10 Professional Athletes Who Became Actors

Time is undefeated. At some point, every professional athlete has to decide when to hang up their uniform and step away from the game. However, these athletes are often still in the prime of their lives, typically in their 30s or 40s. While professional sports have a due date, actors can work well into their twilight years. There are also younger athletes, maybe in their 20s, who leave the field because of a devastating injury, or perhaps they simply don't want to live with the physical grind of being a jock. 

It makes sense then that many athletes experience a smooth transition into acting. Both professions take discipline, practice, dedication, mental toughness, and perhaps, most importantly, the ability to perform under intense pressure. Stepping up to home plate in the bottom of the ninth, down by a run, with two outs and the bases loaded is comparable to an actor trying to nail an emotionally exhaustive scene under bright lights, against a deadline, and with a large crew watching. 

These professional athletes-turned-actors have all had massive careers in film and-or television. The examples do not include athletes like LeBron James or Michael Jordan who have simply dabbled in acting. One of these former muscle-bound athletes was a box-office king in the 1980s; another is currently one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. Did your favorite athlete-turned-actor make the cut?

Known in the ring as "The Doctor of Thuganomics," John Cena ruled the professional wrestling world, winning 17 world championships and becoming the face of the WWE in the mid-2000s. It's easy to see why professional wrestlers can transition successfully into acting; they are already seasoned in staged performances and creating exaggerated personas. 

When Cena ventured out to try his hand at acting, he continued to make appearances in the ring and didn't fully retire until 2025. Cena is built like an action hero, so it makes sense that his first foray into Hollywood involved mostly action movies like "The Marine" and "12 Rounds," as well as later appearances in the "Fast & Furious" franchise. But Cena wasn't all brawn, and first proved his scene-stealing comedic talent in 2015 when he played Amy Schumer's character's boyfriend in the hit comedy "Trainwreck."

Writer-director James Gunn has worked with Cena on a couple of projects, including the TV series "Peacemaker," which is a spin-off of "The Suicide Squad." "I think John is one of the best overall talents I've ever worked with – he's capable of dramatic depths I don't think any of his films have yet shown – and he's the BEST improvisational actor I've worked with by a country mile," Gunn revealed during an Instagram Q&A in 2020 (via Cinema Blend). "Also, just a great dude."

Despite being born in a remote village in Austria, Arnold Schwarzenegger had big dreams. As a boy, he got into bodybuilding and won his first Mr. Universe title at just 20 years old, the youngest to ever win the competition at the time. He went on to dominate the sport, winning five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles. Then, he set his sights on Hollywood. 

His breakout role came in 1982 when he played the titular hero "Conan the Barbarian." However, it was his turn as the menacing cyborg in James Cameron's sci-fi thriller "The Terminator" that turned him into a star. "I felt that having come from bodybuilding, from that background, that I have to use that as my advantage in the beginning," Schwarzenegger told KCRA in a 1987 interview. "After I got 'Terminator, [...] it opened up the whole field, and now I'm getting scripts that have nothing to do with the muscles at all."

Schwarzenegger spent the better part of the 1980s and early 90s battling Sylvester Stallone over which muscle-bound star would dominate the box office. The Austrian's impressive action resume includes the blockbusters "Commando," "Predator," "Total Recall," and "True Lies." Schwarzenegger lives an incredibly lavish life thanks to his successful, primarily action, movies, but he has mastered comedy as well, scoring hits with "Twins" and "Kindergarten Cop." In 2003, like a real-life plot twist, Schwarzenegger was sworn into office as the governor of California.

Dwayne Johnson has wrestling in his blood; both his grandfather and father were professional wrestlers. Johnson became a major WWF star when he first entered the ring in 1996. He eventually settled into a heel character he named "the Rock." He went on to become one of the sport's most popular figures thanks to his athletic prowess, memorable catchphrases, and natural charisma.

Johnson first took his "it factor" to Hollywood in the 2001 action movie "The Mummy Returns." He took a break from wrestling in 2004 to concentrate on what would become one of the most impressive acting careers ever. The former professional wrestler became a box-office giant with starring turns in blockbusters like "The Scorpion King," the "Fast & Furious" franchise, and two "Jumanji" films. The movies Johnson has starred in have earned over $5 billion worldwide (via The Things). Additionally, Forbes named him the highest paid actor in 2022. He is such a hot ticket that people want him to be president — but Johnson will likely never run. 

