Actors Involved in Politics
by JuulDK | created - 20 May 2014 | updated - 21 May 2014 | PublicThere's a bunch of decent, good and great actors who have also worked in politics. Who's your favorite??
Discuss here.
1. Ronald Reagan
Actor | Kings Row
Ronald Reagan had quite a prolific career, having catapulted from a Warner Bros. contract player and television star, into serving as president of the Screen Actors Guild, the governorship of California (1967-1975), and lastly, two terms as President of the United States (1981-1989).
Ronald Wilson ...
Movies: Kings Row, Bedtime For Bunzo, Knute Rockne - All American.
Politics: President of SAG, Governor of California, President of USA.
2. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Actor | Terminator 2: Judgment Day
With an almost unpronounceable surname and a thick Austrian accent, who would have ever believed that a brash, quick talking bodybuilder from a small European village would become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, marry into the prestigious Kennedy family, amass a fortune via shrewd investments and...
Movies: Terminator, Predator, Kindergarten Cop.
Politics: Governor of California.
3. Jesse Ventura
Actor | Predator
Jesse Ventura was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Bernice Martha (Lenz), a nurse who was of German descent, and George William Janos, a steam fitter of Slovak ancestry. In November 1990, professional wrestler turned actor Jesse Ventura was elected to a four-year term as mayor of Brooklyn Park, ...
Movies: Predator, Demolition Man, Batman & Robin.
Politics: Mayor, then Governor of Minnesota.
4. Clint Eastwood
Actor | Million Dollar Baby
Clinton Eastwood Jr. was born May 31, 1930 in San Francisco, to Clinton Eastwood Sr., a bond salesman and later manufacturing executive for Georgia-Pacific Corporation, and Ruth Wood (née Margaret Ruth Runner), a housewife turned IBM clerk. He grew up in nearby Piedmont. At school Clint took ...
Movies: Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Dirty Harry.
Politics: Served as Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
5. Jerry Springer
Actor | Domino
Jerry Springer was born on February 13, 1944 in Highgate, London, England, UK. He was a producer and writer, known for Domino (2005), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Ringmaster (1998). He was married to Margaret 'Micki' JoAnn Velten. He died on April 27, 2023 in Evanston, Illinois,...
Movies: The Defender, Austin Powers, Ringmaster.
Politics: Mayor of Cincinnati.
6. Al Franken
Writer | Saturday Night Live
Al Franken is best known for nearly two decades of work on Saturday Night Live (1975). During that time he wrote, performed in and produced hundreds of sketches, including "Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley" and "The Final Days," a piece about the last days of Richard Nixon's presidency. A ...
Movies: When a Man Loves a Woman, Stuart Saves His Family, Saturday Night Live.
Politics: Senator.
7. Sonny Bono
Soundtrack | The Sonny and Cher Show
Sonny Bono was born on February 16, 1935 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for The Sonny and Cher Show (1976), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Hairspray (1988). He was married to Mary Bono, Susie Coelho, Cher and Donna Rankin. He died on January 5, 1998 in South Lake Tahoe...
Movies: Hairspray, Dirty Laundry, Airplane II.
Politics: Mayor of Palm Springs, California, Congressman.
8. Fred Thompson
Actor | The Hunt for Red October
Fred Thompson was born on August 19, 1942 in Sheffield, Alabama, USA. He was an actor, known for The Hunt for Red October (1990), No Way Out (1987) and Baby's Day Out (1994). He was married to Jeri Kehn Thompson and Sarah Elizabeth Lindsey. He died on November 1, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Movies: Sinister, Die Hard 2, In The Line of Fire.
Politics: Lawyer, Senator, ran for President.
9. Kal Penn
Actor | Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Kal Penn was born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, to Asmita, a fragrance evaluator, and Suresh Modi, an engineer. His parents are Gujarati immigrants to America from India. He attended the Freehold Regional High School District's Performing Arts High School where he participated in the ...
Movies: Harold & Kumar, Superman Returns, Van Wilder.
Politics: Associate Director in the Obama administration.
10. John Lodge
Actor | Bulldog Drummond at Bay
John Davis Lodge was the grandson of Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge ) and the brother of Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
There was a saying in Boston, portraying the capital of the Bay State as "the land of the bean & the cod/Where the Lodges talk only to the Cabots/And the Cabots talk only to God." ...
Movies: Little Women, The Scarlet Empress, Bulldog Drummond at Bay.
Politics: Served as US Ambassador, US House Member and Governor of Connecticut.
