From The Rock to Terry Crews, 12 Actors Who Started Out as Athletes

You may know Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson for his movie roles in popular flicks like “The Scorpion King” and “Moana,” but before he became one of the most prolific actors of the 21st century, he had a successful career as an athlete. After graduating high school, Johnson enrolled at the University of Miami and played for the college’s football team as a defensive tackle, according to ESPN. The Hurricanes won a National Championship during Johnson’s freshman year in 1991, and over the course of his four years in college, he starred in 39 games with a total of 77 tackles and 4.25 sacks. Despite being a promising player, a series of injuries hindered his chances of going pro, so he opted to follow in the footsteps of his father, Rocky Johnson, and was signed to a WWF contract in 1996. He wrestled professionally until 2004 and is regarded as one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. In 1999, Johnson made his acting debut in an episode of “That ’70s Show,” but his role in the 2001 film “The Mummy Returns” launched him into movie stardom. Since then, he’s built up acting credits in over 40 movies and TV shows.

Notable Works: “The Scorpion King,” “Fast Five,” “Moana,” “Jungle Cruise,” “Black Adam”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is not the only wrestler who turned to acting. After signing with the WWE in 2000, Dave Bautista adopted the ring name “Batista” and quickly became successful as a wrestling star. Over the course of his career in the ring, Bautista won the World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWE Championship twice, per Newsweek. He hung up his wrestling belt in 2010 and briefly tried out mixed martial arts (MMA), and won his first and only fight in 2012. Bautista began acting during his wrestling career and made his debut in an episode of “Smallville” in 2006, followed by several small/supporting roles in various films and TV shows throughout the early 2010s. He has grown in popularity in recent years, appearing in MCU movies as well as other action flicks.

Notable Works: “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Spectre,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Dune,” “Knock at the Cabin”

Before he was the Terminator and Conan the Barbarian, Arnold Schwarzenegger was known as Mr. Olympia for his accomplishments in bodybuilding. Schwarzenegger began working out and seriously training as a teenager, and won his first Mr. Universe title at just 20 years old, according to his website biography. Throughout his professional bodybuilding career, Schwarzenegger won a total of seven Mr. Olympia titles, five Mr. Universe titles, and grew in popularity after being the subject of the 1977 documentary, “Pumping Iron.” He made his film debut in the 1970 film, “Hercules,” but exploded into the Hollywood sphere following his role as Conan in “Conan the Barbarian” in 1982. From the 1980s onward, Schwarzenegger has starred in several iconic movies of the ’80s and ’90s, and even took up a career as Governor of California from 2003 to 2011.

Notable Works: “Conan the Barbarian,” “The Terminator,” “Predator,” “Total Recall,” “Jingle All the Way”

The multi-talented Terry Crews has had an incredibly prolific acting career since his debut on-screen in 2000. Prior to his role as Terry Jeffords in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and Damon in “Friday After Next,” Crews played for a number of NFL teams. After walking onto the football team at Western Michigan University, he received a full athletic scholarship his sophomore year, as reported by NBC News. In 1991, he was drafted by the LA Rams, and went on to sign with the Green Bay Packers, the San Diego Chargers, the Washington Commanders, and Philadelphia Eagles before retiring in 1997. He began his acting career just a few years later, and is now known for his roles in film and TV, as well as hosting “America’s Got Talent”

Notable Works: “Friday After Next,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “White Chicks,” “The Expendables,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”

Among other WWE greats like The Rock and Dave Bautista, John Cena also had a successful wrestling career before turning to acting. Cena’s early career aspirations originally centered around bodybuilding, and in 1999, he graduated from Springfield College with a degree in exercise physiology and body movement, according to Biography. Following his graduation, Cena moved to California to start bodybuilding professionally, but ultimately explored wrestling and began training at Ultimate Pro Wrestling where he caught the attention of those with the WWF. He signed with the WWF in 2001, and went on to win 16 world championships, among other accomplishments. In 2006, he made his on-screen debut in “The Marine,” and has since starred in several action and comedy films.

Notable Works: “Trainwreck,” “Daddy’s Home,” “F9,” “Suicide Squad,” “Barbie”

Regarded as one of the greatest NBA athletes of all time, Shaquille O’Neal was a superstar player in the 1990s, first with the Orlando Magic, and notably with the LA Lakers from 1996 to 2004. His first onscreen appearance was in the 1994 sports drama, “Blue Chips,” and in 1996 the former NBA player starred in “Kazaam,” which propelled him into popular culture. Though beloved by younger audiences, “Kazaam” was a box office flop, though O’Neal justified his involvement in the film in a 2012 interview with GQ, telling the publication, “I was a medium-level juvenile delinquent from Newark who always dreamed about doing a movie. Someone said, “Hey, here’s $7 million, come in and do this genie movie.” What am I going to say, no? So I did it.” In addition to his career as a sports broadcaster and DJ, O’Neal has appeared as himself and original characters in a number of popular movies.

