The Best Former NFL Players Turned Actors

Terry Crews made his acting debut in 1999 in the syndicated series Battle Dome. He is known for portraying Julius Rock in the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2009), Nick Kingston-Parsons in Are We There Yet? (2010-2012), and Terry Jeffords on Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021), as well as for portraying Hate Caesar in The Expendables film series. Prior to becoming an actor, Crews was a linebacker in the NFL, playing for the Los Angeles Rams (1991), San Diego Chargers (1993), and Washington Redskins.

Carl Weathers has been an actor for approximately 50 years. Although he is probably best known for portraying Apollo Creed in the Rocky films, his career ranges from being an uncredited extra in “blaxploitation” films in the early 1970s - bit parts he took while still playing professional football - to his recurring role as Greef Karga in the television series The Mandalorian (2019-2022). Other notable credits include playing Dreamer Tatum in the film Semi-Tough (1977), the title role in the TV series Fortune Dane, Colonel Brewster on Tour of Duty, Chief Hampton Forbes for 28 episodes of In the Heat of the Night, and Mark Justice in both Chicago P.D. and Chicago Justice. Weathers was a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders from 1970 to 1971, appearing in eight career games, although his first love was always acting. In 1979 he told The Washington Post that his plan had always been to “hop out of football as soon as I made some headway with acting.”

Considered as one of the top running backs in history, Jim Brown was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. A nine-time Pro Bowler and eight-time All-Pro, Brown spent his entire career with the Cleveland Browns; after leading the league in rushing in eight of his nine years in the league, he retired from football at age 29 following the 1965 season. Brown began his acting career while he was still playing football, portraying a buffalo soldier in the 1964 western Rio Conchos. His second film role was portraying Robert Jefferson in The Dirty Dozen; delays in filming resulted in Brown missing the beginning of training camp. When the Browns' owner threatened to fine his star running back $1,500 for each week of camp missed, Brown announced his retirement from football. The Dirty Dozen was a huge hit. MGM signed Brown to a multi-film deal, with his first starring role coming in 1968's The Split. In the 1970s Brown starred in several “blaxploitation” films such as Three the Hard Way. During the 1980s he acted mainly on television, although he was in the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starrer The Running Man (1987). In 1998 he played coach Montezuma Monroe in Any Given Sunday.

A 14-time Pro Bowler and five time All-Pro defensive tackle who played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams, Merlin Olsen was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982. Olsen retired from the NFL after the 1976 season. He quickly transitioned to acting, joining the cast of Little House of the Prairie in 1977, portraying Jonathan Garvey, the neighbor and close friend of Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon). In a Season 7 episode, there is an inside joke about Olsen's previous career; when it's suggested that Olsen's character could coach the town's football team, his son scoffs, “My pa doesn't know anything about football!” Olsen left Little House on the Prairie when he was tapped to star in the drama series Father Murphy. In the series, which was set in the 1870s, Olsen disguises himself as a priest in order to help some orphans who are being threatened with being sent to a workhouse.

Fred Dryer is best known for portraying homicide detective Rick Hunter on the NBC police drama series Hunter. Prior to landing the role of Rick Hunter Dryer had appeared primarily in guest roles on TV series, most notably as sportscaster Dave Richards, a former teammate of Sam Malone (Ted Danson). Interestingly, Dryer auditioned for and was a finalist to land the role of Malone - who was originally envisioned to be a former NFL rather than MLB player. Prior to becoming an actor Dryer was an NFL defensive end for the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams. He recorded 103 sacks over his 13-year career, and led the NFL with 15 sacks in the 1974 season.

The first overall pick in the 1967 NFL Draft, Bubba Smith played for the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers during his nine-year career. A defensive lineman, the two-time Pro Bowler won Super Bowl V as a member of the Colts. Smith retired from the NFL following the 1976 season and soon began pursuing acting roles. Among his most notable roles are portraying Moses Hightower in the original Police Academy film and all but one of its sequels, the chauffeur to Ned Beatty's character in Stroker Ace (1983), and co-starring alongside fellow former NFL star Dick Butkus in the short-lived television series Blue Thunder (1984).