11. Shirley Temple
Actress | The Little Colonel
Shirley Temple was easily the most popular and famous child star of all time. She got her start in the movies at the age of three and soon progressed to super stardom. Shirley could do it all: act, sing and dance and all at the age of five! Fans loved her as she was bright, bouncy and cheerful in ...
Movies: Heidi, Bright Eyes, Fort Apache.
Politics: Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.
12. George Murphy
Actor | This Is the Army
After giving up college, George Murphy decided to become a dancer. Starting in 1927, he worked with his wife and partner Julie Johnson on Broadway. In 1934, after his wife retired from show business, he worked with Shirley Temple, in Hollywood, as well as Eleanor Powell, Fred Astaire, and Ronald ...
Movies: This Is the Army, Battleground, For Me and My Gal.
Politics: Was a US Senator form California.
13. Rex Bell
Actor | Broadway to Cheyenne
Rex Bell was born on October 16, 1903 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Broadway to Cheyenne (1932), Lucky Larrigan (1932) and Rainbow Ranch (1933). He was married to Clara Bow. He died on July 4, 1962 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Movies: The Cowboy Kid, Battling with Buffalo Bill, Broadway to Cheyenne.
Politics: Lt. Governor of Nevada.
14. Alan Autry
Actor | In the Heat of the Night
Though not Hispanic, Autry's parents named him "Carlos" after a Louisiana politician admired by his father. The couple soon divorced, however, and Autry's mother took him to be with her family in central California. Carlos Autry now became Carlos Brown. Autry played sports in high school and earned...
Movies: House, At Close Range, In the Heat of the Night.
Politics: Mayor of Fresno.
15. Jack Kelly
Actor | Forbidden Planet
Jack Kelly started acting at age two, modeling in soap ads and garnering a lifetime supply of soap for his pay. He continued to model until the age of nine when he appeared in his first play with Hope Emerson called "Swing Your Lady". Broadway shows and radio followed until his family moved to ...
Movies: Forbidden Planet, Maverick, To Hell and Back.
Politics: Mayor of Huntington Beach.
16. Robert Dornan
Actor | The Starfighters
Robert Dornan was born on April 3, 1933 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for The Starfighters (1964), 12 O'Clock High (1964) and Hell on Wheels (1967). He has been married to Sallie Hansen since April 16, 1955. They have five children.
Movies: The Starfighters, To the Shores of Hell, Hell on Wheels.
Politics: Member of US House of Representatives from Orange County, California.
17. Fred Grandy
Actor | The Love Boat
Fred is lovingly known as Gopher by his millions of fans around the world who watched him became for 9 years in the 1970s hit series The Love Boat (1977). But, before Fred became well known as an actor, he went to "Phillips Exeter Academy" with David Eisenhower. Later, he became David's best man ...
Movies: Death Race 2000, The Girl Most Likely to..., The Love Boat.
Politics: Served four terms as Congressman to the state of Iowa.
18. Ben Jones
Actor | The Dukes of Hazzard
Ben Jones was born on August 30, 1941 in Tarboro, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Dukes of Hazzard (1979), Primary Colors (1998) and CBS Summer Playhouse (1987). He has been married to Alma Viator since October 10, 1992. They have two children.
Movies: Primary Colors, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Lincoln Conspiracy.
Politics. Congressman to the 4th district of Georgia.
19. Will Rogers Jr.
Actor | The Story of Will Rogers
Will Rogers Jr. was elected as a Democratic congressman for Southern California in 1942. Although he served only 17 months in congress, he is best remembered as the American politician who did the most to try and save the Jews of Europe during World War II. Rogers joined the Emergency Committee to ...
Movies: The Story of Will Rogers, The Boy from Oklahoma, Wild Heritage.
Politics: Congressman for Southern California.
20. Sheila James Kuehl
Actress | The Stu Erwin Show
Baby Boomers remember well the dark-haired, diminutive (4'10") comedienne Sheila James, who raised a smile with her portrayals of tomboyish kid sisters and boy-crazy high schoolers on late-'50s and early-'60s TV. For a while she was a huge hit, backed by her characters' plaintive, pony-tailed ...
Movies: Zelda.
Politics: Served on California State assembly and State Senate.
21. John Gavin
Actor | Psycho
John Gavin, the American film and TV actor, businessman and diplomat who was Ronald Reagan's first Ambassador to Mexico, was born Juan Vincent Apablasa in Los Angeles, California.
The future "Jack" Gavin was a fifth-generation Angeleno, the son of Delia Diana Pablos and Juan Vincent Apablasa, and ...
Movies: Psycho, A Time to Love and a Time To Die, Spartacus.
Politics: Ambassador to Mexico, had also been president of SAG.
