Travis Kelce is the latest name in sport to turn to acting after Adam Sandler revealed that the Chiefs star will appear in Happy Gilmore 2.
The 34-year-old, three-time Super Bowl champion has long waited for his turn to be on the big screen, having hosted a game show – Are You Smarter than a Celebrity – this summer and a reality TV show – Catching Kelce – in the past (2016).
Kelce has also been involved in a few Saturday Night Live (SNL) skits ever since he won his second Super Bowl on the Chiefs in February of last year.
Kelce’s first SNL episode was on March 4th, so just a month after he and his Chiefs teammates defeated his brother Jason’s Philadelphia Eagles and not after he signed a deal with the talent agency, Creative Artists Agency.
Kelce has also acted in a few commercials, like for ‘Accelerator Energy’ with college sports star Olivia Dunne, Subway, Pfizer and State Farm with close pal and Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
So, is the TV-experienced Kelce ready to follow into the footsteps of some the most cherished and remembered athletes-turned-actors? DailyMail.com takes a look at some former pros who have taken Hollywood by storm.
First up is a former wrestler-turned-actor constantly in high demand.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who was also a college football player at the University of Miami in the ’90s, wasted no time in trying to make himself a movie star since his WWE days, considering that his breakout came in 2001, when he was a leading actor in ‘The Mummy Returns,’ which also starred Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and Arnold Vosloo. ‘The Rock’ retired from pro wrestling in 2004.
The 52-year-old, California native has appeared in a few blockbusters over recent years as well, such as ‘Fast X’ (2023), ‘Red Notice’ (2021) and ‘Jumanji’ (2017).
‘The Rock’ also played a main role in ‘Moana’ (2016), ‘San Andreas’ (2015), ‘Get Smart’ (2008) and ‘The Game Plan’ (2007).
Nowadays, Johnson’s estimated net worth is believed to be $800million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Johnson earns more than $20M per film, per Forbes.
Terry Crews
Best known for his acting skills rather than as a linebacker and defensive end, Terry Crews once played in the NFL from 1991 to 1996, believe it or not, although he never quite made an impact on any of the five teams that he played for… like the LA Rams, Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles, as he only a total of 32 leagues games.
Crews, 52, first captured the attention of the wider American audience as Julius Rock in the UPN/CW sitcom ‘Everybody Hates Chris,’ which aired from 2005 to 2009.
He also starred in the Fox and NBC sitcom ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ (2013–2021), and in the reality TV show ‘The Family Crews’ (2010-2011). He hosted the US version of the game show ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ from 2014 to 2015.
Crews has appeared in several high-profile movies over the decades, like ‘Friday After Next’ (2002), White Chicks (2004), Idiocracy (2006), Norbit (2007), Blended (2014), the Expendables series (2010-2014), and Rumble (2021).
Crews began hosting America’s Got Talent in 2019, following his involvement in the same role for the program’s spin-off series America’s Got Talent: The Champions.
Today, Crews is believed to have a net worth of $25M. On ‘America’s Got Talent,’ he earns an estimated $60,000 per episode, which can amount to around $1.2M per season depending on the number of episodes, according to NBC.
Michael Jordan
Who can forget about ‘Jumpman’ appearing in the all-time basketball classic: ‘Space Jam’ (1996)…
Jordan, 61, starred as himself in the live-action/animation hybrid film and was tasked with helping the Looney Tunes characters win a basketball game against intimidating and invading aliens intent on enslaving them as amusement park attractions.
‘His Airness’ was also the central focus of the Emmy-winning documentary series, ‘The Last Dance’ (2020) and was among many NBA stars appearing in ‘He Got Game’ (1998).
Jordan got paid $20M for his involvement in ‘Space Jam,’ according to Parade, and another $10M to appear in ‘The Last Dance.’
The Chicago Bulls legend made about $90M in salary during his NBA career.
David Beckham
The former England captain and MLS team co-owner has scored some memorable free kicks for club and country, but has also raised a few eyebrows by appearing in a few movies, here and there, since hanging up his cleats in 2013.
Other than his ‘right foot’ being humorously mentioned as one of the UK’s national treasures in the movie ‘Love Actually’ (2003), ‘Becks’ made a small cameo in the film ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ as a projectionist in a scene about ‘Napoleon Solo’ – a US spy.
Beckham, 49, also played the role of ‘Trigger’ in ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ (2017) and is the central focus of Netflix’s docu-series, called ‘Beckham.’
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy star also appeared in an episode of the popular US TV series, ‘Modern Family,’ and was involved in a few ads for H&M, Pepsi, and UNICEF.
Earlier this year, Beckham and his wife, Victoria, recreated a viral moment from the Netflix ‘Beckham docu-series’ in a Super Bowl ad teaser for ‘Uber Eats’.
According to Yahoo Finance, Beckham’s company DRJB Holdings made revenue off of brand deals in 2022, including Maserati and Adidas.
Mike Tyson
Saving perhaps the best for last, Mike Tyson famously starred as himself in the film series ‘The Hangover’ (2009-2013).
In the first ‘Hangover’ movie, Tyson’s tiger was stolen by Alan, Phil, Stu and Doug – a quartet of friends who go on a road trip to attend a bachelor party in Las Vegas. The former boxer even shows that he can still knock out people post-retirement when he punches Alan in the face, at one point.
Tyson was paid $100k for his cameo role in the first ‘Hangover’ movie and $200k in ‘The Hangover Part II,’ according to Parade. But, because many of the starring actors (Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms) made $5M for their roles in the sequel, Tyson’s payday wasn’t quite as lofty.
Tyson, 58, also made a cameo appearance as himself in ‘Rocky Balboa’ (2006), ‘Ip Man 3’ – a 2015 Chinese movie – and ‘Crocodile Dundee in LA’ (2001).
Honorable mentions
NFL: Jim Brown (‘The Dirty Dozen,’ ‘Mars Attacks’); Carl Weathers (‘Predator,’ ‘Rocky’); Bubba Smith (‘Police Academy’); Alex Karras (‘My Fabulous Wedding,’ Hogan Knows Best’); OJ Simpson (‘The Naked Gun,’ ‘The Towering Inferno’) Fred Dyer (‘Hunter’).
NBA: Shaquille O’Neal (‘Steel’, ‘Scary Movie 4’); Ray Allen (‘He Got Game’); Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (‘Airplane!’); Rick Fox (‘Shameless’); LeBron James (‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’); Kevin Garnett (‘Uncut Gems’).
MLB: Bob Uecker (‘Major League’); Jim Bouton (‘The Long Goodbye’), Royce Clayton (‘Moneyball’).
NHL: Cam Neely (‘Dumb and Dumber,’ ‘Me, Myself & Irene’).
Boxing: Tony Danza (‘Don Jon’); Robert Duran (‘Out of the Past’), Gina Carano (‘Fast and Furious 6,’ ‘Deadpool’)
Soccer: Vinnie Jones (‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’); Eric Cantona (‘Elizabeth’); Frank Le Boeuf (‘The Theory of Everything’).
Wrestling: Marvelous Marvin Hagler (‘Indio’), Steve Austin (‘The Condemned’), Dave Bautista (‘The Guardians of the Galaxy’); Jesse Ventura (‘Predator’), Hulk Hogan (‘Suburban Commando’).
