Actors are more than just a pretty face. Many of them are talented to no end and have more abilities than remembering their lines. This is a list of actors who also have the hidden talents of being superstar athletes!
Although it's not hard to believe that the like of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Terry Crews and Carl Weathers have conquered the sports world, there are many more actors who were once on a totally different career path of sweat blood and tears.
Matthew Perry
We all know the face of Mathew Perry who was one of the stars of our favorite 90’s sitcom, Friends.
But little did you know that before Perry was a famous actor, and before his long journey of struggling with prescription drug addictions, he was an active sports star.
See which other Hollywood hotshots stood out in sports:
Wait For "Hit"
Unlike the lazy actor of today who struggles with his weight thanks to his addiction, a younger Perry was a brilliant tennis player who was even nationally ranked at number 17 in Junior singles and Number 3 in junior doubles!
He was so invested in his sporting career that the actor would practice for as much as 10 hours per day!
Avril Lavigne
Avril Levine was once literally a skater girl. But rather than a skateboard, she was skating on ice!
The rockstar used to be an ice hockey champ, getting in the rink at only 2 years old!
Skater Girl
You can imagine starting a sport at 2 means you land up having some serious skills.
Seems Lavigne conquers anything she puts her mind to. She was even named MVP of her team twice! But as we know she left the life of ice for a life of Rock and Roll.
Jason Lee
The My Name is Earl actor, Jason Lee is known for his role in the ’90s and 00’s cult classics like Mallrats.
But Lee had a life before his quirky characters on set, one of a true skater boy.
He Was A Skater Boy
Skating was not only Lee’s passion, but he took it professional thanks to his mad skill and was a pro skater through the ’80s and early ’90s.
Suddenly his SoCal roots and recurring roles in Kevin Smiths ‘View Askewniverse’ makes a whole lot more sense.
Amy Adams
Amy Adams was nearly pressured by her friends and family to go into a whole different career path. She proved her athletic ability in more than one department but excelled at track and field during high school which could have given her a scholarship to University.
But Adams had a very different passion she aimed to pursue in mind.
Sticking To Her Gut
As she told The Hollywood Reporter: "I didn't go to the university because there weren't options in my family."
"And I stopped the athletic options. I was supposed to stick with track because I was really quick, and I could run fast, but I told them, 'I want to dance.'"
Jason Statham
The age-defying shredded antihero and the baldest dude in Hollywood was also amongst the actors who were once talented athletes.
And while you would assume his athletic abilities had something to do with martial arts of body-building- think again!
Diving Hair First
Statham was discovered thanks to his talented diving skills. He was a competitive diver. Videos of Statham competing as a diver (1 m, 3 m, 10 m) in the 1990 Commonwealth Games is all you need to see to understand where the acrobatic abilities he flaunts in his action movies come from.
We don’t know what’s more surprising, that he was a diver or that he once had a full head of hair!
Ronda Rousey
Rousey is probably even more well-known in the world of sports than the world of Hollywood, One of the biggest names in the UFC.
The former UFC Women’s Badminton Champion as well as the very first U.S. woman to earn a gold medal in Judo she is what you call Girl Power.
Kicking the Screen’s Butt
However, these days she is keen on trying her hand in another career, acting.
She has recently appeared in films such as The Expendables 3, Furious 7 and more.
Dolph Lundgren
One of the most expected names to appear on our list is Dolph Lundgren.
It makes sense that the man who rose to fame thanks to his role as a Soviet boxer would have a black belt in real life too! (You can’t fake ALL those moves).
Brains AND Brawn
Lundgren is not only brawn, but he is also brains too. The actor and sportsman has a master’s in chemical engineering, is a third dan (Sandan) black belt in Kyokushin karate.
Even more impressive, Lundgren set the bar in Kyokushin during his peak as a 2x European champion (1980-81) and Australian champion (1982). Talk about an overachiever!
