15 Best Movies Starring Athletes

By Jacob Kornhauser

15 Best Movies Starring Athletes

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Some athletes aren't just good at sports and can really act as well. There are some who were lucky enough to star in some pretty good movies as well. These 15 athletes delivered great performances on the screen.

15. The Dirty Dozen (Jim Brown)

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15. The Dirty Dozen (Jim Brown)

The 2013 ESPY Awards - Red Carpet
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As one of the best running backs of all time, Jim Brown could've just settled for having a Hall of Fame football career. However, he went for an acting career that he continues to this day and that began with The Dirty Dozen.

14. Gridiron Gang (The Rock)

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14. Gridiron Gang (The Rock)

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Gridiron Gang is one of the truly underrated sports movies of all time. It's a compelling tale and as the lead, The Rock turns in his best acting performance to date.

13. Any Given Sunday (Lawrence Taylor)

Lawrence Taylor
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13. Any Given Sunday (Lawrence Taylor)

Lawrence Taylor
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If ever there was someone built to play a role it was Taylor's in Any Given Sunday. He virtually could just play himself and that's what helped make the movie so intense.

12. The Other Guys (Derek Jeter)

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12. The Other Guys (Derek Jeter)

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The Other Guys is one of the great comedies to come out in the past few years, and in the small part Jeter plays, he's great. Mark Wahlberg's character accidentally shoots him in the leg while working security at Yankee Stadium, which prompts the classic line, "You should've shot A-Rod!"

11. Kicking and Screaming (Mike Ditka)

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11. Kicking and Screaming (Mike Ditka)

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Ditka has always had a good sense of humor off the field and he shows that off as a co-star with Will Ferrell. The two play well off each other and incite laughs throughout the film.

10. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (Dan Marino)

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10. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (Dan Marino)

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One of the best quarterbacks of all time, Marino is surprisingly funny in this comedy classic. He doesn't play a huge role, but he plays off of Jim Carrey and helps make the movie into the great comedy it is.

9. Predator (Carl Weathers)

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9. Predator (Carl Weathers)

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Weathers, who briefly played for the Raiders, made more of a name for himself in the acting world and that began with Predator. The movie that lives on with audiences to this day certainly was pushed forward as a preeminent action movie with the help of Weathers.

8. The Naked Gun (O.J. Simpson)

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8. The Naked Gun (O.J. Simpson)

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The Naked Gun has to be one of the great action movies of all time. With legendary running back O.J. Simpson starring, it has become a classic over the years.

7. He Got Game (Ray Allen)

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7. He Got Game (Ray Allen)

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One of the best sharpshooters in NBA history, Ray Allen also had some acting game. In the late 1990s, he starred as Jesus Shuttlesworth in one of the more classic characters in a sports movie.

6. The Hangover (Mike Tyson)

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6. The Hangover (Mike Tyson)

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Even though he can be pretty hard to understand at times, Tyson is hilarious in The Hangover. His involvement in the movie is central to the plot and he doesn't do anything to ruin the landmark comedy.

5. The Princess Bride (Andre The Giant)

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5. The Princess Bride (Andre The Giant)

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The Princess Bride is a cult classic and Andre The Giant, the former wrestler, is one of the stars. With his inhuman size, he plays an incredibly funny character who is always getting people into trouble.

4. Dodgeball (Lance Armstrong)

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4. Dodgeball (Lance Armstrong)

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Dodgeball is one of the greatest comedies of this generation and Armstrong's part in it is classic. It only lasts a couple minutes, but when he tells of his battle with cancer, it inspires Average Joes to win the tournament.

3. Space Jam (Michael Jordan)

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3. Space Jam (Michael Jordan)

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Space Jam was pure genius. Mix the Looney Tunes with the most popular athlete on the planet together and nothing can go wrong. MJ is actually surprisingly funny and the movie, as a whole, is quite the classic.

2. Major League (Bob Uecker)

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2. Major League (Bob Uecker)

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Uecker is a legend in his own right, but his performance in Major League will live forever. His "Juuuuust a bit outside" call is one of the funniest lines in sports comedy film ever.

1. Airplane! (Kareem Abdul-Jabaar)

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1. Airplane! (Kareem Abdul-Jabaar)

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Airplane! might have been the best comedy of the 1980s and that's a huge compliment. As the co-pilot of said airplane, the NBA's all-time point leader does his part in making this a classic comedy.

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