22. Morgan Mason
Producer | Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Morgan Mason was born on June 26, 1955 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), The Sandpiper (1965) and No Secrets (1991). He has been married to Belinda Carlisle since April 12, 1986. They have one child.
Movies: Sex Lies and Videotape, Twenty-One, The Harvest.
Politics: Held a number of positions under Ronald Reagan.
23. Wendell Corey
Actor | Rear Window
Wendell Corey was a hard-working American character actor who appeared in numerous movies and television productions in the 1940s, '50s and '60s. Born on March 20, 1914 in Dracut, Massachusetts, in the northeastern part of the Commonwealth near the New Hampshire border, Corey was the son of a ...
Movies: Rear Window, The Search, The Rainmaker.
Politics: Republican campaigner, served on Santa Monica city council, ran for Congress.
24. Ben Stein
Actor | Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ben Stein (Benjamin J. Stein) was born on Nov. 25, 1944 in Washington, D.C. The son of noted economist and writer Herbert Stein, he grew up in Silver Spring, Md., and attended Montgomery Blair High School. Some of his classmates included journalist Carl Bernstein, and actors Goldie Hawn and ...
Movies: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Casper, Expelled.
Politics: Speech writer for Nixon and Ford.
25. Gary Coleman
Actor | Diff'rent Strokes
Without a doubt Gary Coleman was THE child TV star of the late 1970s and early 1980s. A refreshingly confident little tyke with sparkling dark, saucer-like eyes and an ingratiating, take-on-anyone burst of personality, the boy charmed the pants right off of TV viewers the minute he was glimpsed in ...
Movies: Movin' In, Diff'rent Strokes, The Kid with the 200 I.Q.
Politics: Ran for California Governor in the same race Arnold Schwarzenegger won.
26. Marilyn Chambers
Actress | Rabid
Marilyn Chambers was born on April 22, 1952 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for Rabid (1977) and Angel of H.E.A.T. (1983). She was married to William Taylor, Jr., Chuck Traynor and Doug Chapin. She died on April 11, 2009 in Santa Clarita, California, USA.
Movies: Rabid, Angel of H.E.A.T., Party Girls.
Politics: Was a minor Candidate for Vice-President in 2004 and President in 2008.
27. Nancy Kulp
Actress | The Beverly Hillbillies
Nancy Kulp wore many hats: Publicity person, actress, linguist, would-be politician, and teacher. Originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Kulp attended college in Florida, then headed for Hollywood to work in publicity for the movies, not star in them. Soon after arriving in Hollywood, Kulp was ...
Movies: Aristocats, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Parent Trap.
Politics: Ran for the US House.
28. Tom Laughlin
Actor | Billy Jack
Tom Laughlin was born on August 10, 1931 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Billy Jack (1971), The Trial of Billy Jack (1974) and The Born Losers (1967). He was married to Delores Taylor. He died on December 12, 2013 in Thousand Oaks, California, USA.
Movies: Billy Jack.
Politics: Ran for President several times.
29. Pat Paulsen
Actor | The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Pat Paulsen was a comedian specializing in satire who thrived on television in the late 1960s. The highlight of his career came in the watershed year 1968 when - emulating Gracie Allen''s quixotic 1940 Presidential bid as the Surprise Party candidate - he launched his own campaign for the U.S. ...
Movies: Brand X, Blood Suckers from Outer Space, Auntie Lee's Meat Pies.
Politics: Ran for President many times.
30. Howard Stern
Producer | Howard Stern on Demand
Howard Allan Stern was born on January 12, 1954, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, to Rae (Schiffman), an inhalation therapist, and Bernard Stern, who co-owned a cartoon/commercial production studio. His grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Poland and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Stern's ...
Movies: Private Parts, I Spill Your Guts, Ryder P.I.
Politics: Ran for Governor of New York in 1994.
31. Charlton Heston
Actor | Ben-Hur
With features chiseled in stone, and renowned for playing a long list of historical figures, particularly in Biblical epics, the tall, well-built and ruggedly handsome Charlton Heston was one of Hollywood's top leading men of his prime and remained active in front of movie cameras for over sixty ...
Movies: Planet of the Apes, Ben-Hur, Touch of Evil.
Politics: President of both the Screen Actors Guild and the National Rifle Association.
32. Sean Penn
Actor | Mystic River
Sean Penn is a powerhouse film performer capable of intensely moving work, who has gone from strength to strength during a colourful film career, and who has drawn much media attention for his stormy private life and political viewpoints.
Sean Justin Penn was born in Los Angeles, California, the ...
Movies: Milk, Mystic River, Dead Man Walking.
Politics: Ambassador-at-Large for Haiti.
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