A defensive tackle, Alex Karras played his entire career for the Detroit Lions. A four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020. But his pro football career wasn't without controversy; he was suspended for the entire 1963 season for betting on NFL games. Karras made his acting debut when he was still in the NFL; he portrayed himself in the film adaptation of George Plimpton's book Paper Lion (1968), which was an account of the author spending a training camp trying out for the Lions. After retiring from football he turned his focus to acting; among his notable parts were small role in Blazing Saddles (1974), a supporting role as a closeted bodyguard in Victor/Victoria (1982) and playing the right-hand man to James Woods' villain in Against All Odds (1984). His best-known role might be portraying George Papadopolis, the adoptive father of Emmanuel Lewis, on the sitcom Webster, which ran on ABC from 1983 to 1989.

John Matuszak won two Super Bowl titles as a member of the Oakland Raiders. The defensive lineman played for the Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs during his nine-year (1973-81) NFL career. His colorful personality, hard-partying lifestyle, and on-field toughness earned “Tooz” the reputation as one of the NFL's true “bad boys.” He was still playing for the Raiders when he got his first major acting role, portraying O.W. Shaddock, a player on the fictional pro football team the North Dallas Bulls, in North Dallas Forty (1979). Another notable role was playing the mistreated and deformed, but soft-hearted Sloth Fratelli in The Goonies. Matuszak was only 38 years old when passed due to an accidental OD of the prescription drug Darvocet. His final film role was playing Jed Stewart in the comedy Down the Drain, which was released after his passing.

Widely considered one of the top linebackers in NFL history, Dick Butkus was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Butkus played his entire nine-year career with the Chicago Bears; he was an eight-time Pro Bowler and was named an All-Pro five times. A knee mishap led to his premature retirement at the age of 31 in May 1974. Prior to his retirement Butkus had portrayed himself in the acclaimed television movie Brian's Song (1971). He then made a number of guest appearances of various television shows in the 1970s and early 1980s before being cast in regular roles in the short-lived TV series Blue Thunder (1984) and Half Nelson (1985). He found better success when he portrayed cafe owner Ed Klawicki in the first two seasons (1987-1989) of the sitcom My Two Dads. But his best-remembered acting role may have been when he portrayed Coach Katowinski on the Saturday morning sitcom Hang Time from 1998 to 2000.

Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, Terry Bradshaw played his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A three-time Pro Bowler, the quarterback won four Super Bowls with the Steelers, twice being named Super Bowl MVP. Since retiring from football in 1984 Bradshaw has primarily worked in sports broadcasting as an analyst for both CBS and Fox. The majority of his appearances in television shows or films have been in cameos or portraying himself. However he has portrayed some fictional roles, such as when the played the father of Matthew McConaughey's character in Failure to Launch (2006) or when he played Coach Clarence in the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. In 2020 Bradshaw and his family got their own reality show, The Bradshaw Bunch on the E! channel.

Ed Marinaro's first big break as an actor came when he was cast as the recurring character Sonny St. Jacques on the 1970s sitcom Laverne & Shirley. In the early 1990s he portrayed Mitch Margolis, the ex-husband of both “Teddy” Red and her younger sister “Frankie” on the drama series Sisters. Other prominent roles include portraying Joey Buttafuoco in the television movie Amy Fisher: My Story. But the actor is probably best remembered for portraying Officer Joe Coffey on the Emmy-award winning series Hill Street Blues from 1981 to 1986. Before turning to acting Marinaro was a running back in the NFL for six seasons, playing for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and Seattle Seahawks.

Nicknamed “The Hammer” for his hard-hitting style of play, Fred Williamson was a three-time Pro Bowl and two-time All-Pro defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs from 1960 to 1967. In addition to his sometimes borderline dirty play, he was known for his showmanship. After retiring from football, Williamson became an actor. At first he appeared primarily in ‘blaxploitation" films such as Black Caesar (1973), Three the Hard Way (1974), and Take the Hard Ride (1975), often appearing alongside fellow former football star Jim Brown. Other notable roles included portraying Diahann Carroll’s boyfriend in the sitcom Julia - the first weekly television series to star an African American woman in a non-servant role, and playing “Spearchucker” Jones, a former star college athlete tuned skilled surgeon, in the film M*A*S*H (1970). In 1996 he appeared in From Dusk to Dawn, while in 2004 he was in the film version of Starsky & Hutch.

Howie Long played his entire NFL career with the Raiders. An eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, the defensive lineman was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. He won Super Bowl XWIII as a member of the Raiders. After retiring from football Long pursued an acting career. His most notable role came in the 1996 film Broken Arrow. He's also appeared in TV series such as Malcolm in the Middle and Ling of the Hill. Long has appeared in many commercials, including being paired with actor Teri Hatcher in a series of ads for Radio Shack. However Long's most prominent post-playing career role has been as a studio analyst on Fox Sports' NFL coverage.

