Prior to their successful stints in Tinseltown, a lot of actors and actresses had another passion, namely, sports. An unlikely combination that has created some of the finest in Hollywood, this relatively exclusive group of people boasts hundreds of awards and accolades between them. Considering their proficiency in sports, some have argued that they could have easily pursued a completely different career path. Below is the creme of the crop in terms of starts with an athletic history, which may have even contributed to shaping their modern-day success in the first place.
1. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Widely considered to be one of the most popular and charismatic wrestlers of all time, Dwayne Johnson was a staple for the WWE in the 1990s, assisting with turning wrestling from a niche activity to a household name in American homes. Starting in 1996 as Rocky Maivia, aptly chosen in honor of the names of his father and grandfather, “The Rock” was born at the turn of the new century, and the rest is history.
Dwayne Johnson
Success in the ring in tow, Johnson took a risk and switched to film acting with an appearance in 2001’s ‘The Mummy Returns’. Twelve months later, a leading role in ‘Scorpion King’ gave him the kind of exposure that would lead to 40 roles down the line. In 2016, Forbes was named the highest-paid actor of the year, earning $64 million in that year alone.
2. Hulk Hogan
One of the most famous wrestlers from the WWE, with thanks to his trademarked handlebar mustache, Hulk Hogan was Terry Gene Bollea before entering the ring as “Sterling Golden” at the end of the 1970’s. It didn’t take a long time for the general public to take to “Hulk Hogan” shortly after, and before anyone could blink, his face could be found from newspapers to posters and even the first-ever wrestling toys.
Hulk Hogan
In 1982, Hogan appeared in ‘Rocky III’ as an extravagant character called Thunderlips. TV and movie producers kept calling afterward, leading to roles on popular shows like ‘Thunder in Paradise’ and ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’. Over three decades later, the athlete turned actor celebrated his career success, immortalized as part of the WWE Hall of Fame forever.
3. Joel McHale
Former ‘The Soup’ host Joel McHale would be an unlikely character to consider to be someone with an athletic history. A little known fact about the ‘Community’ star is that he was actually recruited by the University of Washington for rowing, and he ended up representing the Huskies in football as well. Consider us bamboozled too.
Joel McHale
Following a set of seasons as a tight end, he ended up mostly as a walk-on for the team, which led him to explore some other passions. According to one of his teammates, he “had everything he needed: desire and want-to”. I guess he used this kind of grit to land his first acting gig, and the rest is history.
4. Forest Whitaker
The Oscar-winning actor is best known for his portrayal of Idi Amin apparently also had another dream when he was growing up. A star quarterback as a teenager, Forest Whitaker even received a scholarship to play for California State Polytechnic University, and pursuing a career in the NFL was looking like a viable option for him back then.
Forest Whitaker
As with many young football stars, Whitaker sustained a career-ending back injury, which led him to explore other alternatives. In a bizarre twist of fate, he would be cast to play a football player in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ in the early eighties, which would see him channeling some of his earlier passions into his new one. This proved to be a good mood, as he would later walk away with multiple acclaimed awards, including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.
5. Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds is a classic example of someone who turned adversity into success. The Michigan native earned a football scholarship at Florida State University and was even drafted to the NFL by the Baltimore Colts when he graduated. Friends and family assumed this would become his career in the long run.
Burt Reynolds
An injury would leave him sidelined, and exploring a new career as a police officer. An audition for a TV role would change the direction of his life completely, and in the 1950’s and 60’s he turned into a household name across the U.S. It took some time, but ultimately he got his big break in 1972’s ‘Deliverance’ and what followed was over 80 films, multiple television shows and fame that stretched beyond his wildest imagination.
6. Ed O’Neill
More recently in the limelight thanks to the success of ABC’s ‘Modern Family’, Ed O’Neill actually started out as a talented and popular high school student. His passion for football led him to tryouts for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969, albeit that he was cut on the spot, slightly disappointed at not making the team.
Ed O’Neill
Attempting to take things into a new direction, he auditioned for many theatre roles from 1972 to 1977, hardly booking anything in what would be a trying time for him. His day in the sunshine would still arrive, however, and in 1979 he landed the lead role in a Broadway production. The rest is history, and these days many people recognize O’Neill as Jay Pritchett, but also, as ex-football star Al Bundy from ‘Married…with Children’.
