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10 Professional Athletes Who Would Make Great Actors


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10 Professional Athletes Who Would Make Great Actors

10 Professional Athletes Who Would Make Great Actors
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The worlds of sports and entertainment have been merging for a long time. Professional athletes have been trying to be actors since they've been around. We've seen plenty of them make a second career for themselves on our movie and TV screens.

They usually either play some form of an older athlete or an action role. Both are easy fits for them. If they want to use the fame they already have, they can play a retired athlete or something like that on a sitcom. Or, if they want to go the action route, they're perfectly suited for the more physically demanding roles. Those two classic routes are still a good avenue for athletes, but there are some others that they could take advantage of.

Athletes have been doing commercials for a long time, but they used to be just stiff pitch-men. Today, more and more athletes have shown the ability to be funny when they're off the field. They're as comfortable in front of a camera as any seasoned actor, and they use their comedic skills to sell all sorts of products. There are plenty of athletes who could find comedic roles available to them.

But, the holy grail of Hollywood acting roles is the leading man. They need to have just the right combination of looks, acting skills and personality. They need to be the kind of guy that everyone wants to be around, whether it's because they like him or not. Those are the best roles in the acting world, and those are the ones that athletes would want the most.

These are just a sampling of the professional athletes of today who would make great actors.

Ben Sullivan is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bensullivan52, "Like" him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

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10. David Ortiz

David Ortiz
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

With his smile and sense of humor, David Ortiz would make a great comedic actor.

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9. Blake Griffin

 Blake Griffin
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Action stars who can deliver a funny line or two are all the rage -- just ask Channing Tatum. Already a darling of several TV commercials, Blake Griffin and his dry sense of humor could save the day and make us laugh while he does it.

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8. Joakim Noah

Joakim Noah
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Every good guy needs a villain, and Joakim Noah is already good at being the bad guy.

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7. Shawn Thornton

Shawn Thornton
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

There will always be a place in the movies for a good enforcer. Boston Bruins winger Shawn Thornton already makes his living getting in fights for his teammates.

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6. Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Derek Jeter is everyone's friend. Cool and fun, he'd make the perfect buddy in a sitcom.

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5. Steve Nash

Steve Nash
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Fun and quirky, Steve Nash could have a career as a character actor.

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4. Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Peyton Manning has been making some of the best commercials on TV for a decade now. I could see him as the funny dad on a sitcom.

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3. Larry Fitzgerald

Larry Fitzgerald
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Intelligent and well-liked, Larry Fitzgerald would be a great lead in one of those movies where a young guy gets in over his head but ends up being smarter than everyone else.

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2. LeBron James

Lebron James
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Hollywood still likes making action movies. Now that LeBron James has conquered the NBA, he's ready to save the world.

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1. Tom Brady

Tom Brady
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

No stranger to the spotlight, Tom Brady has what it takes to be a leading man in Hollywood.

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