Athletes have been fixtures in films for decades–from Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weismuller the most famous actor to play the role of Tarzan; to Dan Marino in Ace Venture: Pet Detective That said, we’d like to present our list of 10 of most memorable performances by athletes in film. Some are cameos, some are co-stars, some are stars, but they’re all unforgettable.
10. Cam Neely
The Movie: Dumb and Dumber
Cam Neely spent 15 years in the NHL as a winger for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. He was one of the game’s top stars in the mid-1980s to early 1990s and was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2005. In a cameo role, Neely played trucker Sea Bass who spits on Jeff Daniels’ hamburger and later had a hilarious run-in with Daniels and Jim Carrey’s characters in a truck stop restroom. He would reprise his Sea Bass role in Me, Myself, and Irene.
People may not realize that tough guy Vinnie Jones was a professional soccer player. He played for Wimbledon, winning the 1988 FA Cup Final, and also for Leeds United, Sheffield United and others during a 15-year career. He holds the record for quickest red card getting tossed for a foul just three seconds into a match. Jones turned to acting has made a nice career out playing a number of villainous roles including Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand. We think his best role has been as the century-old serial killer in Clive Barker’s Midnight Meat Train.
8. Jesse “The Body” Ventura
The Movie: Predator
Jesse Ventura was a Vietnam War veteran and member of the Underwater Demolition Team. Ventura was also a member of the outlaw motorcycle club The Mongols, San Diego chapter. He became a professional wrestler in 1975 and was one of the most flamboyant wrestlers of his era. Later he became an announcer with the WWF and then turned to politics becoming the Governor of Minnesota in 1998. Ventura could be on the list for his performance as Captain Freedom in The Running Man but we chose Predator for his role as Blaine Cooper, tough as nails mercenary who totes an M134 minigun. When shot, one of his fellow mercs tells him he’s bleeding to which Ventura replies, ‘I ain’t got time to bleed!”
7. Fred Williamson
The Movie: From Dusk ‘till Dawn
Fred Williamson was a three-time AFL All-Star, playing seven seasons for the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs as a defensive back. Williamson earned the nickname The Hammer for his penchant of throwing forearms into the heads of opposing wide receivers. In the 1970s, Williamson starred in several blaxploitation action films including cult favorites Black Caesar, Hell up in Harlem and Mean Johnny Barrows a pre-cursor to Sylvester Stallone’s First Blood. Quentin Tarantino, a huge fan of those 1970s films, cast Williamson in From Dusk til Dawn Vietnam war veteran Frost. Williamson had one of the film’s best scenes as he rips a vampire’s still beating heart right out of its chest.
6. Jim Brown
The Movie: The Dirty Dozen
Jim Brown retired from the Cleveland Browns in 1966 while still at his peak after nine seasons and as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. But Brown was not out of the limelight for very long. In 1967 he co-starred in one of the greatest World War II films of all-time, The Dirty Dozen. Brown played Robert Jefferson, 1 of 12 military convicts given a chance of redemption by undertaking a top-secret mission to destroy a French chateau where several high-ranking German officers are enjoying some R & R. Brown stars in the film’s climactic scene as he races along a path, dropping grenades down air vents, which will cause the entire building to explode. Brown is shot dead after dropping the last grenade but his efforts ensured the mission was a success.
Throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s, Andre was arguably the most popular attraction in professional wrestling, drawing huge crowds around the world to see this massive mountain of a man. Andre had bit TV roles in numerous TV shows including The Six Million Dollar Man, playing Bigfoot. But his favorite and most memorable role was that of the gentle giant Fezzik who helps Westley (Cary Elwes) “storm the castle” to rescue Buttercup.
4. Bob Uecker
The Movie: Major League
Bob Uecker had an uneventful career as a major league baseball player. In eight seasons with four different clubs, Uecker amassed a paltry .200 lifetime batting average. Since 1971 he has served as the radio play-by-play man for the Milwaukee Brewers. He starred in the 1980s ABC sitcom Mr. Belvedere but his most memorable role was as the Cleveland Indians play-by-play announcer Harry Doyle in Major League. Uecker delivers the films most memorable line when describing a Rick Vaughn fastball that travels all the way to the backstop as, “Juuuuuuust a bit outside!”
3. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
The Movie: Airplane
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest centers to ever play in the NBA. He’s the all-time NBA scoring leader. Kareem was great battling Bruce Lee in Game of Death. In 1980, Kareem played co-pilot Roger Murdock in Airplane. Here he tries desperately to deny he’s really Kareem when a young boy visits the cockpit. Finally Kareem grabs the kid and scolds him, saying “tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes!”
2. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
The Movie: They Live
Piper is one of the most popular and charismatic professional wrestlers in history. In 1988, Piper starred in John Carpenter’s sci-fi thriller about aliens living among us. Piper must be given credit for reciting one of the greatest lines in the history of sci-fi films when he walks into a bank filled with aliens and exclaims, “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum." That’s gold, Jerry!
1. Alex Karras
The Movie: Blazing Saddles
Karras was a four-time Pro Bowler as defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions. He played from 1958 to 1970. When he was suspended for gambling in 1963, Karras became a professional wrestler. After retiring he turned to acting as well as being a part of the Monday Night Football broadcast team for three seasons. While he has had numerous film and TV roles, none are more memorable than his role as the thick-witted Mongo in Mel Brooks’ legendary comedy Blazing Saddles. Here he was in one of the most memorable scenes in comedy history when he knocked out a horse with one punch.
If you are an avid sports fan, and lord knows you are being on Mania, check out some of our sports themed articles. For the Superbowl, we had The Superhero Bowl: Marvel Vs. DC. Mania's favorite commenter, Hanso, matched up Alfonso Cuaron Vs. Guillermo Del Toro with a basketball themed match-up.
Hey raa2001, since you opened the OJ door...I heard something once that I've not been able to disprove, and if it's true, is just dripping with ironic hilarity...Before Ahnold was cast, I hear they were looking at OJ to play The Terminator.
Kareem only at #2? "Listen kid, I have been hearing that crap ever since I was at UCLA. But I'm busting my butt every night. Tell your old man to run Walton and Ramire up and down the court for 48 minutes."
I'm sorry but yeah, what about O.J.? He was hilarious in The Naked Gun. Wilt the Stilt in Conan also comes to mind. And to a lesser extent, John Salley in Bad Boys playing that computer nerd.
Oh yeah what about Bubba Smith? He doesn't at least get an honorable mention for his Police Academy work. I just looked him up on Wikipedia & not only did he play defensive end in the NFL, he was actually the drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA as an 11th round pick. He was the number 1 pick in the NFL draft in '67 for the Colts. as well
LOGIN
REGISTER
RSS
HOME
What about O.J Simpson??? lol... just kiddin!!