Athlete Turned Actor: Celebrities That Started Off in Sports

Published on 03/11/2020
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29. 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

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.

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30. 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

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’.

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