Best Performances by Football Players
AMC Movie List

Best Performances by Football Players

Athletes don't always fare well in Hollywood, but these football players have earned their stardom. How would you rate them?

rank title points votes your vote
1 Carl Weathers
Weathers only played two seasons for the Oakland Raiders, then starred in <i>Predator</i>, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura. 58 96
2 Jim Brown
The Cleveland Browns athlete gave up his sports career and starred with Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine in <i>The Dirty Dozen</i>. 29 89
3 Alex Karras
The Detroit Lion probably angered a few animal activists with his hilarious horse punch in <i>Blazing Saddles</i>. 24 84
4 Bubba Smith
At six foot seven, Smith towered over his co-stars in the <i>Police Academy</i> franchise, as Moses Hightower. 21 75
5 Terry Bradshaw
The now-sportscaster is the only football player to boast a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He also boasts a nude scene in <i>Failure to Launch</i>. 15 83
6 Brett Favre
When quarterback Steve Young turned down a role in <i>There's Something About Mary</i>, Favre was more than happy to intercept. 15 93
7 Howie Long
This Hall of Famer's action-star looks came in handy when he followed up his NFL career with some acting gigs, starting with <i>Broken Arrow</i>. 13 71
8 Mike Ditka
Playing and coaching in the NFL weren’t enough: Iron Mike also starred as himself in the Will Ferrell soccer comedy <i>Kicking & Screaming</i>. 13 77
9 Lawrence Taylor
In Oliver Stone’s <i>Any Given Sunday</i>, starring Al Pacino, this former New York Giants linebacker plays a team captain with a serious neck injury. 8 76
10 O.J. Simpson
Before he was infamous, Simpson starred in the <i>Naked Gun</i> trilogy, as Leslie Nielsen’s police partner who gets himself into painful pickles. 6 82
11 Dan Marino
The Miami Dolphins legend played the not-so-demanding role of himself in four movies, from <i>Ace Ventura: Pet Detective</i> to <i>Little Nicky</i>. 5 85
12 Fred Williamson
Remember the biker opposite George Clooney in <i>From Dusk Till Dawn</i>? That's Williamson. His film career sure outlasted his sports career. 0 66
13 Michael Irvin
After retiring from the Dallas Cowboys, this wide receiver starred in <i>The Longest Yard</i>, with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. 0 74
14 Bill Romanowski
Though hardly a benchwarmer in the NFL, this ex-linebacker starred in <i>The Benchwarmers</i>, with Rob Schneider and David Spade. -19 67
15 Brian Bosworth
After this trash-talking linebacker’s sports career failed, he tackled a cop role in the B-movie <i>Stone Cold</i>. -22 68