Megan Fox
Megan Fox is one of the hottest actresses of our generation and is known to sizzle on screen.
But she is not just a pretty face who can deliver lines- Fox also used to swim competitively.
Competitive Swimmer
Don’t let her pretty-girl attitude fool you, Meghan took the sport fully seriously and was known to get super competitive.
She swam competitively from when she was 5 until 14 at State championships.
Ed O’Neill
When it comes to being the couch TV dad King, Homer Simpson, and Peter Griffon better step aside because there is no one like Ed O’Neil.
He has conquered all our hearts with his role in Modern Family and who can forget his role as a loser living in the shadow of his high school days on Married… with Children.
But what makes his character od Al Bundy, the shoe salesman who longs for his high school football glory days so authentic is that he used to be a football star in real life!
No Putting His Foot In His Mouth
He even earned a scholarship to Ohio university thanks to his crazy good football abilities. After transferring to Youngstown State and finishing out his collegiate career as a defensive lineman, the Pittsburgh Steeler’s signed O’Neill as an undrafted free in 1969.
However, he was cut during training camp. Although looking back it may have been the best thing to happen to him!
Kate Hudson
Don’t be fooled by the cute smile and blonde locks, Hudson used to be a real tomboy and was crazy about soccer.
The gorgeous actress and daughter of Hollywood legend Goldie Hawn was all about the competitive sport and took it seriously through high school.
Career Ultimatum
She has admitted that is very well could have been the career path she chose as opposed to acting.
She stated in an interview with Vogue "It was actually something that I could have pursued in terms of college, but I didn’t because I wanted to act and sing and dance."
Elsa Hosk
Proving supermodels can be multi-talented, the beautiful Stockholm native Elsa Hosk who is known for donning Victoria Secret Angel wings was once a professional basketball player!
Hosk even played for the Swedish national team! We guess having model height can come into use when you’re on the basketball court.
Couldn’t Keep Up
Hosk explained how she was faced with an ultimatum between modeling and basketball careers and chose the former:
“I had to choose basketball or modeling because I was doing both on top of school, and it was hard coming back from jobs and having my teammates already practicing new [skills]. I couldn’t keep up.”
Tommy Lee Jones
Long before he was saving the world from aliens in ‘Men in Black’, he was saving his team on the football field!
It seems Jones craves action in real life as much as he does on screen.
Never Defeated
Jones played offensive guard from 1966-69 and earned first-team All-Ivy League for an outstanding 1968 season.
1968 was really something special – after winning the Ivy League championship two years prior, Jones and the Crimson remained undefeated.
Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan is the guy who has done it all. Quite literally. He was UFC’s animated commentator, he was ‘The Fear Factor Guy’, he was Joe Gareli from the Sitcom NewsRadio… what hasn’t he conquered?
But know we will explore why Rogan is such a great UFC sports commentator…
Evidently Fear Was Never A Factor
Before earning black belts in no-gi and gi jiu-jitsu as an adult, Rogan grew up training and competing in taekwondo competitions.
Being Rogan and having to do everything well, he quickly became a four-time Massachusetts state champion and winner of the 1987 taekwondo U.S. Open Championships at the tender age of 19!
David Duchovny
Duchovny has one of the most memorable faces in Hollywood and has starred in countless great films.
These include his Golden Globe performance in Fox Mulder or his role in the smash hit X-Files (and who can forget Californication?)
White Men CAN Jump
But before he was regarded as a talented actor, Duchovny was a basketball prodigy... Duchovny was the captain of his high school basketball team before playing for the JV team at Princeton.
Fun fact: Duchovny desperately wanted to play Woody Harrison’s character, Billy Hoyle, in White Men Can’t Jump and even auditioned for the role.
Uzo Aduba
Definitely my favorite character on Orange is the New Black is Suzanne “crazy eyes” Warren aka Uzo Aduba.
Before Aduba made it big with her brilliant acting skills, she was one brilliant sportswoman.
