A STRONG FOUNDATION

Talk'OH! Tuesday

Written by Glenn Javier

Your favourite celebrities don't just pop up randomly and become superstars. Most of them have a so-called "normal" past. Some grew up in little towns then decided to pack up and move to the big cities for better opportunities; others joining small competitions or well, in this generation, start out as social media influencers in our mobile screens then work their way to the small and big screens.

For this article, we're listing down actors who, before their stardom, already have a career in the World of Sports and these experiences may have been the key to their success later in life. Talk about a strong foundation!

In random order, here are athletes-turned-stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Austrian-American action film star whose known for his roles in Predator, Conan the Barbarian, and The Terminator franchise. He's also a former politician who served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011. Schwarzenegger's foundation was bodybuilding/weightlifting.

Weightlifting Roots

• Schwarzenegger began weight training in the 60s when his soccer coach took his team to a local gym. At the age of 14, he chose bodybuilding over soccer as a career.

• He made his name as one of the greatest bodybuilders and fitness athletes when he went on to win the Mr. Universe title at age 20 as well as several Mr. Olympia contests - seven in particular.

• Because of his prominence in the field, he was able to write many books and articles on it.

• Arnold Sports Festival, the second-most important bodybuilding event after Mr. Olympia was obviously named after him, and it's confirmed!

Josh Duhamel

American heartthrob who's had his first acting debut on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children but rose to prominence on the big screen with starring roles in When in Rome, Safe Haven, and Transformers: The Last Knight. Duhamel is also a former fashion model. His connection to sports revolves around football.

Photo from MSU Beavers

Football Roots

• Duhamel attended Minot State University and played as the quarterback for two years under the university's football team, The Minot State Beavers.

• While under the NCAA Division II program that represents Minot State University in North Dakota, Duhamel put up up 1,242 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 21 games.

• The photo above shows Duhamel attending a Beavers comeback along with his father, former MSU standout Larry Duhamel who performed a coin flip prior to the game.

Terry Crews

American television and personality who's known for his scene-stealing roles in projects like Friday After Next, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Expendables series. His amazing physique was actually moulded in the football where he thought he would have a promising career.

Football Roots

• Crews played defensive end at Western Michigan University, where he helped the Broncos win a conference title before being drafted to the NFL by the Los Angeles Rams in 1991.

• Appearing in 32 games on the league, he was a defensive end and linebacker for several teams including the aforementioned Rams, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, and Philadelphia Eagles.

• Being cut from rosters [over and over again], Crews supplemented his football income by receiving portrait commissions from teammates.

• Crews also spent a portion of his time with the Rhein Fire in the World League of American Football before fully moving into acting.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

American movie star who was known for a lot of badass films such as G.I. Joe, Journey, Jumanji, and the Fast & Furious franchise. Johnson also ventured into producing. Before all of this, he was a football player and is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time!

Football Roots

• Johnson was a college footballer for the University of Miami's Miami Hurricanes where he played on the defensive line and actually won a national championship back in 1991. Back then, he aspired to have a professional career in the NFL.

• While Johnson did not get drafted into the league[because of an injury], he signed and spent some time with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. However, Johnson was cut from the team in his first season. Shortly after, he began training as a professional wrestler.

WWE

• Johnson secured a contract with the WWF and was promoted as the first third-generation wrestler in WWF history.

• He rose to prominence after developing his charismatic, boastful, and trash-talking "The Rock" persona/gimmick. As “The Rock,” Johnson became one of WWE’s greatest stars and took advantage of that charisma to boost himself into superstardom.

• He won his first WWF Championship in 1998, becoming the promotion's very first African-American world champion. His win paved the way for the Attitude Era, a boom in the entertainment wrestling industry.

• He is a 10-time world champion, a two-time Intercontinental Champion, a five-time Tag Team Champion, the 2000 Royal Rumble winner, and WWE's sixth Triple Crown champion.

• While pursuing acting, Johson has also part-timed for WWE and is seen visiting from time to time.