Don Meredith spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. He went 47-32-4 as a starting quarterback, earning three Pro Bowl selections. Following his retirement from football Meredith moved into the broadcast booth, most notably as a member of the original Monday Night Football crew. He was also known for appearing in numerous commercials for Lipton Tea in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as for a recurring role as Detective Bert Jameson on the television drama Police Story.

Although he is far better known as a professional wrestler than he is for his football career, Bill Goldberg did appear in 14 career NFL games as a defensive tackle the Atlanta Falcons from 1992 to 1994. He retired from the NFL after he hurt himself and tore part of his abdomen off of his pelvis. He soon joined World Championship Wrestling, where he became one of the most popular and successful professional wrestlers of the 1990s and 200s. Known for much of his wrestling career simply as “Goldberg," from 1997 to 1998 he won a remarkable 173 consecutive matches and is a four-time world champion, wrestling mainly for WCW and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In 1999 Goldberg made his acting debut in the action film Universal Soldier: The Return. He continues to act to this day: some of his notable roles include portraying an inmate in the 2005 film The Longest Yard and making a guest appearance as Coach Nick Mellor on the fifth season of the sitcom The Goldbergs.

Joe Namath was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. The brash quarterback was best known for guaranteeing that his New York Jets would upset the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III; he backed up the guarantee by leading the Jets to a victory and being named the Super Bowl MVP. The charismatic Namath - who was tagged with the nickname “Broadway Joe” - began his acting career well before he retired from the NFL at the end of the 1977 season. He endorsed a variety of products; in 1974, his commercial for Hanes pantyhose proved controversial. In additional to commercials, Namath has appeared on stage and in films and TV series. His notable roles include appearing in the film C.C. and Company (1970), starring in the short-lived TV series The Waverly Wonders (1978), making guest appearances on shows such as The Brady Bunch, Kate & Allie, and The A-Team, and making his Broadway debut in the 1983 revival of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial.

The first overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft, O.J. Simpson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. A six-time Pro Bowler and five time All-Pro, the running back led the NFL in rushing four time, including in 1973, when he became the first player to rush for at least 2,000 yards (2,003) in a season. Simpson played his first nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills before ending his career by playing two seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. Simpson began acting when he was still playing in the NFL. He was hired in 1975 by Hertz Corp. to do commercials for the rental car company.; the first commercial has the star running back jumping over various obstacles as he runs through an airport. Notable acting roles include portraying Kadi Touray in the acclaimed television mini-series Roots (1979), Jernigan in the feature film The Towering Inferno (1974), and as T.D. Parker in the sitcom 1st & Ten.

Nicknamed “The Boz,” the outspoken and controversial Brian Bosworth was a two-time consensus All-American at the University of Oklahoma, but ended up being kicked off the team. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 1987, but the linebacker's NFL career came to an end at age 24 after just three seasons thanks to a shoulder mishap. Bosworth became an actor after his football career ended; in 1991 he starred in the action film Stone Cold. But the film failed to recoup its budget and his subsequent film appearances have been mainly in low budget, straight to DVD projects, although he did have a role as a prison guard in the remake of The Longest Yard (2005).

Widely considered as one of the best, if not the best defensive players in NFL history, Taylor was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999. Despite battling drug issues through much of his career, he was a 10-time Pro Bowler, eight-time All-Pro, and a three-time winner of both the AP's and the UPI's Defensive Player of the Year Award. Nicknamed “L.T.,” Taylor played his entire career with the New York Giants, with whom he won two Super Bowls. Following his retirement in 1993 Taylor has pursued multiple endeavors, including acting. In the 1998 film Any Given Sunday he portrayed a linebacker Luther “Shark” Lavay, a character who had many similarities to Taylor himself.

Nnamdi Asomugha is the youngest person on this list. The 41-year former NFL defensive back retired from football following the 2013 season. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, he played for the Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers in his 11-year career. Asomugha portrays homicide detective Danny Baldwin in Netflix's The Good Nurse, a film about Charles Cullen, a nurse who confessed to murdering at least 40 hospital patients between 1988 and 2003. This is just one credit in the former defensive back's filmography. He was still playing in the NFL when he made his acting debut in 2008 in the sitcom The Game. In 2017 he produced and starred in the Amazon Studios' film Crown Heights; the film won the Audience Award for U.S Dramatic Film at the 2017 Sundance Festival. Meanwhile Asomugha was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his performance as Carl King.