Notable Works: “Kazaam,” “Steel,” “Grown Ups 2,” “Blended,” “Show Dogs,” “Hubie Halloween“

At just 36 years old, Ronda Rousey has had an incredible career in a number of different sports fields, including judo, mixed martial arts, and wrestling. Rousey, the daughter of AnnMaria De Mars, who was the first woman to win a gold medal at the 1984 World Judo Championships, followed in her mother’s footsteps and began judo at a young age, per Biography. When she was 17, she was the youngest person to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games, and went on to win bronze, silver, and gold medals at a variety of competitions, including the Olympic Pan American Championships and World Championships. She gave up judo for MMA in 2010, where she worked her way up to becoming the first woman to sign with the UFC in 2012. During her career in MMA, Rousey held a 12-2 record, and ultimately retired in 2016 following the losses by Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, as reported by ESPN. In addition to her current professional wrestling career with the WWE, Rousey also dabbles in acting. She appeared in her first feature film, “The Expendables 3,” in 2014 and has starred in action films, TV shows, and more since her onscreen debut.

Notable Works: “The Expendables 3,” “Furious 7, “Entourage,” “Mile 22,” “9-1-1”

Arguably one of the biggest action movie stars of all time, it makes sense that Chuck Norris has some type of athletic background, considering the nature of his movies. Norris was introduced to martial arts as while stationed in South Korea as part of the U.S. Air Force in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as reported by The LA Times. After he was discharged, he became fiercely dedicated to the craft, opened up several schools, and started his own discipline, Chun Kuk Do. When he fell into financial hardship, he took the advice of his friend Steve McQueen to seriously become an actor. From the 1970s onward, Norris starred in many big-budget action flicks and utilized his martial arts background to shine on-screen in the 1980s and 1990s.

Notable Works: “Code of Silence,” “Silent Rage,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “An Eye for an Eye,” “Firewalker”

Like some of his other NBA peers, LeBron James has also balanced an incredible NBA career with acting roles. The four-time NBA champion began acting in the early 2000s, and made his TV debut playing himself in a 2004 episode of “My Wife and Kids.” Throughout the remainder of the decade, James had a number of cameos in several works, but his performance in Judd Apatow’s 2015 film, “Trainwreck,” opened up more opportunities for him, including the lead role in “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” While his credits aren’t as lengthy as other athletes, James nonetheless has shown versatility in his work as an athlete and actor.

Notable Works: “Trainwreck,” “Smallfoot,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” “House Party”

Carl Weathers, aka Apollo Creed from the “Rocky” film franchise, wasn’t always an actor. In fact, during his younger years, he played football in college and even reached the NFL. According to Yahoo Sports, Weathers enrolled at Long Beach City College in 1966, but experienced an ankle injury that crushed his chances of playing that season. He later transferred to San Diego State University in 1968 and was on the roster once again as a linebacker, which eventually led to him signing with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent in 1970. Weathers only played a total of seven games in the NFL and ultimately left the league to pursue his dream of acting. His role as Apollo Creed in “Rocky” garnered significant acclaim and helped land him more projects in the future, including his most recent role as Greef Karga in “The Mandalorian.”

Notable Works: “Rocky,” “Predator,” “Action Jackson,” “Toy Story,” “The Mandalorian”

Ed O’Neil channeled his sports background to play the role of Al Bundy in “Married…With Children,” something that some fans may not know about the actor. O’Neil was awarded a football scholarship to Ohio University before transferring to Youngstown State University after his sophomore year and playing as a defensive lineman for the team, per Men’s Journal. In 1969, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent, though he was cut during training camp. He returned to Youngstown after his stint with the Steelers and studied theater at the university. In 1980, he made his film debut alongside Al Pacino in the film, “Cruising,” and went on to become a household name for his work in “Married…With Children,” which originally aired in 1987. His extensive resume also includes “Modern Family,” in which he had a lead role as Jay Pritchett.

Notable Works: “Married…With Children,” “Modern Family,” “Wayne’s World,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “The Bone Collector”

Among Jim Brown’s many accomplishments, which include being a civil rights activist and a three-time NFL MVP, he was also a talented actor who had over 50 acting credits under his belt over the course of several decades. Though Brown’s time in the NFL is arguably short, the fullback is highly regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time and one of the greatest players in NFL history, per a profile of Brown by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brown had an impressive few years at Syracuse University before being drafted as the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. With the Browns, the NFL star earned multiple accolades, including three MVP awards, one Rookie of the Year award, and nine Pro Bowl appearances. At the peak of his career, Brown left the league to pursue acting, and landed his first role in “Rio Conchos” in 1964. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Brown was a leading man in several action flicks and guest starred in shows like “Knight Rider” and “The A-Team.”

Notable Works: “The Dirty Dozen,” “Riot,” “100 Rifles,” “Mars Attacks!” “Any Given Sunday”