, but most younger people know her for her acting work, which she has been a part of for the past decade. Her historical fight against rival Cris Cyborg went down in history and ultimately became the highest-rated fight in Showtime history at the time. This was her moment, and the extra attention meant some producers came knocking.

Gina Carano

Gina Carano

With a cameo in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill: Volume 1’, her first lead role was in 2011’s ‘Haywire’, which was directed by Steven Soderbergh. Where to from here? ‘Fast & Furious 6’ as well as ‘Deadpool’. Not too shabby by any standards.

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