55 American actor athletes

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an American former professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. NBA coach Pat Riley and players Isiah Thomas and Julius Erving have called him the greatest basketball player of all time.

Lyle Martin Alzado was an American professional All Pro football defensive end of the National Football League (NFL), famous for his intense and intimidating style of play.

John Allen Amos Jr. is an American actor known for his role as James Evans, Sr. on the CBS television series Good Times and for the 1977 miniseries Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination. Amos's other television work includes The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a recurring role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on The West Wing, and the role of Washington, D.C. Mayor Ethan Baker in the series The District. Amos has appeared on Broadway and in numerous films in his four-decade career. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and an NAACP Image Award. On film, he has played numerous supporting roles in movies such as The Beastmaster, Coming to America and Die Hard 2.

Nnamdi Asomugha is an American actor, producer and former American football cornerback. He played college football for the University of California, Berkeley, and was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. For many years he was considered one of the best shutdown corners in the NFL. In his 11-year career, he was voted All-Pro four times, including two times to the first team. Asomugha was selected as a member of Fox Sports's NFL All-Decade Team 2000-2009 and USA Today's NFL All-Decade Team 2000s, and is considered one of the greatest Oakland Raiders of all time.

Carlos Alan Autry Jr., is an American actor, politician, and former National Football League player. During his brief football career, he was known as Carlos Brown. He played the role of Captain Bubba Skinner on the NBC television series, In the Heat of the Night, starring Carroll O'Connor. He has also appeared in films and other television shows. In November 2000, he was elected mayor of Fresno, California, and served for two four-year terms through January 2009. In 2008, Autry was hosting a radio news talk show on KYNO AM 940 in Fresno, but left the station in 2011.

Walter Lee Barnes was an American football player and actor. He played professional football as a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and college football at Louisiana State University. Barnes was an actor in both American and European films. He appeared in several films with John Wayne, Lex Barker, and Clint Eastwood.

John Beradino was an American infielder in Major League Baseball and an actor. Known as Johnny Berardino during his baseball career, he was also credited during his acting career as John Berardino, John Baradino, John Barardino or John Barradino.

Stephen C. Bishop is an American actor and retired baseball player.

Omar Bolden is a former American football safety. He played college football for Arizona State University and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Brian Keith Bosworth, nicknamed "The Boz," is an American actor and former professional football player who played linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League (NFL).

James Nathaniel Brown is an American former professional football player, sports analyst and actor. He was a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be the greatest running back of all time, as well as one of the greatest players in NFL history, Brown was a Pro Bowl invitee every season he was in the league, was recognized as the AP NFL Most Valuable Player three times, and won an NFL championship with the Browns in 1964. He led the league in rushing yards in eight out of his nine seasons, and by the time he retired, he had shattered most major rushing records. In 2002, he was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever.

Richard Marvin Butkus is an American former football player, sports commentator, and actor. He played professional football as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1973. Through those nine seasons he was invited to eight Pro Bowls, named a first-team All-Pro six times, and was twice recognized by his peers as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. Renowned as a fierce tackler and for the relentless effort with which he played, Butkus is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most intimidating linebackers in pro football history.

Dean George Cain is an American actor, producer, television presenter, and former football player. He is best known for playing the role of Clark Kent/Superman in the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Cain was the host of Ripley's Believe It or Not! and appeared in the sports drama series Hit the Floor.

Bernard Terry Casey was an American actor, poet, and professional football player.

Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played both Major League Baseball and in the National Basketball Association. With a 40-year film and television career, he is best known for his five-year role as Lucas McCain in the highly rated ABC series The Rifleman (1958–63).

Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy was an American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for hosting Tattletales, Super Password and Win, Lose or Draw.

Terrence Alan Crews is an American actor, comedian, activist, artist, bodybuilder, and former professional football player. Crews played Julius Rock on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. He hosted the U.S. version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and starred in the BET reality series The Family Crews. He appeared in films such as Friday After Next (2002), White Chicks (2004), Idiocracy (2006), Blended (2014), and the Expendables series. Since 2013, he has played NYPD Lieutenant Terry Jeffords in the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He began hosting America's Got Talent in 2019, following his involvement in the same role for the program's spin-off series, America's Got Talent: The Champions.

Benjamin Earl Franklin Davidson, Jr. was an American football player, a defensive end best known for his play with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League. Earlier in his career, he was with the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins of the National Football League.

Brian Manion Dennehy was an American actor of stage, television, and film. He won two Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe, and received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Dennehy had roles in over 180 films and in many television and stage productions. His film roles included First Blood (1982), Gorky Park (1983), Silverado (1985), Cocoon (1985), F/X (1986), Presumed Innocent (1990), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Knight of Cups (2015). Dennehy won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Willy Loman in the television film Death of a Salesman (2000).

James Patrick Dixon II is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs men's basketball team, where he played college basketball. He previously served as the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team from 2003 through 2016.

