The sporting world is a aggressive one with strain to achieve success – very similar to the lifetime of a star within the leisure trade, and so it is no shock there’s a pipeline between the 2 profession paths.
From professional wrestling or observe glory to showing on the large display screen or changing into a actuality star, there are lots of celebrities who can boast about their sporting accolades on their CV, whether or not that be from faculty all the way in which as much as the Olympics.
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Listed here are some celebrities who’ve been (or at the moment are presently) sports activities athletes:
The Rock
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a WWE icon who modified profession gears into appearing, changing into certainly one of Hollywood’s highest paid actors.Picture by Greg Doherty/Getty Photos
Whereas Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could also be a well-known face on the large display screen starring within the Fast and Furious franchise from Quick 5 (2011), together with its spinoff Hobbes & Shaw (2019), the Jumanji movies (2017 & 2019) and Moana(2016), many will recognise the 50-year-old from his skilled wrestling days.
As certainly one of WWE‘s best’s stars within the late Nineties and early 2000s, successful 10 world titles and it’s the place he coined the ring title “The Rock” and was well-known for his charismatic trash-talking.
Johnson left WWE in 2004, however he returned to the game from 2011-2013 as a part-time performer and made rare appearances till his retirement in 2019.
Nevertheless, there was one other sport Johnson pursued in his pre-wrestling days, as he was a soccer participant who attended Miami Hurricanes on a full scholarship. However an harm impacted his profession, as he performed in Canadian Soccer League for Calgary Stampeders however acquired lower after two months – although issues labored out for him in the long run.
Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner gained Olympic Gold earlier than being in one of many world’s most well-known household’sPhoto by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP by way of Getty Photos
Previous to Retaining Up with the Kardashians fame, Caitlyn Jenner was already well-known in her personal proper with an athletic profession the place she gained Olympic gold within the males’s decathlon occasion on the 1976 Summer time Olympics in Montreal.
Since then Jenner has turn out to be a TV character starring in Keeping Up with the Kardashiansand got here out as a transgender girl in 2015 and had her personal present I Am Cait following her gender transition journey.
The 72-year-old Republican has additionally been involved in politics, as she ran as a substitute candidate within the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election however solely obtained 1 per cent of the vote within the failed recall to switch governor Gavin Newsom.
Terry Crews
Terry Crews was an NFL participant and switched careers into actingPhoto by Kevin Winter/Getty Photos
Earlier than he portrayed the loveable Terry Jeffords on the sitcom Brooklyn 99, Terry Crews went to Western Michigan College on a full soccer scholarship.
The 54-year-old performed within the Nationwide Soccer League (NFL) in 1991 when he was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, and his soccer profession continued with stints on the San Diego Chargers and Washington Commanders earlier than retiring and pursuing a profession in appearing.
Crews’s notable roles embrace Julius Rock within the sitcom Everyone Hates Chris, and movie roles in White Chicks (2004) and the Expendables sequence (2010–2014).
In 2019, the actor started presenting for America’s Got Talentand the spin-off series America’s Got Talent: The Champions.
Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones was a professional footballer before he pursued an acting careerPhoto by Clive Rose/Getty Images
Vinnie Jones‘s powerful man picture wasn’t simply on the large display screen in movies comparable to Snatch (2000), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Imply Machine (2001), and Juggernaut in X-Males: The Final Stand (2006) however adopted him from the football subject the place he was a defensive midfielder.
Throughout his 15-year profession, the 57-year-old performed for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelsea, and Queens Park Rangers.
However Jones is finest recognized for when he performed for Wimbledon, and the place he wasn’t afraid of getting bodily with tackles as a part of the Crazy Gang period and the aspect additionally gained the 1988 FA Cup.
Uzo Aduba
Orange Is the New Monitor: Aduba was part of her faculty’s observe and subject group earlier than her breakout function in Orange Is the New BlackPhoto by ANGELA WEISS/AFP by way of Getty Photos
Uzo Aduba gained two Emmy’s and two SAG awards for her efficiency as Suzanne “Loopy Eyes” Warren on the Netflix sequence Orange Is the New Black but the actor also has a sporty past.
Back in her college days at Boston University, the 41-year-old was on her university’s track and field team and was “one of BU’s all-time top sprinters,” and was near breaking a long-held 55 meters document of seven.03 seconds, clocking in at 7.07 seconds.
After faculty, Aduba continued to run by taking part within the New York Metropolis Marathon in 2013 and the Boston Marathon in 2015.
Jason Statham
A younger Jason Statham had a diving profession and made the British nationwide group earlier than he was on the large screenPhoto by Frazer Harrison/Getty Photos
Jason Statham is finest often called Deckard Shaw within theFast & Furious movie franchise, and earlier than he dived into motion movies he was leaping off diving boards.
The 55-year-old made it on the British nationwide diving group after having a ardour for the game as a teenager and competed within the 1990 Commonwealth Video games in Henderson, New Zealand, although did not place.
At one level the actor ranked as excessive as twelfth on this planet for platform diving however did not qualify for the 1988 Seoul Olympics or the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
Statham described his 12 years on the nationwide squad as “an amazing expertise” that “teaches you self-discipline, focus, and positively retains you out of bother,” in a 2003 interview with IGN.
Cody Simpson
Cody Simpson reacts after competing within the Males’s 100m Butterfly Closing through the 2022 Australian Quick Course Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on August 26, 2022 in Sydney, Australia.Picture by Matt King/Getty Photos
Cody Simpson represented Australia within the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, successful gold within the 4x100m freestyle relay swimming occasion.
However in addition to his latest success within the pool, the Australian can also be a well-known singer who has 4 solo studio albums – Paradise (2012), Surfers Paradise (2013), Free (2015), and Cody Simpson (2022).
Simpson even sang “I Nonetheless Name Australia Residence” for the Queen at Buckingham Palace and took part within the Queen’s Baton Relay to commemorate the opening of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Video games – discuss a full circle second.
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