Perhaps it's Johnson's versatility that makes his filmography so impressive. "I never wanted to be defined as an actor ... I just didn't want to be the action guy or the comedy guy or the family guy. I wanted to be the guy who had a very diverse, varied career with the ability to transfer in genres and go back and forth and work in all of them and just continue to hopefully give consistently good performances that audiences would appreciate," he told Black Film in 2010. 

As a child, Lou Ferrigno suffered from several ear infections that resulted in about 80% hearing loss. He also had a speech impediment, and his bullies called him "Deaf Louis." So the Brooklyn-born 13-year-old hit the gym to become stronger. Ferrigno became a professional bodybuilder and won his first IFBB Mr. Universe at age 21 in 1973. He scored a second Mr. Universe title the following year. The muscleman also appeared alongside bodybuilding rival Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1977 documentary "Pumping Iron."

The rage he felt from being bullied as a kid helped Ferrigno play David Banner's alter ego, the Hulk, in the television series "The Incredible Hulk." "I went for the screen test, got painted green and was asked to show emotion," he revealed in The Guardian. "That came naturally – I knew how Hulk felt – and I got hired." "The Incredible Hulk" was a ratings success and ran for five seasons. 

Ferrigno understands why the show connected with so many fans. "David Banner, The Hulk's human alter ego, encountered a different obstacle every week and that's why people related to him," he added. "Every one of us has a little Hulk inside." Ferrigno also appeared as the green creature in three TV movies. He continued to act in other projects like "Hercules," "The Fall Guy," and even showed off some comedy chops in "The King of Queens."

It's rare for an actor to have one successful television show, but Tony Danza has had two. Before the Brooklyn-born star became rich and famous, he was a professional boxer with a record of eight wins and three losses, including eight knockouts. But fate had a different calling for Danza. He was discovered while working out one day in a Brooklyn boxing gym and subsequently cast as aspiring boxer and cab driver Tony Banta in the hit TV sitcom "Taxi."

"It was originally written for an Irish heavyweight, and then I got the part and they made it an Italian middleweight named Phil Banta," Danza told CBS News in 2014. "And the producer came down and said, 'Hey Tony, I'm gonna change the name from Phil Banta to Tony Banta.' And I thought, 'Hey, that's really nice that they're doing that for me.' And then I realized it was a reflection of my acting ability — they were afraid I wouldn't answer to Phil!"

"Taxi" aired for five seasons. Danza parlayed his natural charisma and likable personality to score his next gig on the family sitcom "Who's the Boss?" as Tony Micelli, a retired professional baseball player turned housekeeper. The enormously successful '80s show ran for eight seasons. A look at what Danza is up to today points toward the Broadway stage, where his song and dance skills shine in  productions like "The Producers" and "Honeymoon in Vegas."

"When the boogeyman goes to sleep, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris." While serving in the U.S. Air Force in Korea, Norris started learning martial arts. After he returned stateside, he opened a chain of karate studios and became an instructor. Additionally, the martial-arts legend took home his first World Middleweight Karate Championship belt in 1968. He retired from competition in 1974 with an impressive fighting record of 168-10-2, an 8th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, and three additional black belts in Judo, Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, and Tang Soo Do.

One of the people Norris trained was Steve McQueen, who encouraged him to try acting. Norris took McQueen's recommendation and enrolled in acting school. When he finished his studies and couldn't find work, he wrote the screenplay for "Good Guys Wear Black." "No movie studio wanted the film, so we went out and four-walled it, which means we rented the theaters and whatever money came in, we could keep," Norris told Black Belt. "I went around from market to market promoting the movie, and it did really well."

Norris became one of the biggest action stars of the 1980s. His cool, tough-guy persona carried movies like "The Octagon," "Missing in Action," and "The Delta Force." In 1993, he moved over to the small screen to play a lawman in the CBS series "Walker, Texas Ranger." The action crime show ran for nine seasons.

Fred Dryer played defensive end at San Diego State University and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1988. The New York Giants drafted the athlete in the first round in 1969. Dryer played three seasons with the Giants before heading west to play for the Los Angeles Rams, where he would spend 10 seasons.

