Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Mathyus in The Scorpion King Since today is NCIS star Mark Harmon's birthday, we feel we must discuss a horrific plague that has threatened America -- if not the world -- with darkness for at least the last half-century: the horror that is the athlete-turned-actor. Why do jocks think they can act? We'll grant them that, in most cases, they've shown an ability to perform under pressure in front of huge crowds. But when we see Shaquille O'Neal's inability to deal with a role as unchallenging as Kazaam, well, we just have to wonder, "what were they thinking?" Of course, Shaq's not to blame -- entirely. Since the 1920s, movie producers have used athletes to try to boost their box office. In many cases, the athletes simply played themselves, though even as gifted a ballplayer as Jackie Robinson wasn't exactly convincing (though he looked better than some of his fellow Dodgers), and we should be grateful that Babe Ruth didn't make any musicals. For some reason, it's mostly been former football or basketball players who have tried to make career changes, though only the most generous definition would allow us to call Rosey Grier, Brian Bosworth, or O.J. Simpson "actors." Now, we're not saying that every athlete who turns his hand to acting is hopeless. Carl Weathers and Alex Karras have given some fine performances, and it's always a treat to see Vinnie Jones or Dwayne Johnson make an appearance. Even Harmon himself isn't bad -- in the right roles. With all those jocks trying their skills as thespians, you'd think that some actors would try to become athletes, and yet, with the exception of Kurt Russell, it seems to be a one-way street. We're not sure why that is (maybe actors know their limitations?) but we hope that more of them stay in the business, if only to make sure we never have to see a dancing Jean-Claude Van Damme ever again. Suggested Sites... MSNBC: The Five Worst Athletes-Turned-Actors - the best of the worst. The Screengrab: The 15 All-Time Worst Athletes Turned Actors - so bad, they had to give up after #10. 10 Worst Athlete-Turned-Action Hero Fight Scenes - it's not just their acting that stinks. Grateful Blue: Athletes as Actors - new bottoms to the artistic barrel. Top 12 Pro Athletes Turned Actors - okay, they're not all awful.

Directory categories: Actors, Athletes, Sports, Movies, Movie Bloopers and Mistakes

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