The 20 Best Performances by Athletes in Film
From "Space Jam" to "Any Given Sunday," what are some of the best on-screen performances athletes have put on?
Image via Complex Original
21.
It's easy to cringe at the idea of athletes crossing over and attempting to do film; successful music crossovers are rare enough as it is. But in addition to being able to achieve physical feats, the professional athlete's job is to entertain the audience. Some just happen to be able to do so through other avenues.
There were many performances to choose from for our 20 Best Performances by Athletes in Film, but what the rankings ultimately came down to was star power, how the athlete's presence contributed to the film, and just how good their acting skills were overall. We weren't expecting a Humphrey Bogart-esque performance from Terry Bradshaw in Failure to Launch, but the athlete should've been competent and performed as if he/she wasn't getting a check otherwise.
Ray Allen, Michael Jordan, and Carl Weathers are all examples of athletes who did those three things in memorable fashion. Who are the other 17? Read on to find out.
20.Hulk Hogan in No Holds Barred
Year Released: 1996
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $16,093,651
After Hulk Hogan appeared in Rocky III, the one where Rocky loses and Mickey dies, the WWE thought it had a chance to boost Hogan's cred in the acting world with "No Holds Barred." So yeah, you're in the wrong if that set-up had you looking for some Oscar-wothy artistry. No Holds Barred was 80s cheese strung together to be another showcase for the wrestling superstar. The finished product wasn't that big of a hit with the audience and was panned by critics, but at least Hulkamania got a chance to run wild on the silver screen, right? Mickey died for this. Be thankful.
19.Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride
Year Released: 1987
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $30,857,000
By all accounts, it sounds like the set of The Princess Bride was a great family atmosphere from day one until they wrapped production. A driving force behind that fun and relaxed environment was none other than Andre the Giant. Fezzik, who apparently downed 127 beers in one sitting before passing out in a hotel lobby, was an absolute natural on camera. From crushing dudes in the ring to showing the world his comedic rhyme game was on point, there will never be another Andre the Giant.
18.Brett Favre in There's Something About Mary
Year Released: 1998
US Box Office Sales Totals: $176,484,651
Brett Fav-re isn't tasked with much when he shows up near the end of There's Something About Mary. Although he doesn't do much, the comedic success of his cameo appearance was the unintentional ignorance of his presence. Over the course of the movie, Mary Jensen (Cameron Diaz) discovers a natural hair gel and Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) revealed a painful zipper story. All of that is made almost null because Favre's in town to play the Dolphins, dumbass. Cue Stiller unashamedly sobbing after potentially losing the love of his life to a future Hall of Famer.
17.Mike Ditka in Kicking and Screaming
Year Released: 2005
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $52,842,724
A five-time Pro Bowler, three-time Super Bowl champion, and two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year, Hall of Famer Mike Ditka has come to be synonymous with football, the Chicago Bears, and winning. Ditka was inspiring and instrumental in his role in football. He was equally as awesome when he agreed to be Will Ferrell's assistant youth soccer coach in Kicking and Screaming. Effortless delivery, great timing, and best of all he reminded us all that he's nobody's juice box boy.
16.Terry Bradshaw Failure to Launch
Year Released: 2006
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $88,715,192
It wasn't too long ago, but 2006 was a pretty different time. Matthew McConaughey was one of the last people you'd expect to be Rust Cohle as he was still in his rom-com phase, while Terry Bradshaw was more of the football guy's guy despite his multiple acting spots. Bradshaw had been in movies before, but he didn't have an on-screen movie role since 1981's The Cannonball Run. He wasn't too bad 15 years later in Failure to Launch, where he played an eager dad waiting to get his son (McConaughey) out of the house. Bradshaw's performance came in feeling manufactured at times, but that's fine since you can cross seeing him bare-bottomed off your bucket list.
15.The Rock in Fast and Furious
Year Released: 2011
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $209,837,675
The Fast and the Furious franchise began in 2001, and has since consisted of five sequels with another feature-length film on the way. It has grossed over $2 billion in global box office sales and is Universal's biggest franchise of all time. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made his debut in Fast Five, and was an instant hit as U.S. DSS agent Luke Hobbs. He went from tracking down Brian, Dominic, and Mia on the streets of Rio to teaming up with them in London in Fast and Furious 6. Yet-to-be-released Fast and Furious 7 is rumored to be Johnson's last activity in the franchise, and with lines like the ones delivered above, we can only hope this isn't the case.
