Athletes turned movie stars - We all know that the world of sport is full of great talent and that records are constantly getting broken. However, what many people might not know is that some of Hollywood's biggest stars have emerged after they've achieved success in sports. Although some athletes abandoned their career to dedicate themselves to acting, some others have only played small roles in movies and series. Click and get to know the stars!

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Regarded by many as one of the best NBA players of all time, Kareem made his acting debut in 'The Last Fight of Bruce Lee' (1978).

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Vinnie Jones - Now a popular actor, Jones was once a professional soccer player who even played for the Walsh national team.

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Jason Statham - Today he's one of the most sought after action stars, but before he started in the movie business Statham was a professional athlete and represented England in diving competitions.

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Jean-Claude Van Damme - Van Damme was a member of the Belgian karate team who won the European Championships in 1979.

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Burt Reynolds - Reynolds got a scholarship to attend Florida State University because of his talent for football. However, after a serious injury and later an accident, his dreams of making a career in sports were crushed.

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Carl Weathers - Before becoming an actor, Weather played professional football for the Oakland Raiders and the B.C. Lions.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger - Before investing in his acting career, Schwarzenegger won the title of 'Mr. Olympia' seven times.

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Nnamdi Asomugha - The actor played football professionally, between 2003 and 2013.

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Bruce Lee - He's considered by many to be one of the greatest icons of martial arts and pop culture, Lee was a Jun Fan Gung Fu master, which is a sort of an adaptation of Wing Chun.

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Shaquille O'Neal - He's one of the best basketball players ever. In 1994 he made his debut as an actor and since then he's starred in movies and also made small appearances.

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Dave Bautista - He was a professional wrestler for many years and made his acting debut with small movie appearances. Nowadays he gets important roles in big movies.

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Gina Carano - Before beginning her acting career, the actress was a professional MMA fighter.

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O. J. Simpson - A former professional football player who was considered one of the best of his time. He played roles in several movies before becoming involved in various scandals.

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Jason Lee - Before becoming an actor, Lee was a professional skateboarder.

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Mark Harmon - Whilst at university, Harmon played football for UCLA Bruins.

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Dolph Lundgren - In 1980/81, the actor was Kyokushin Karate European champion.

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Michael Jordan - Considered by many to be the best basketball player ever, he starred in the movie 'Space Jam' (1996) as himself.

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Brian Bosworth - Before making his start in the acting world, Bosworth was a professional football player.

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Randy Coutoure - Coutoure is considered one of the best MMA fighters in history. He has made several appearances in action movies.

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Terry Crews - He was a professional football player, though nowadays the popular actor is known for his comedic roles.

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Ronda Rousey - She was an Olympic judo champion in 2008 and then became one of the best MMA fighters ever.

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John Matuszak - The actor, who died in 1989, was a professional football player.

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Mike Tyson - A former professional boxer, he won the world champion title in the heavyweight category. He has played small roles in movies and TV shows where he usually plays himself.

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Lou Ferrigno - He participated in several bodybuilding competitions, having won two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles. He found fame playing the role of Hulk in the series 'The Incredible Hulk'.

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John Cena - He's one of the most popular professional wrestlers today and occasionally plays lead roles in action movies.

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Steve Austin - For many years, Austin was a professional wrestler.

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André the Giant - The actor died in 1993. Before embarking on his career as an actor, André was a professional wrestler.

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Dwayne Johnson - The former professional wrestler is currently one of Hollywood's most sought after actors.

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LeBron James - He's considered by many as one of the best basketball players of all time. He's played small roles in a few different movies.

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Athletes turned movie stars

Many stars found success in sports before starting their acting careers. Check it out!

06/09/17 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Hollywood

To be successful in two different careers seems like an easy task for these people. Some made it big in sports before venturing into the world of acting.