Michael Joseph Donlin was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and actor. As a professional baseball player, his MLB career spanned from 1899 to 1914 in which he played mainly in the National League for seven teams over 12 seasons. His most notable time was with the New York Giants, where he starred in the outfield for John McGraw's 1904 pennant winners and 1905 World Series champions. One of the finest hitters of the dead-ball era, his .333 career batting average ranks 28th all time and he finished in the top three in batting five times. In each of those same seasons, he also finished in the top ten in the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and home runs.

John Frederick Dryer is an American actor, radio host, screenwriter and former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL).

Arian Isa Foster is a former American football running back and current musical artist under the name Bobby Feeno. He played college football at the University of Tennessee, and was signed by the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Foster was known for his signature Namaste bow, which he frequently performed after scoring touchdowns. Foster holds the Texans franchise records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, and also played for the Miami Dolphins. Foster announced his retirement from the NFL on October 24, 2016.

William Scott Goldberg, also known mononymously as Goldberg, is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former football player. He is currently signed to WWE on a part-time deal. He is also best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He has acted in various films and television shows, including Universal Soldier: The Return (1999) and NCIS: Los Angeles.

Robert Perry Golic is an American former college and professional football player, television actor, radio personality and sports commentator.

Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier is an American actor, singer, Protestant minister, and former professional football player. He was a notable college football player for The Pennsylvania State University who earned a retrospective place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association 100th anniversary list of 100 most influential student athletes. As a professional player, Grier was a member of the New York Giants and the original Fearsome Foursome of the Los Angeles Rams. He played in the Pro Bowl twice.

Dwight Hicks is a former professional American football player who played safety for the Toronto Argonauts in 1978, the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1985, and for the Indianapolis Colts in 1986.

Kyrie Andrew Irving is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. A six-time All-Star and two-time member of the All-NBA Team, he won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016.

LeBron Raymone James Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered one of the greatest NBA players, James is frequently compared to Michael Jordan in debates over the greatest basketball player of all time. Playing on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers, James is the only player in NBA history to have brought NBA championships to three franchises as Finals MVP. He has competed in ten NBA Finals, including eight consecutive with the Heat and Cavaliers from 2011 through 2018. His accomplishments include four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, four Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. During his 17-year career, James holds the record for all-time playoffs points, is third in all-time points, and eighth in career assists. James has been selected to the All-NBA First Team a record 13 times, made the All-Defensive First Team five times, and has played in 16 All-Star Games, in which he was selected All-Star MVP three times.

Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known by his ring name the Rock, is an American-Canadian actor, producer, businessman, retired professional wrestler, and former American football and Canadian football player. He wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation for eight years prior to pursuing an acting career. His films have grossed over $3.5 billion in North America and over $10.5 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.

Thomas Jones is an American actor who performs as Thomas Q. Jones, and a former American football running back who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Virginia. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals seventh overall in the 2000 NFL Draft, and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in addition to the New York Jets, Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs. He retired among the top 25 leading rushers in NFL history, and a member of the 10,000 rushing yards club. In September 2019 he was nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

Alexander George Karras was an American football player, professional wrestler, sportscaster, and actor. He was a four-time Pro Bowl player with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), where he played from 1958 to 1970. As an actor, Karras played Mongo in the 1974 comedy film Blazing Saddles. He starred as George Papadopolis, the adoptive father of Webster Long, in the ABC sitcom Webster (1983–1989) alongside his wife Susan Clark. Karras also had a prominent role in Victor/Victoria, starring Julie Andrews and James Garner. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Centennial class.

Matthew Knowles, known professionally as Matt William Knowles or Ma Tai, is an American actor known for his work in multiple Chinese films and television series such as Asura, Love Me If You Dare, Deng Xiao Ping at History's Crossroad, Red Sorghum, Eastern Battlefield and Red Star Over China.

Marshawn Terrell Lynch, nicknamed "Beast Mode", is an American football running back who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft after playing college football at the University of California, Berkeley, where he became the school's second all-time career rusher.

Joseph "Dandy" Don Meredith was an American football quarterback, sports commentator and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career (1960–1968) with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three years as a player. He subsequently became a color analyst for NFL telecasts from 1970–1984. As an original member of the Monday Night Football broadcast team on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), he famously played the role of Howard Cosell's comic foil. Meredith was also an actor who appeared in a dozen films and in seven major television shows, some of which had him as the main starring actor. He is probably familiar to television audiences as Bert Jameson, a recurring role he had in Police Story.

Francis Charles Moran was an American boxer and film actor who fought twice for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, and appeared in over 135 movies in a 25-year film career.

Alexandra Morgan Carrasco is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Tottenham Hotspur of the English FA Women's Super League and the United States women's national soccer team. Since 2018, she has co-captained the national team with Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe.

Isaiah Amir Mustafa is an American actor and former American football wide receiver. Mustafa is widely known as the main character in the series of Old Spice television commercials, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. He is also known for portraying Luke Garroway on Freeform's fantasy series Shadowhunters and adult Mike Hanlon in It Chapter Two.

