5 Brilliant Film Cameos By Sports Stars
What is it with Sports Stars and acting? It seems everyone has to have a go at some stage in their career, and the results are often dire. These certainly aren’t the only five athletes to have tried their luck on the big screen, but I think they’re some of the best cameos around.
Lance Armstrong (Dodgeball)
Lance Armstrong delivers a lesson to Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn) in Dodgeball that is brilliantly hilarious.
On hearing of La Fleur’s decision to quit the tournament for fear of losing the final the seven times Tour De France Champion explains how he thought of quitting once- when he was diagnosed with brain, lung and testicular cancer all at the same time! What a way to make someone feel bad!
The line is so dry, and delivered in a fashion that any Hollywood actor would be proud of. Well done Lance.
Mike Tyson (The Hangover)
Mike Tyson’s contribution to the Hangover is brilliant. His acting in the first film is actually pretty decent, and the storyline that saw the guy break into his house and steal one of his tigers was genius.
But let’s face it, his rendition of ‘One Night in Bangkok’ at the end of the second film is rubbish. It’s funny, but probably not his proudest moment. He should stick to acting cameos and forget any dreams of a singing career.
David Beckham (Goal)
He’s the world’s most famous soccer player, and Britain’s most famous sport star. It’s not so much Beckham’s performance alone that earns this cameo a place on the list, but the fact it came alongside so many other big names including Raul, Alan Shearer, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo.
However, it’s Beckham who gets the recognition here, as it’s though that his commitment to a cameo role in the film secured it’s funding. That’s power right there!
When asked about his performance after the film had been released he simply said “acting’s not for me”. I’ll let you be the judge of that.
Lee Trevino (Happy Gilmore)
Trevino’s the only athlete to make it onto this list without having to say a single word. Widely considered to be one of the nicest men in the sporting world Trevino was the perfect choice to stand around and look disgusted at Happy Gilmore’s crazy antics on the golf course. He can even be seen shaking his head in the mini golf scene where Gilmore starts destroying the obstacles with his putter in a fit of rage. Brilliant casting.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (The Mummy Returns)
There will many of you pointing out that wrestling isn’t a ‘real’ sport, but the Rock’s first movie cameo in The Mummy Returns was so successful that it spawned a sequel to the sequel, where he played the lead role, so it had to be included.
His brief appearance in The Mummy Returns can be found at the beginning of the film, as he leads an army attempting to conquer the world. Not the easiest of tasks for your first appearance on the big screen.
As mentioned Johnson reprised this role in The Scorpion King, and has gone on to enjoy further success in further films including The Other Guys and Fast Five. He’s now a fully-fledged Movie Star in his own right, and therefore fully deserves his place on the list (even if wrestling isn’t real).
Andy Burrows is a film fanatic. He works as a copywriter for Find Me A Gift, the best place on the web to find unique wedding gifts and presents.
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