Dryer became interested in acting while still playing football. He came across the Gene Hackman movie "I Never Sang for My Father" one sleepless night in 1974. Dryer told Fox News that he asked himself, "You know, why do I like that guy? What is he doing? More importantly, what isn't he doing?" He continued, "I was curious about the craft of acting. I had to know what it was like so I became curious because of that and then, I started to get into it and I found an acting coach in Nina Foch. We became great friends."

After his storied gridiron career ended in 1981, the former Pro Bowler was ready to commit to acting full-time. One of his first high-profile recurring guest spots was as a sportscaster and former teammate of Sam Malone (Ted Danson) on "Cheers." In fact, Dryer almost scored the role of the lothario bartender, who was originally written as a former professional football player. In 1984, Dryer landed the lead role in the drama series "Hunter," where he played tough and rebellious detective Rick Hunter. The series ran for seven seasons. 

The truth about Dave Bautista's wrestling career is that he was almost in his 30s when he decided to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Despite the late start, "The Animal" became one of the biggest names in wrestling in the early 2000s. He went on to win 10 championship titles and became one of the faces of the WWE. But the 275-pound grappler wanted more.  

Bautista started his acting career with an uncredited cameo in 2006's "Relative Strangers." He proved his acting mettle in smaller productions like 2011's "House of the Rising Sun," where he played his first lead role. Bautista also scored supporting parts in "The Scorpion King 3," "The Man with the Iron Fists," and "Riddick." His true breakout performance came when he played Drax the Destroyer in the 2014 superhero movie "Guardians of the Galaxy."  

However, Bautista is more than just an action star. "I didn't leave wrestling to become a movie star, I left to be an actor," Bautista told Sports Illustrated in 2020. "I've worked really hard to prove myself and earn the respect of my peers and audiences. I've really pursued roles that are actor's pieces, and I've turned down a lot of roles that would have made me a lot of money, action roles that would have been better suited for me as an ex-wrestler. Those are the roles most people expected me to take, but I've chosen to go the unexpected route to prove myself as an actor."

There is baseball in Kurt Russell's blood. His father, Bing Russell, spent a couple of seasons playing pro ball for the Georgia-Carolina League. However, Bing's true legacy in the game came as the owner of the Portland Mavericks. Many early television fans know Bing for playing the deputy on "Bonanza" and as a gunfighter in the western "The Magnificent Seven." Kurt was exposed to baseball in his childhood, as his dad made sure that the local kids had a Little League program. "He loved passing on his knowledge of the game," Russell told MiLB.com. "Baseball was what we were going to do."

The "Backdraft" star pursued his childhood dreams and played three seasons of Minor League ball as a switch-hitting infielder. Russell played well, but injuries derailed his career. However, like his dad, Kurt could still hit a home run as an actor. "Our family business was baseball, not acting," Russell added. "My dad really wanted to play baseball when he was young, but he was hit in the head and that was that. He was interested in acting, so he moved in that direction instead."

Kurt started working in showbiz at 12 years old and had 20 movie and television credits by the end of his teens. His storied film career includes roles in "Escape from New York," "Tombstone," and "The Hateful Eight." The actor's success has allowed him and Goldie Hawn to live a wildly lavish life.

Wyatt Russell is the child of acting royalty; his mom is Goldie Hawn, and his father is Kurt Russell. Wyatt strapped on hockey skates for the first time when he was just 4 years old. The goalie was so good that he and his Hollywood parents moved to British Columbia so he could play competitive junior hockey. 

After college, Wyatt played professional hockey in Europe, but a serious injury derailed his career. "I broke my hip and tore my whole right side apart in November 2009," Wyatt told WRAL News. Wyatt said he initially thought he could rehab the injury, but was told that even with surgery, the chances of making a return to the ice were only about 50%. The former goalie decided to hang up his skates, and like his grandfather and dad, trade athletics for a career as an artist.

Since then, Wyatt has seriously transformed. His first major role came in the 2014 comedy "22 Jump Street." He quickly became a working actor with big-screen roles in "Overlord," and "Disclosure Day," as well as the television miniseries "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." While Wyatt respects the acting legacy of his father, he approaches his career with his own sensibility. "You try and do things that you think are interesting," he explained to Yahoo! Entertainment. "You try to add to the piece or whatever it is you're doing to make it interesting, and be as good as you can in it."