• Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
    8 of 11

    Carl Weathers: NFL Linebacker to Beloved Actor

    Well, well, well, what do we have here? Another football player who thinks he can act. Even though Carl Weathers had a brief NFL career as linebacker for John Madden’s Raiders, his first true passion was acting. After retiring from football in 1974, Weathers got his big break playing opposite of Sylvester Stallone as Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise. Post-Creed role, Weathers joined up with both Schwarzenegger and Ventura to give us a triple shot of athletes turned action stars. But unlike the others he didn’t turn to politics; Carl kept at it and turned to more comedic roles where he has since shined. Still quite active (on shows like "Arrested Development), you’ll most likely find him salvaging through people’s leftovers for meat scraps to add to his broth, as this guy always has a stew going.