Outrunning Then Outgunning
Aduba is a woman who knows how to sprint right into success. She was one of Boston University’s top talents, running the 55, 100 and 200-meter dash.
For a little perspective on just how fantastic her time at BU was, her personal best of 7.07 seconds in the 55-meter – that’s only .04 seconds shy of the school record.
Tony Danza
The beloved star of Taxi and Who’s the Boss? Has his sports to thank for him ever getting on the big screen.
Danza was discovered at a boxing gym, and boxing wasn’t just his hobby, it was his serious profession!
Don't Let That Smile Fool You
Hollywood’s 5’9” Italian Stallion was the real deal in the ring. And had a 9-3 record as a pro with all but two of his wins coming in the first round!
So, it must have been weird for him to play his role as a taxi driver and a mediocre boxer in Taxi!
Sheryl Crow
Before Crow was belting out hit track after track, she was involved in a different kind of track.
An all-state track athlete in high school, Crow received medals in the 75- meter low hurdles and even scored the nickname Bird Legs for her crazy abilities.
Track Queen
But Crow kissed her sports career goodbye and, these days is way more focused on her musical tracks.
She has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and has garnered 9 Grammy awards throughout her career!
Kurt Russell
They say like father like son, and this was certainly the case for Kurt Russel who took after his father in his career path.
But in this case, Russel followed in the footsteps of his father Bing in two unique career paths!
Now That’s Baller
Russell’s acting career has blossomed from a heartthrob hero to a transcendent action star. He also played professional baseball just like pops.
Unlike other actors on the list who started off as athletes, Russel already had many acting roles under his belt when he decided to try out his hand at professional baseball.
His minor league run was no gimmick, however, as he lasted a few years playing at the Class A and Double-A level as a switch hitter.
Gwen Stefanie
The blonde songbird is adamant that she ‘ Ain’t no holler back girl’, but she is a backstroke girl!
Stefanie was a talented swimmer on her school swim team back in the day.
Swimming Upstream
Swimming was one of her comforts in school and she found her place within her swimming team.
However, it wasn’t long before she hung up her flippers and decided to try out her singing chops instead, and boy are we glad!
Chuck Norris
‘Death once had a near-Chick-Norris-experience’. So, goes the satirical facts about the action star who literally seems larger than life and has blessed the universe with a whole world of hilarious jokes and memes about his amazingness.
So much so that Watching anything involving the high-kicking martial artist – the star of the Walker, Texas Ranger series amongst a list of action movies – without dropping a Chuck Norris “fact” is unacceptable. But these jokes come from more than just his acting abilities.
Chuck Norris Invented Martial Arts (Sort Of)
Turns out Chuck Norris is a full-on martial arts guru (no surprises there) he has earned a black belt in pretty much every discipline.
Norris has a collection: 9th degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, 8th degree black belt in taekwondo, 5th degree black belt in karate, 3rd degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and black belt in judo.
Jane Lynch
She may be the crazy sport coach on Glee, but Lynch knows a thing or two about sports in real life too! She was a basketball athlete throughout high school despite preferring softball.
She told Logo Well, I was an athlete," she said. "I loved softball, but I did play basketball. I didn't love it so much — I was recruited because I'm so tall."
Gym Teacher
Although Lunch left that world behind and is now an accomplished actress, it seems her sporty athletic personae followed her into her role as the gym coach!
The role made her a household name and remains one of television's most iconic characters.
Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds is something of a Hollywood legend with iconic films like Smokey and the Bandit, Deliverance, The Longest Yard, and Boogie Nights under his belt.
But little did you know, this hunk would never have had such a successful acting career if it wasn’t for a seemingly unfortunate twist of fate.
A Twist Of Fate
Reynolds was a star football player growing up in Florida. He earned plenty of scholarship with his skills on the field and was looking forward to going pro.