7. Jason Statham
Known around the world as someone you don’t mess with, Jason Statham has played some incredibly tough characters in multiple blockbusters. Few knew him as a professional diver, which was his career of choice before he got into acting. The Derbyshire native was action on the British National diving team for more than ten years, even going on to take part in the Commonwealth Games of 1990.
Jason Statham
Stratham would later model for some of the biggest fashion brands in the industry, and it would be during this time that he was introduced to a few important movie directors. An encounter with then up-and-coming director Guy Ritchie would lead to an invitation to audition for 1998’s ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ and following his acclaim in the role, he would subsequently become a top earner at the box office, with his films making a combined total of more than $1 billion throughout his career.
8. Chuck Norris
A legendary figure in Tinseltown, Chuck Norris inspired hordes of jokes-facts around the world, including the infamous “Chuck Norris can make an onion cry” and its surrounding memes. Few people know about his past as a martial artist, with accomplishments including black belts in three different styles, as well as founding his own fighting school titled Chun Kuk Do.
Chuck Norris
With a breakout role in Bruce Lee’s 1972 film ‘The Way of the Dragon’, Chuck branched out from martial arts and focused his attention on acting, gaining prominence with audience favorite roles in ‘Good Guys Wear Black’, ‘Forced Vengeance’, ‘The Delta Force’ and more. 1993 would be a career-changing year for Chuck once again, landing a role as everyone’s beloved ranger from Texas, with multiple generations getting hooked to the show.
9. Dave Bautista
Following your passion can lead to great things. Dave Bautista was told that he would never succeed as a WWE wrestler, regardless of consistently undergoing years of training to do so. May of 2002 would be his first shot at glory when he made his debut on WWE SmackDown with new pseudonym “Batista” in tow. While the debut was by no means a flop, a name change to “The Animal” would eventually lead him to become a six-time heavyweight champion.
Dave Bautista
Retiring from the WWE in 2010, Bautista started appearing in smaller roles in movies like ‘House of the Rising Sun’, ‘The Man with the Iron Fists’, but he would have to wait a while until landing a major role for himself. Four years later, he got the chance to play Drax the Destroyer in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, which led him back into the ring in promotion of the film, before getting back into retirement for good.
10. Mike Tyson
With the world considering him to be one of the most intimidating boxers ever to live, Mike Tyson has made a name for himself not only as an athlete but as an actor too. With a career starting at age 19 back in 1985, Tyson was the youngest boxer ever to win the heavyweight title, earning him nicknames like “Kid Dynamite” and “Iron”. His boxing career came to an end in 2005, but to many, he is still known as one of the greatest of all time.
Mike Tyson
Wondering about what he should do after boxing, Tyson had a few cameo appearances in films like ‘The Hangover’ and ‘Rocky Balboa’. This led to numerous additional appearances in films and TV shows, mostly as a slightly fictitious version of himself. His athleticism and fame from boxing made him the perfect fit for shows looking to attract a little bit of extra attention and increased ratings.
11. Mahershala Ali
The Oscar-winning, the talented actor actually had a different career in mind before he hit the silver screen, namely that he wanted to be a professional basketball player. Between 1992 and 1996, Mahershala Ali played nearly a hundred games with the Gaels, even scoring over 340 points in his senior year. This made him a shoe-in with some with some college scouts.
Mahershala Ali
It was not to be, however, and after graduating he decided to pursue acting instead. 2001’s ‘Crossing Jordan’ would be his first prominent TV role, with his eventual big break coming in ‘The 4400, where he played a popular character called Richard Tyler. Supporting roles abound after this, he would eventually gain worldwide attention after winning two Academy Awards for films form 2016, and 2018.
12. Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones has a peculiar story indeed. The son of an oil field laborer, he would eventually gain a scholarship to Harvard, shacking up with future Vice President Al Gore, who also loved playing football. He is perhaps best known for the infamous 1968 game between Harvard and Yale, participating in the former’s return to glory after all hope seemed to be lost. A year later, he was on a plane to NYC to pursue a new dream.
Tommy Lee Jones
Initially, he struggled to find work, landing a few theatre roles and Broadway plays. With a new wife in tow in 1971, the pair would move to Los Angeles and everything would change from there. A role in the cult classic ‘Charlie’s Angels’ would propel him to superstardom, and eventually lead to him winning an Academy Award for his work on the early nineties classic, ‘The Fugitive’.
13. Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is perhaps most well known for shedding some light on female mixed martial arts and bringing it to households across America. Few people know that he is also a UFC fighter and judo champion, with career successes including an Olympics bronze medal at the age of 21. Olympics over, she decided to focus her energy on how to bring the UFC to a mainstream audience, and she would later go on to win the first championships hosted by the league in 2013.
Ronda Rousey
Capitalising on her fifteen minutes of fame and turning them into a lasting legacy, Ronda landed a role in animated hits like ‘The Expendables 3’, as well as in the billion dollar earning ‘Furious 7’. She also had some minor cameos in TV shows, which boosted her profile, and also showcased her chops as an actor.
14. Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee’s name is synonymous with martial arts, and he is perhaps the most well-known name in the field. Born in the year of the dragon, he had some roles as a child actor back in Hong Kong, but his big break would only come from moving to the States at 18 and starting to teach martial arts.
Bruce Lee
Lee’s filmography includes five very popular martial arts films, including 1973’s iconic ‘Enter The Dragon’. As an influencer in the field, he is also widely acclaimed for his work in changing the perspective of how Asian-Americans are traditionally seen in film. These days, the stereotypes are far less heavy than they used to be, and Bruce Lee is widely credited with this.
15. Dean Cain
Superman to the rescue! Dean Cain is a name you’ve heard of thanks to ‘Lois & Clark’, but did you know that he was a superhero of another kind at some stage too? Baseball was his sport of choice in high school, and he would eventually play college ball at the prestigious Princeton university too.
Dean Cain
With a record amount of interceptions during the 1987 season, Cain set a record for in his subdivision, which helped him get a deal with the New York Buffalo Bills after he finished studying. A knee injury would change his plans forever, leading him to the small screen and ultimately, roles in major motion pictures too.
16. John Cena
Love him or hate him, John Cena is widely known as one of the most iconic, albeit slightly polarizing wrestlers in the history of WWE. His supporters and naysayers are often at loggerheads with each other, in particular when he is wrestling, but it’s worth recognizing him as an icon regardless of your views, in part due to being a sixteen-time world champion.
John Cena
With his public profile growing and gaining more favor with a mainstream audience, Cena decided he would try his hand at acting in 2006’s ‘The Marine’, which ultimately led him to other roles like in ‘Blockers’, ‘Trainwreck’ and the next installment in the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise. More recently, he gained notoriety in Africa, with the release of South African Sho Madjozi’s viral hit, “John Cena”.
17. Jim Gaffigan
Jim Gaffigan’s story is slightly different to some of the other athletes turned actors. He knew as a five-year old that he wanted to act, but his parents had other ideas for him. Caving to pressure, he would end up at Purdue College to play football, which is a major accomplishment over and above what he has done as an actor.
Jim Gaffigan
As the odds of playing professionally dwindled, he set his sights on the entertainment industry and got a chance to perform stand up for David Letterman’s popular late-night talk show. Letterman would later ask him to help write a sitcom, which never made it to air, but did give him the confidence to keep refining his craft. Multiple booked appearances later, he’s slowly becoming a household name.
18. Jason Segel
Marshall from ‘How I Met Your Mother’ is well known for his acting chops, but also, for his height. Having attended school in L.A, it’s no surprise that the 6’4 actor dabbled in sports, and it’s even less of a surprise that basketball resonated with him, especially as he was one of the tallest people in his class.
Jason Segel
Sharing the court with numerous future NBA stars, his passion for basketball continued right up until the end of college. Setting his sights on Hollywood, he gave up on a dream to play professionally, and these days he is well known for his roles in high earning romantic comedies like ‘Knocked Up’ and ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ (where he showed even more than just his height).
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
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.
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
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.
21. Tony Danza
Once the baby faced Tony Micelli on ‘Who’s The Boss?’, Tony Danza experienced a vast career as an actor and has appeared in numerous TV shows and films. Young Tony was well known as a troublemaker, and in his teen years, he discovered wrestling and boxing as an outlet for his emotions. His college years were somewhat tumultuous, but this was no doubt a big help to stay on the straight and narrow before his career kicked off.
