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Many people have dreams of being an actor, sometimes in film and sometimes in television roles. Some actors fall into the opportunity through lots of auditions, training, and from knowing the right people. But others get their start by becoming a famous name first.

Athletes are often in the public eye, gaining a following for being good at their chosen sport. Once they , some continue to grow their popularity through other ventures. Many athletes turn to acting, whether through television advertisements and commercials like Coach Prime, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, and Kevin Durant.



Other athletes like , Pat McAfee, Deion Sanders (Prime), and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. do podcasts to attract a following. Some celebrities do one-shot cameos, like Michael Jordan and LeBron James in Space Jam, Uncle Drew starring NBA star Kyrie Irving, Airplane! with Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Blue Chips with Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal.

Then, some athletes go into acting as a profession once they retire from a sports career. We've picked 13 professional athletes who found major success on the screen after their time using their physical skills to gain a following. One of the most relevant former athletes turned T.

V. stars is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He started his athleticism before signing with the Canadian Football League for a season.

Fans got their first taste of his charisma when he became a professional wrestler under the stage name The Rock for WWE from 1996 to .

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