14.Alex Karras in Blazing Saddles
Year Released: 1974
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $119,500,000
You really don't need that much context to set up the ridiculously over-the-top appearance of Alex Karras as Mongo, who's hyped up to be walking hell on earth rather than what he actually is: a 6'2", 200+-pound dick. The list of exaggerations include:
- "Holy shit!"—Townsman upon seeing Mongo appear
- The sudden earthquake that marks his entrance
- How he straight-up just snuffs the shit out of a horse to show he's really out'chea
- "Don't do that. If you shoot him, you'll just make him mad." — Jim to Bart as he gets his gun
- "Mongo only pawn in game of life."—Mongo revealing he #StayWoke
"Mongo" would go on to be the dad on Webster (think lesser Different Stroke).
13.Shaquille O'Neal in Kazaam
Year Released: 1996
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $18,880,508
If you imagined an NBA star who would play a rapping genie that appeared from a boom box, would it really be anybody but Shaq? Shaquille O'Neal looked to grow his personal brand from the day he entered the Association in 1992. From rapping, to promotions, to his roles as Neon Boudeux in Blue Chips and the aforementioned Kazaam, Shaq has dabbled in seemingly every entertainment field. In an interview with GQ, Shaq revealed that he agreed to do Kazaam because he was a "juvenile delinquent from Newark who always dreamed about doing a movie." An offer and $7 million came along, and, well, Kazaam was born.
12.Vinnie Jones in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Year Released: 1998
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $3,897,569
In addition to being a pretty solid movie, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is known for launching the acting careers of former soccer player Vinnie Jones and Jason Stratham. Jones would go on to star in Snatch, X-Men: The Last Stand as the Juggernaut, and The Midnight Meat Train, among dozens of other roles. His convincing performance as the mercurial Big Chris stands as one of his most essential. There would be no, "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch," if this performance was a flop.
11.Jason Statham in Crank
Year Released: 2006
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $27,838,408
For those of you wondering what sport Jason Statham participated in, he was an Olympic driver before he got his start on the big screen. Also a martial artist who insists on doing his own stunts, Statham made his acting debut as Bacon in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and his career took off from there. Hes gone from Frank Martin in The Transporter franchise to Lee Christmas in The Expendables, but one of his best roles was that of Chev Chelios in Crank. Injected with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops, Statham basically spends an hour and a half trying to keep himself alive through various methods, including banging Amy Smart in a crowded Chinatown. King.
10.Jim Brown in Any Given Sunday
Year Released: 1999
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $75,530,832
The tragedy of early NFL footage is you never got much of a peak at the behind-the-scenes badassery. This is the case for Jim Brown, a 1957-65 running back who you'd like to think just Freddie Gibbs-bitch slaps teammates for anything less than greatness. Brown does no such thing in Any Given Sunday, but his performance as defensive coordinator Montezuma Monroe is what new schoolers would hope he was like in real life. Motivated by the love of the game, Monroe/Brown didn't have time for the weak-willed, strokes ("I don't get strokes, motherfucker. I give 'em!"), or much of anything really. We'd all be so much greater if we had a Monroe in our lives.
9.O.J. Simpson in Naked Gun
Year Released: 1988
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $78,041,829
If you've never seen the Naked Gun trilogy, take some time and treat yourself to hours of pure enjoyment. Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and of course O.J. Simpson are magical together on set. Simpson is hysterical as Officer Nordberg, finding himself in all types of painful physical situations throughout the series. This gem above pretty much sums up O.J. Simpson's role and Nordberg to perfection.
8.Bob Uecker in Major League
Year Released: 1989
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $49,793,054
There's always been something interesting about watching a familiarity get twisted into something else. In this case, it was Bob Uecker, a longtime sportscaster who's style is known for its amiability and candor. The man is pretty iconic when it comes to baseball, which is why it's memorable to see him get drunk during losing games and straight-up calling a baseball player a dick if he feels it's necessary. His performance as Harry Doyle was an unquestionable highlight of Major League, although he probably should've called it quits for the lackluster sequels.
7.Lawrence Taylor in Any Given Sunday
Year Released: 1999
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $75,530,832
It was downright scary how good Lawrence Taylor was as Luther 'Shark' Lavay in Any Given Sunday. A ten-time Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl champion, and widely regarded as the greatest defensive player in NFL history, Taylor brought his passion, desire, and previously unseen acting chops to the big screen like few could've envisioned. Yes, this is a football movie, but Taylor's role transcended the game. LT is featured on screen partying and living the football life like the rest of his teammates, but along with that he shows the other side of the game by begging for injections so he can hold up on gameday. He also delivers this message of advice to a young and cocky Willie Beamen.