Joseph William Namath, nicknamed "Broadway Joe", is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant from 1962 to 1964. Namath was an AFL icon and played for that league's New York Jets for most of his professional football career. He finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. He retired after playing 143 games over 13 years in the AFL and NFL, including playoffs. His teams had an overall record of 68 wins, 71 losses, and four ties, 64–64–4 in 132 starts, and 4–7 in relief. He completed 1,886 passes for 27,663 yards, threw 173 touchdowns, and had 220 interceptions, for a career passer rating of 65.5. He played for three division champions, earned one league championship, and one Super Bowl victory.

Merlin Jay Olsen was an American football player, announcer, and actor. He played his entire 15-year professional football career in National Football League (NFL) as a defensive tackle with the Los Angeles Rams. He was selected to the Pro Bowl a record 14 straight times, missing selection only in the last year of his career. This record of 14 seasons being selected to play in the Pro Bowl, consecutive or otherwise, is shared with current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, former offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, former tight end Tony Gonzalez, and former quarterback Peyton Manning. A recipient of the 1961 Outland Trophy as the best lineman in college football, Olsen is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. As an actor, he portrayed farmer Jonathan Garvey on Little House on the Prairie. After leaving that series, he starred in his own NBC drama, Father Murphy.

Shaquille Rashaun "Shaq" O'Neal is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA on TNT. He is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. At 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall and 325 pounds (147 kg), he was one of the tallest and heaviest players ever. O'Neal played for six teams over his 19-year career.

Scott Gordon Patterson is an American actor and musician. He is known for his role as Luke Danes in Gilmore Girls and as Special Agent Peter Strahm in the Saw films. He also starred as Michael Buchanan in the NBC drama series The Event and as a Tenctonese alien commander in the TV film Alien Nation: Dark Horizon.

Lawrence Kenneth Pennell was an American television and film actor, often remembered for his role as "Dash Riprock" in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies. His career spanned half a century, including starring in the first-run syndicated adventure series Ripcord in the leading role of Skydiver Theodore "Ted" McKeever, as well as playing Keith Holden in Lassie. He was also a baseball player, playing on scholarship for the University of Southern California (USC) and later professionally for the Boston Braves organization.

Kerry Rhodes is an American actor and former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, and most recently played for the Arizona Cardinals in 2012. Rhodes was named to All-Pro teams by three publications after the 2006 NFL season. He played college football at Louisville.

Lafayette "Reb" Russell was an American football running back and later an actor. He played college football at the University of Nebraska and Northwestern University, and professionally in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles, appearing in 10 games in 1933. As a small-time actor following his playing days, he appeared in a series of low-budget Westerns.

Paul Thomas Salata is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). He was born to a Serbian-born father and second generation Serbian-American mother. After his college football days at USC, Salata played for the AAFC/NFL's San Francisco 49ers (1949–1950) and the AAFC's Baltimore Colts (1950). After the Colts franchise folded in 1950 he was declared draft-eligible and was subsequently drafted in the tenth round of the 1951 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He scored the 49ers final touchdown in the All-American Football Conference, as well as the team's first TD in NFL. He also played three final seasons in Canada; 1952 with the Calgary Stampeders, where he was an all-star, and 1953 with the Ottawa Rough Riders.

John Thomas Salley is an American former professional basketball player and talk show host. He was the first player in NBA history to win championships with three franchises, as well as the first player in the NBA to win a championship in three different decades.

Orenthal James Simpson, nicknamed "The Juice", is an American former football running back, broadcaster, actor, advertising spokesman, and convicted felon. Once a popular figure with the U.S. public, he is now best known for being tried for the murders of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Simpson was acquitted of the murders in criminal court, but was later found responsible for both deaths in a civil trial.

Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith was an American professional football player, who starred as a defensive end in both college and the NFL before becoming an actor following his retirement from the sport.

Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode was an American athlete and actor. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National Football League in the postwar era. After football, he went on to become a film actor, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960. He served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II.

Robert George Uecker is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and current sportscaster, comedian, and actor.

John David Washington is an American actor and former football running back. He played college football at Morehouse College and signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Professionally, Washington spent four years as the running back for the United Football League's Sacramento Mountain Lions.

Carl Weathers is an American actor, director, and former professional football player. He is best known for portraying Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films, George Dillon in Predator, Chubbs Peterson in Happy Gilmore and in Little Nicky, Detective Adam Beaudreaux in television series Street Justice and a fictionalized version of himself on the comedy series Arrested Development. He currently holds a recurring role as Greef Karga on the Star Wars-spinoff series, The Mandalorian.

Ernest Lamour 'Wheels' Wheelwright was an American football player. He attended Southern Illinois University.

Frederick Robert Williamson, also known as The Hammer, is an American actor and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s. Williamson is perhaps best known for his film career, starring as Tommy Gibbs in the 1973 crime drama film Black Caesar and its sequel Hell Up in Harlem. Williamson also had other notable roles in other 1970s blaxploitation films such as Hammer (1972), That Man Bolt (1973) and Three the Hard Way (1974).