That is until a knee injury in his sophomore year and a car accident soon after left him injured and forced him to pursue another career!
Tom Selleck
It’s not a surprise that the 6”4 hunky actor Tom Selleck also earns a spot on this list. Selleck’s career is about as diverse as it gets.
He has acted as the hunk in many widely popular shows and movies like Magnum, P.I. to Friends to Three Men and a Baby.
A Man Of Many Talents
Selleck played basketball in high school and proved himself a brilliant player which earned him a scholarship to USC where he would go on to play two seasons with the Trojans.
From early on he proved himself a man of many talents, he managed to balance playing basketball, joining a fraternity and working as a model while earning a business degree.
Jim Gaffigan
This stand-up comedian knows how to make us laugh whether it's on a stage or on one of his countless film appearances.
Can you believe the funny guy was once somewhat of a successful athlete?
Before Cracking Jokes He Was Cracking Opponents
Gaffigan first attended Purdue and was talented enough to get a spot on the Boilermakers roster as a walk-on. After one year, Gaffigan transferred to Georgetown where he finished his collegiate football career with the Hoyas.
How Hot Pockets never signed him as their faux Wheaties spokesman is truly a mystery.
Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones is as much of a bad boy off-screen as he is on! The Englishman’s signature tough-guy character has appeared in many classic roles.
These include classics like the Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand and his legendary role as the crazy soccer firm leader in EuroTrip.
The Right Kind Of Crazy
But those in the U.K. have known Vinnie’s craziness long before he made it on screen.
Jones was a hard man of one of Britain’s best teams, Wimbledon FC’s “Crazy Gang”. Whatever brand of craziness Jones had, it clearly works for him!
Carl Weathers
Another obvious athlete-turned-actor is Carl Weathers who dazzled on one of the biggest stages in boxing history as Apollo Creed in the classic Rocky series.
I mean, you don’t makeup one of the manliest handshakes in history without having some real-life athletic experience.
Let's Play Ball
Not only did Weathers play D-I football at for the SDSU Aztecs, but Weathers also played a pair of NFL seasons with the Oakland Raiders and spent a season in the CFL.
It seems as though before he was making hits in the acting world, he was laying down some serious hits on the field.
Lou Ferrigno
Another one that is as obvious as it gets, the actor who is literally built for being the Hulk.
Lou Ferrigno, had an athletic history before he took on the green skin and made it huge in Hollywood.
From Bulk To Hulk
One thing that hasn’t changed over his different career is his habit of tearing his shirt off as he used to be a professional bodybuilder.
It seems the biggest difference from bodybuilding to acting like the Hulk for Ferrigno – who famously starred in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pumping Iron – was swapping tanning lotion out for green paint.
Phil Robertson
Phil Robertson is the perfect example of a man who followed his passion rather than fame and came out on top.
Although he only became a household name years after his sports career on the reality show Duck Dynasty, it was the eccentric hunter’s decision to not pursue his shot at fame to continue hunting eventually led to his success.
Now That's Commitment!
The lifelong Louisianan played quarterback for Louisiana Tech on a scholarship. The starting QB was even playing ahead of Steeler’s legend and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw.
But the craziest part of all? Robertson was reportedly offered a shot at playing for the Washington Redskins, but chose not to because it’d get in the way of his hunting!
Forest Whitaker
We all know Forest Whitaker from the pearls of wisdom his characters give us on the countless classics he has acted in.
But his role as a high school football player on Fast Times was the one that gave us a glimpse into his former reality before fame.
No Holding Back
Whitaker was a standout defensive tackle at Palisades Charter High School (Los Angeles, CA), enough so that he earned a scholarship from nearby California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Like many others on this list, it was thanks to a sporting injury on his back that we are gifted with our favorite wise guy on films.
Terry Crews
Crews has a body that looks like it was built for the world of athletics. His titanium-armor looking body evokes the same reaction in all of us.
