We all remember the greatest fictional athletes from film, but which actual athletes have delivered the best performances on the big screen?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in ‘Airplane’
Kareem shows up in one of the great anti-cameos in cinematic history, playing co-pilot Roger Murdock, only to get quickly called out by a young boy for who he is. While he keeps it together for a minute, he breaks character and grabs the kid in a classic moment, his fist nearly the size of the kid’s head.
Mike Tyson in ‘The Hangover’(Caution: language) While “The Hangover” series went off the rails a bit in the sequels, the original was memorable for a number of reasons, not the least of which was Mike Tyson’s surprise cameo, and not-so-surprise, well, impact.
Bob Uecker in ‘Major League’
Some people may not remember that Uecker was a Major League player before he was a broadcaster. But he caught nearly 300 games over six years in the big leagues before heading into the booth in retirement. He’s not nearly as colorful in real life as he was as Harry Doyle, though.
Alex Karras in ‘Blazing Saddles’
Taking on entire towns and punching horses, Karras’s Mongo certainly threw his weight around in Mel Brooks’ classic film. But that film didn’t come out until four years after his 13-year NFL career with the Lions ended. Karras was certainly more than a simple pawn in the game of life.
Ray Allen as Jesus Shuttlesworth in ‘He Got Game’
Most athletes play only bit roles or make cameos in movies, but Ray Allen ended up the lead in Spike Lee’s basketball tale, opposite Denzel Washington, no less. And despite his youth and lack of acting experience, he looked in his element and held his own.
Cam Neely in ‘Dumb and Dumber’
The former NHL winger and current president of the Boston Bruins has played bit roles in a number of Farrelly Brothers movies. But none were as memorable as his turn as Sea Bass, the angry trucker Harry and Lloyd run into on their cross-country expedition.
John Matuszak in The Goonies
If you’ve seen “The Goonies,” you certainly remember Sloth. But you may not know that he was played by John Matuszak, a nine-year NFL veteran who played for the Raiders, Chiefs and Oilers, landing roles in “North Dallas Forty” and the “M.A.S.H.” television show before landing this role.
Brett Favre in “There’s Something About Mary”(Caution: language) We all know about it now, but Favre’s cameo at the time was a hilarious twist at the climax of the outrageously popular cult classic.
Michael Jordan in ‘Space Jam’
As great as Jordan was on the court, it can be easy to forget that his legend among kids raised in the 90s was built just as much on his marketing off of it. And no piece of pop culture sold Jordan’s legend quite like “Space Jam,” a fantastical tale intertwining him with beloved Looney Tunes cartoon characters in order to save the world (and, simultaneously, the stars of the NBA).
Lawrence Taylor in ‘Any Given Sunday’(Caution: language) LT’s had a few star turns in Hollywood, but his role as Luther “Shark” Lavay resonates for its sadness and authenticity, especially as the league faces more scrutiny for its injury protocol. And with all of Taylor’s off-the-field transgressions, this speech to Jamie Foxx hits a little too close to home.
WASHINGTON — We all remember the greatest fictional athletes, from Roy Hobbs to Happy Gilmore. But more and more professional athletes are appearing as themselves in films recently, like LeBron James, who stars in the new movie “Trainwreck.”
So which actual athletes have delivered the best performances on the big screen? We omitted professional wrestlers (The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant) to pare this list down a bit, but included 10 favorites from around the American pro sports landscape. Flip through the slides to take a look at our list and let us know if we missed any.
