With the 2021-22 NFL season on the brink, America's number-one unscripted reality drama is poised to provide endless entertainment for the next six months or so. Of course, a long-held tradition for some of the most charismatic football players includes parlaying the star power to the big and small screen in a scripted dramatic setting. As such, some of the best NFL players also went on to become legitimately well-respected thespians.
While collegiate football stars like Burt Reynolds and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson have enjoyed mega-successful movie careers, they did not reach the NFL ranks. However, the many who did continue to make a mark on the world of film and television.
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers enjoyed a stellar collegiate football career as a defensive end for the San Diego State Aztecs from 1968-69 before going undrafted in the NFL in 1970. He later signed and spent one year with the Oakland Raiders before his career ended in 1974.
Following his playing career, Weathers became a standout movie and TV actor in such iconic roles as Apollo Creed in Rocky, Dillon in Predator, and many more. With the physical strength to handle intense action stunts and the comedic chops to star opposite Adam Sandler and the like, Weathers can currently be seen as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian, for which he recently earned an Emmy nomination.
Alex Karras
The comedic range of Alex Karras - from the bumbling buffoon Mongo in Blazing Saddles to the respectable patriarch George in Webster - underscores the ex-NFL star's supreme acting talent. The former Detroit Lions defensive tackle was so excellent that he was inducted to the Hall of Fame as a Centennial Member in 2020.
In addition to Webster and Blazing Saddles, Karras earned a formidable acting rep by amassing nearly 40 credits on the big and small screen, showing a progressively sensitive side that pleasantly surprised viewers and subverted his ultra-aggressive demeanor as a football player.
Jim Brown
As a man playing among boys, Jim Brown is widely hailed as the most dominant football player of his era. The first-ballot Hall of Fame Cleveland Browns tailback turned his smoldering stoicism and brute strength into a commanding screen presence across 52 acting credits.
Brown's breakout role came via the classic 1967 WWII epic The Dirty Dozen, in which he held his own among a huge ensemble of bona fide movie stars. Afterward, Brown became a leading man in blaxploitation fare throughout the decade, earning an NAACP Image Award for his important stature as a powerful Black leading man. With unmatched intensity and coolness, Brown's natural persona made him one of the biggest and most well-respected movie stars of the '70s.
Terry Bradshaw
Largely confined to comedic performances, former Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback and four-time Super Bowl winner Terry Bradshaw has parlayed his southern charm into a slew of memorable big and small screen performances. Over time, he's gone on to play a self-aware version of himself in various movies and TV shows.
Bradshaw found his big-screen breakout in the Burt Reynolds road comedies Hooper and The Cannonball Run, which made great use of the Louisiana native's country-fried sense of humor. Over time, Bradshaw's natural onscreen presence and respectable acting chops landed him a standout role as Al in Failure to Launch. Bradshaw currently stars with his family in the reality series The Bradshaw Bunch, which capitalizes on his charismatic star-power.
John David Washington
While John David Washington only made it to an NFL practice squad, his acting talent is too supreme to omit from the fray. In ten credits amassed since 2015, Washington has garnered a whopping 42 acting nominations and seven wins.
The former Moorehouse College star running back was signed by the St. Louis Rams after going undrafted in 2006. Unfortunately, injuries cut his pro football career short. After taking a role very close to home in the HBO football series Ballers, Washington has branched out and showed a tremendous acting range in such films as Tenet, BlacKkKlansman, Malcolm & Marie, and the current Netflix action hit Beckett.
Nnamdi Asomugha
During his playing career with the Raiders, Eagles, and 49ers, Nnamdi Asomugha was a feared and revered shut-down cornerback who played 10 seasons in the NFL. Since transitioning to acting upon retirement and his marriage to Kerry Washington in 2013, Asomugha has slowly earned respect as a serious stage and film actor.
After guest-starring on a few TV shows, Asomugha's breakout role came when he earned an Independent Spirit Award for his role in 2017's Crown Heights, a movie he also produced for Amazon. Taking the craft as serious as can be, Asomugha made his Broadway debut in the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play A Soldier's Play in 2020.
Terry Crews
As a multitalented funnyman, TV host, animated voice actor, and bonafide action star with overabundant magnetism, Terry Crews is one of the busiest former NFL players turned professional entertainers. With over 90 credits amassed since 2000, Crews earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in July of 2021. The former defensive end/linebacker was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1991 and played 32 games for five different teams in his career.
Whether stealing scenes as the hilarious Damon in Friday After Next or showing off his dominant physical prowess as Hale Caesar in The Expendables, Crews has a performative dexterity that is unlike many former football stars. As such, he's earned 22 acting nominations in his career.
Fred Williamson
While he continues to take roles that parody his former badass onscreen image, Fred Williamson was one of the most intimidating and realistic Black action stars of the 1970s. The NFL defensive back played for the Steelers, Raiders, and Chiefs from 1960-1967 before making the transition to low-budget blaxploitation cinema.
Films like Hammer, Black Caesar, and Hell Up in Harlem established William's onscreen bona fides as a strapping figure of brute strength and a low-key elegance that made him extremely compelling as a leading action hero. With roughly 120 acting credits, Williamson has more than earned his respect.
John Matuszak
Perhaps most known for playing the unforgettable role of Sloth in The Goonies, former Raiders defensive end John Matuszak proved to be quite a talented actor before his life was cut short at the age of 38. After making his film debut in the football film North Dallas Forty, Matuszak gave standout performances in Ice Pirates, One Crazy Summer, and guest-starred on Miami Vice, The A-Team, and more hit shows of the day.
Whereas many of the former NFL stars used their physical dominance to strike fear in the hearts of other characters, Matuszak's respect as an actor came from his physical slapstick comedy and willingness to throw his body around with reckless abandon in the name of entertainment.
Bubba Smith
Selected #1 overall in the 1967 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts, the ferocious defensive end Bubba Smith enjoyed a tremendous acting career after his playing days were over. After landing bit roles with a line of dialogue or two on various TV shows in the late 70s, Smith slowly earned the respect of casting directors to gain prominent movie and TV roles.
Perhaps most famous for playing Hightower in the Police Academy series, Smith showed admirable acting range in Blue Thunder, Black Moon Rising, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and Married With Children. With a towering physique and commanding onscreen presence, Smith could play comedy and drama with equal credibility.