And indeed, before he took up acting in blockbusters like The Expendables series and hit sitcoms like Everybody Hates Chris and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, he was laying out running backs and quarterbacks at the college and pro level.
Throwing Touchdowns
Crews won a MAC championship during his time at Western Michigan.
He later saw action at the NFL level with the Rams, Chargers, and Redskins.
Sean Connery
One fact about this gorgeous actor is certain- he liked his martinis shaken, not stirred.
But is there anything else we know about the man behind Bond? It's not much of a surprise that he is quite the action hero off-screen too!
What's Bond Without His Guns
A young Connery was even sexier than James Bond with all his charm if that’s possible.
A competitive bodybuilder, his physique was so impressive that he competed in the famous Mr. Universe competition.
Jason Segel
This one is a little harder to wrap our head around.
The hilarious and lovable Jason Seagal who stole the show in films like How I Met Your Mother and I Love You, Man is one adorable big teddy bear who we can’t get enough of. But he was once Mr. sporty too!
Dr. Dunk
Turns out Segal was already pulling heart-strings in high school. The 6’4” Sega;l was a fan favorite on Harvard-Westlake School’s (Los Angeles, CA) basketball team. Although he served as the backup center, his springs earned him the title “Dr. Dunk” after winning a dunk contest.
Segel’s team won back-to-back state championships in his time there. Not to mention that the player he was backing up was former NBA center, Jason Collins.
Gina Carano
She’s one badass on screen, but many may not know that Gina Carano also knows a thing or two about fighting ‘for realssies’.
Yup, Deadpool star Gina Carano also professionally competed in combat sports.
A Real-Life Gladiator
Carano’s incredible 12-1-1 kickboxing record and 7-1 MMA record made her more than qualified to compete as the Gladiator “Crush” on American Gladiators.
One thing is for sure - this is one woman who no one wants to mess with.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Dwayne Johnson is one of those guys who just needs to touch something for it to turn gold.
Somehow, he has accomplished conquering Hollywood while maintaining his persona as one of the most down-to-earth and nicest guys around.
Bodyslamming Opponents
Johnson got his big break wrestling in the WWF/WWE as “The Rock,” but his resume as an athlete dates back further.
The Rock first began tossing bodies around as a football player and was a part of the iconic Miami Hurricanes 1991 national championship team before a very brief stint in the CFL.
Mark Harmon
Before the days of Mark Harmon’s regular appearance on series such as West Wing, NCIS, and JAG he was showing off his talents somewhere else in Hollywood.
Yup, this series staple was once a talented quarterback.
Making A Difference
After completing his associate degree at Pierce College (Los Angeles, CA), Harmon transferred to UCLA where he was the Bruins’ quarterback for two years.
Harmon took a team coming off a dismal 2-7-1 season (1971) to an 8-3 and 9-2 record in the following years.
Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington is a legend in the acting world, no one can argue. For years he has been dominating our screen with his perfect ability to personify his on-screen character. One such example is when he played in Spike Lee’s 1998 film, He Got Game.
Denzel Washington played the supporting role of Jesus Shuttlesworth’s (Allen) father. But what many are oblivious too is that this was by no means Washington’s first experience hooping.
Shooting Hoops To Shooting Movies
Denzel knew his way around the court before he knew his way around a red carpet. In fact, when the New York native was attending Fordham University, he played for the Rams’ JV basketball team under future NBA coach P.J. Carlesimo.
Washington played two seasons (1972-74), boasting an 18-1 record in his sophomore season.
Emma Watson
Watson was one of the Harry Potter cast that stole our hearts from day one with her frizzy hair and adorable know-it-all attitude. s. Of course, Watson wasn’t just acting like a smarty.
She demonstrated her Brainiac abilities by earning her bachelor’s degree at the prestigious Brown University.
A-Lister Bringing Her A-Game
A real superwoman not only did she manage to earn a degree while appearing in many films, but she also played collegiate field hockey!