Tony Danza
With a semi-professional career as a boxer including nine wins and some losses, “Tough” Tony Danza got an offer to play a role in a TV series called ‘Taxi’ while he was training in the boxing gym. He went on to win multiple accolades for his acting, including a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award.
22. Vinnie Jones
Few people know about Vinnie Jones’ history as a professional soccer player, who actually played in more than 500 matches in his career between 1984 and 1999. With aspirations to move to coach, he was passed up for a few jobs and figured he had nothing to lose by going out and trying to be an actor.
Vinnie Jones
At the age of 33, he made his first appearance in a British comedy thriller, which caught the attention of casting directors from all over. His intensity, which he used to bring to the pitch, carries over into his roles, and he is most notorious for playing serious tough guys and gangsters. Few will forget his iconic role as Juggernaut’ in the successful ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’.
23. Lou Ferrigno
It’s hard to imagine a young Lou Ferrigno, bullied by his peers and turning to weight training as soon as he hit puberty. Five years on, the teenager had already placed first in a bodybuilding competition, and in 1973 he won Mr. America. Mr. Universe followed, and he started training with none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger, appearing together in a 1977 documentary film called ‘Pumping Iron’. This would be Ferigno’s unforeseen break into Hollywood.
Lou Ferrigno
Numerous film roles followed, including a starring one in ‘Incredible Hulk’, the TV series of the same name. More recently, the heavyweight champion likes to stick to voice-over roles, which made him a part of the latest in the successful chain of Avengers films.
24. Jason Lee
O.C native Jason Lee was a skateboarder long before he garnered fame and attention in the lead role of ‘My Name is Earl’. 1992 saw him founding his own skateboards brand named ‘Stereo Skateboards’, which was his primary passion until he decided to pursue a career as an actor.
Jason Lee
A retirement from skateboarding looming in the mid-’90s, he sold off the company and started auditioning for some roles. ‘Mallrats’ was his first noticeable appearance, while also getting roles in other cult films like ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’ and ‘Dogma’. Lee is even more interesting than some of the others on the list, as he has moved to another hobby recently, namely photography, while also engaging more closely with philanthropic endeavors too.
25. Arnold Schwarzenegger
A worldwide superstar, Arnold Schwarzenegger started from tame beginnings in a small village in Austria. Mr. Universe would propel him to stardom in his early 20’s, and these days he is often associated with turning bodybuilding into an accessible sport. His shift to acting is perhaps one of the most interesting ones, as it is highly unusual.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Hollywood mopped up his good looks and charm, and by the 1970’s he was bagging major roles in ‘Hercules’, ‘Conan the Barbarian’ and ‘The Terminator’, which saw him reprise his role five times. Who can forget his stint as governor of California, proving that it really is possible to achieve anything you set your sights on.
26. Matthew Perry
Before Matthew Perry played Monica’s hilarious another half in Friends, the actor, in fact, had a rising career as a tennis star back in Canada. Perry had a national ranking in singles and doubles and he has spoken about his initial ambitions to be a tennis professional.
Matthew Perry
Being great in Canada may be something, but being great around the world is on a whole other level. Talking to a popular men’s magazine, the star said that “I was great in Canada. Not so much in Los Angeles”. He soon realized that he couldn’t play tennis for a living, so he decided to give acting a go. The role of Chandler Bing would make him world-famous well into his adulthood.
27. Kurt Russell
Kurt Russel was a ways off from his Golden Globe and Emmy award wins when he was growing up, albeit that his breakthrough role did end up coming sooner than anticipated when he was cast in ‘The Travels of Jamie McPheeters’ at twelve. This would propel him into a Disney star well into the 1960’s.
Kurt Russell
At 20, he decided he had had enough of the child star life, deciding he wanted to become a professional baseball player. This would lead to him signing with a national team, which led to him playing in two minor league seasons. A wrist injury would eventually put him out of the sport for good, but Hollywood hadn’t quite forgotten him, and he is still acting in popular movies today.
28. Emma Watson
The Harry Potter starlet is a jack of all trades, and who would have thought that being an actress wasn’t her #1 choice. Apparently, Emma is also a star field hockey player, with a general knack for sports. While studying at Brown University, she joined the local team and played a series of matches, with a decent win-loss ratio.