6.Mike Tyson in The Hangover
Year Released: 2009
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $277,322,503
Mike Tyson is pretty big when it comes to the GOAT conversation and pop culture. Still, a big part of his narrative is how much bigger he could've been had he made the right choices. It's too late to change those mistakes; he isn't making a boxing comeback at 48. But he's chilled out a bit in recent years and exploded as an entertainer. Tyson's role as a Phil Collins-loving, Zach Galifianakis-punching self-caricature in The Hangover legitimized him as one. Filming wasn't smooth sailing since Tyson admitted he was high on cocaine during the process, but the bright side is that Tyson has since done better after the sequels. Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth is pretty good.
5.Carl Weathers in Rocky
Year Released: 1976
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $117,235,147
Carl Weathers' career as a professional football player was brief. He featured in just seven games for the Oakland Raiders from 1970-1971 before spending the rest of his career with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League until 1974. His acting career, however, was anything but brief. Weathers featured in 30 films from 1973-2012, going from Major George Dillon in Predator to Chubbs Peterson in Happy Gilmore. His most notable role, though, was that of boxer Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise. Creed and Rocky Balboa were fierce rivals in the ring before the two ended up friends in the third film, with Rocky eventually avenging "The Count of Monte Fisto's" death at the hands of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. Classic.
4.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Airplane!
Year Released: 1980
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $83,453,539
People who didn't see Airplane! may still know the movie for Leslie Nielsen's classic deadpan delivery of the line, "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." Its popularity is deserved, but it overshadows the many other gems in the film. One of them is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's appearance, specifically his interaction with an overly curious boy in the cockpit. Abdul-Jabbar, in a reference to the great Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch's role in 1957's Zero Hour, is leading an undercover life as airplane co-pilot Roger Murdock. Doing so is hard with the kid openly calling him out for being the Lakers' star, telling him he's the best, and that his father thinks he only really tries during the playoffs. It's a self-referential moment in a satirical film.
Think of how many athletes "act" in a film expecting you to remember their character instead of as an athlete in the movie. The Lakers had just won a particularly dramatic NBA Finals before Airplane! hit theaters. There was no Roger Murdock, only Abdul-Jabbar with a silly moniker. So in a way, the kid represents our own awareness at the facade of that fourth wall. (Let's not forget Abdul-Jabbar's appearance in Game of Death either)
3.Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon
Year Released: 1973
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $21,483,063
Martial artist legend Bruce Lee featured in countless films, documentaries, and television appearances, and maybe his greatest role was Lee in Enter the Dragon. His final acting appearance before his death in 1973, the film was released six days after Lee passed away. Enter the Dragon was the first Chinese martial arts film produced by a major Hollywood studio, Warner Bros., and was selected for preservation to the National Film Registry in 2004. The basic plot of this gem is Lee, a skilled martial artist beyond his years of course, is recruited by an agency to infiltrate a martial arts tournament hosted by a believed opium trader. Lee heads to the deadly tournament on an island, and as you can see from the duel above with Oharra, this is an epic that really is a cinematic treasure.
2.Ray Allen in He Got Game
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $21,567,853
Year Released: 1998
Who would've thought the Timberwolves' No. 5 pick had some acting chops? Ray Allen doesn't have too many emotions to play with—his vulnerability is guarded at best and he certainly doesn't smile much. But Allen's main success as Jesus Shuttlesworth was how he made him sympathetic enough to prevent him from simply becoming another voice in the running narrative of a project youth with the choice of making it or, as Denzel Washington's Jake Shuttlesworth puts it, "another nigga." Speaking of Washington, Allen's angst meshes pretty well with Washington's quiet desperation in their conversations, right from when he first confronts him about the indignity of being named Jesus (as in the Biblical figure, not "Hay-Sus"). Not being over-shined by the trademark fluency of Washington's performance is an accomplishment in itself, too. You've done good if you've hit the biggest shot of your career and fans immediately exclaim your movie character as your nickname.
1.Michael Jordan in Space Jam
Year Released: 1996
U.S. Box Office Sales Totals: $90,463,534
Michael Jordan in Space Jam is an awesome and thoroughly entertaining battle of good vs. evil. The GOAT and the Looney Tunes must band together to defeat Swackhamer’s Monstars and avoid a lifetime of enslavement on Moron Mountain—we know we’re not telling you anything you didn’t already know—through what else but a winner-take-all game of basketball. Director John Davis was clearly a visionary ahead of his time with such a plot. Jumping back and forth between animation and real life, Jordan turns in an inspired role as himself, and features prominently throughout the 88-minute comedy that has become an icon of the 90s. We’re going to slink off now and listen to R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” for a few.