The thought of an international star like Watson even having time to attend a game as a fan seems improbable let alone competing.
Jon Stewart
One of those actors who simply seem to defy the aging process is the gorgeous Jon Stewart (his white hair as the exception of course).
Believe it or not, the guy that has spent years sitting behind his desk of The Daily Show used to be one active dude.
How's That For A Memorable Pitch
Stewart’s fantastic flow was likely right at home in his younger years, as the Comedy Central icon spent his undergraduate years on the pitch College of William & Mary’s soccer team.
In fact, Stewart even scored a game-winning goal against the NCAA powerhouse Connecticut Huskies to win the ECAC Championship.
Esther Williams
The breath-taking beauty who dominated the silver screen back in the day.
She was also a woman who set records for her amazing swimming abilities.
A Swimming Sensation
In fact, some take her swimming career more seriously than her acting. By age 16 Williams has won three US championships and broke records.
It seems like she is not only a sensation off-screen but in the water too!
Joel McHale
Whether you know McHale from his obnoxious character Jeff Winger who you can’t help but love on Community.
Or as the hilarious host on The Soup, you’re about to fund out a new fact about the funny guy.
Different Strokes For Hopes
When McHale sheds his shirts on screen it's clear that he has one rocking body which must come from somewhere. Indeed, McHale was a talented enough rower to be recruited out of high school.
Instead, McHale chose to join his friends at the University of Washington and put his 6’4” frame to use as a walk-on tight end with the Huskies.
Mahershala Ali
The Academy Award winner has more talents than brilliant acting. Ali played for Saint Mary’s College of California on a basketball scholarship.
But as it got more competitive he explains how the sport’s appeal was lost on him and by the time he graduated in 1996 he no longer enjoyed it at all.
Resentment of the Sport
In an interview he explained "Honestly, I kind of resented basketball by the end of my time there," he said.
"I'd seen guys on the team get chewed up, spat out and I was personally threatened with being shipped off to the University of Denver. All in the name of wins and productivity."
Ellen DeGeneres
She is the show host that everyone loves to love with her quirky character and ability to make every star seem like a human.
But before DeGeneres was giving famous people a run for their money on her talk show, she was giving competitors a run for their money as a tennis and golf athlete.
Tomboy Ellen
Ellen explained how her love for sports endured through her childhood: The TV host told Shape that she's always loved playing sports and even picked up golf.
"I was very much a tomboy," she said. "I loved sports, running around, playing tennis. I learned golf in high school because my mother remarried, and we moved [from Louisiana] to a really small town in Texas. I had no friends, so I learned to play golf because you can do that by yourself."
Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum’s journey to fame is a long one from strip dancing, to modeling, to eventual fame and fortune on the big screen. But even before all this, he had another passion- football.
Although he was captain of his high school football team he confessed to Vanity Fair that martial arts were his true love. However, he went to Glenville State College on a football scholarship before dropping out.
Not Into The Game
"I just got tired of playing," he told ESPN.
"I was only playing to keep that scholarship. I was interested in other things and missing home."
Tina Fey
Is there anything Tina Fey can't do? A talented comedian, actress, and writer who won the world over with her hilarious charm and genuine attitude.
She used to be quite the tennis player during high school and was on the varsity team in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.
Keeping Busy
But, always being the overachiever that was not the only activity that kept a young Fey busy.
She was also in the drama club as well as contributing to her school newspaper.
Josh Duhamel
It's hard not to swoon aloud every time the gorgeous Transformer actor appears on the screen. His tall frame and sex-appeal has made him a Hollywood legend (not to mention the former Mr. Fergie).
Duhamel also turns out to be an avid sports fan who was part of the football team at Minot State University and could have potentially followed a sporting carer.
Dental School Drop-out
But his sports dreams came to a quick halt when he dropped out of dental school.
He then started to pursue modeling and acting.