Emma Watson
Her passion seemed to be even more spellbinding than others could have imagined, with Watson continuing to pursue her passion after university. In recent years she’s started a hockey charity which aims to get more girls involved in sports. This gives her the chance to keep playing, as well as to try her hand in the managerial side of the business. Good on you, Emma!
29. Uzo Aduba
“Crazy Eyes” from ‘Orange is the New Black’ was anything but that in real life, especially as a serious star athlete in college. Her skills on the racetrack were so strong that she was offered a full scholarship to Boston University long before we saw her on Netflix for the first time.
Uzo Aduba
Not only is Aduba a great sprinter, known for competing in 55 to 200-meter races, but more recently she has been pictured completing the Boston Marathon. Lauded for her strong leadership skills, she left her professional running shoes behind after college, although it remains clear that its still an important part of her life today.
30. Channing Tatum
One of Hollywood’s most well-known faces (and bodies), Channing Tatum is little known for his background in martial arts, with most people going straight to his dancing in Magic Mike instead. His skills in the field (martial arts, not dancing) have led to him earning numerous belts, showcasing his overall athleticism.
Channing Tatum
Martial arts is not the only thing he has shown proficiency in, however. In school, he was a superstar athlete, taking part in four different sports. This led to college scholarships and even though he never finished school, he got to play out a fantasy of doing so by playing numerous jocks in the 1990’s on-screen.
31. Avril Lavigne
Canadian crooner Avril Lavigne” may have gotten her big break in the early 2000s as a teenager singing about a complicated relationship, but before “Complicated” hit #1 across the world, she had other aspirations for herself, more specifically, like an ice skater. An interview with ESPN would reveal how her father had her on skates as soon as she could walk, and she had her sights set on a career on ice.
Avril Lavigne
When she wasn’t ice skating, Lavigne enjoyed playing ice hockey, which led to her reportedly taking rollerblades with her on tour to play street hockey. Multiple hit albums later and with a career that is still going two decades on, she has branched out into acting as well, taking on roles in ‘Over The Hedge’ and ‘Fast Food Nation’.
32. Jennifer Lawrence
Arguably one of the most famous actresses of the millennial generation, Jennifer Lawrence had strict sports parents who advised all their children that they had to take part in at least two sports. Lawrence would take this a step further and end up playing hockey, basketball, and softball while competing as a cheerleader too.
Jennifer Lawrence
Famously, she has called her time playing sports as “awful”, talking about the anxiety she experienced in team sports. She decided to focus her attention on something she could control, namely the solo career of being an actress. All these years later, her parents can only laugh, considering her movies have grossed billions worldwide.
33. Mark Harmon
NCIS star Mark Harmon loved something else more than fighting crime on screen when he was growing up, starting as lead quarterback for the UCLA Bruins football team over the span of 24 months. With a father who played professionally, it makes sense that this would have seemed like the obvious way to go for his career.
Mark Harmon
The universe had other plans, however. After leading the team to a 17-5 record and helping them to beat past national champions, he decided that he wanted to explore some of his other goals. The acting was next on the list, and now we get to see him fight crime week after week in one of the highest-rated shows on TV.
34. John Goodman
With one of the most distinguishable voices and some incredible facial expressions to boot, John Goodman may never have hit our screens if he pursued a career in football as planned. Having dabbled with theatre in high school, he decided to focus on football and by the start of the 1970’s he had earned a scholarship to Missouri State. An unforeseen injury would, however, change the course of his path for good.
John Goodman
After getting injured, John decided that he still wanted to pursue theater and by 1975 he was in New York chasing after “the dream”. Having struggled to get by as most actors do, he was glad to say goodbye to the odd jobs and voice-over work in the late eighties, when he landed a role on ABC’s soon to be massive hit Roseanne. It would be a life-changing role, winning him a Golden Globe for his acting, and adding to his status as TV royalty.
35. Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner is a well-known start for roles on ‘CHiPs’ and ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’, but some may be quick to forget that she is also a renowned world athlete. It all started with high school football, which led to a love for track and other sports, ultimately making her one of the most popular and successful decathlon athletes in history.
Caitlyn Jenner
A notable moment that is etched in the minds of the older generation is when she won gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics Games in Canada. This led to a whirlwind press tour and interview, landing her firmly in the Hollywood circle. This also included a guest spot on ‘Murder She Wrote’ and more recently, filming her own series, ‘I Am Cait’.