Many NFL players have tried their hand at acting in popular films like 'Pitch Perfect 2' and 'Something About Mary'
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FOX NFL studio analyst Rob Gronkowski gives advice to former teammate Tom Brady on his debut as an NFL analyst and highlights his campaign to give back to small-town football teams.
Numerous NFL legends have joined the world of film on top of their success on the field.
NFL stars have played a wide range of roles, from singers in a cappella groups to, fittingly, football players and coaches.
In many cases, NFL players star in films alongside their time in the league. The Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce is an example of this. While none of his films have come out yet, he has been making his mark in Hollywood by acting in TV shows, such as the upcoming series, "Grotesquerie" and the film "Loose Cannons."
Many NFL stars have played parts in popular movies, including, from left to right, Brett Favre, Terry Bradshaw and Tom Brady. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic I Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Friars Club I Nic Antaya/UFL/Getty Images)
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Take a look at several NFL stars you can spot on the big screen.
- Clay Matthews
- Dick Butkus
- Ray Nitschke
- Dan Marino
- Brett Favre
- Terry Bradshaw
- Bubba Smith
- Tom Brady
1. Clay Matthews
Clay Matthews had to warm up his singing voice for his appearance in "Pitch Perfect 2."
The former NFL linebacker spent 10 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and one with the Los Angeles Rams.
Matthews' movie moment came in "Pitch Perfect 2," where he led an a cappella performance of the song "Bootylicious."
Clay Matthews stole the show, briefly, as a singer in "Pitch Perfect 2." ( Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
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Matthews had the support of his teammates for his Hollywood debut, as you can also spot four offensive linemen from the Packers as part of the singing group.
Also in the scene is Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Jordan was on the reality TV show "The Bachelorette," where he met his wife, JoJo Fletcher.
2. Dick Butkus
The late Dick Butkus had a couple of memorable movie moments in addition to his NFL career.
Butkus was an NFL Hall of Fame linebacker for the Chicago Bears. Before joining the professional league in 1965, he played for the University of Illinois, where he won the Heisman Trophy.
Dick Butkus mainly played roles associated with football, such as in "Any Given Sunday" and "Necessary Roughness." (Getty Images)
Butkus has been in a number of TV shows and movies over the years. His first movie appearance was in the emotional sports film, "Brian's Song," where he made a brief cameo in 1971.
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One of his most memorable movie roles came in 1991, when he played a football player on a team full of prison inmates in "Necessary Roughness" with other NFL stars, including Earl Campell and Jerry Rice. In the 1999 movie "Any Given Sunday," Butkus played a football coach.
In addition to these movie roles and others, Butkus also was in many TV shows throughout his life, like "My Two Dads," "MacGyver" and "Hang Time."
3. Ray Nitschke
NFL linebacker Ray Nitschke was in the league for 15 years, playing for the Green Bay Packers.
In 1978, Nitschke was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Nitschke appeared in two movies, the comedy "Head" in 1968, when he portrayed a football player, and another football comedy, "The Longest Yard," in 1974.
Ray Nitschke was a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. He also appeared in the original version of "The Longest Yard." (Getty Images)
The original movie starred Burt Reynolds. Reynolds also starred in the 2005 remake, with Adam Sandler taking the lead. The remake similarly starred NFL players like Brian Bosworth and Michael Irvin.
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Nitschke died in 1998, when he was 61 years old, of a heart attack.
4. Dan Marino
Dan Marino is a former NFL quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins. He retired from the professional league in 2000 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
Marino is still involved with the team today as the Dolphins' special advisor.
Dan Marino appeared in the popular comedy "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" in 1994. (Rich Storry/Getty Images)
As for Marino's movie roles, the list starts with "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" in 1994, when he made a brief appearance as himself.
He also played himself in the 1998 movie "Holy Man" and "Bad Boys II" in 2003.
5. Brett Favre
The Green Bay Packers team has had many players double as actors. Brett Favre is another from the professional team that has also been on the big screen.
The former NFL quarterback spent 20 seasons in the league, mostly with the Packers, with a Super Bowl win in 1997.
Brett Favre was in the movie, "There's Something About Mary," in addition to his successful career in football. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Favre's most popular part was in the movie, "There's Something About Mary," where he briefly appeared as a past boyfriend of Mary, played by Cameron Diaz.
6. Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw is a former NFL quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since his retirement from the NFL, he has still been involved in sports through his role as a co-host on "Fox NFL Sunday."
Bradshaw's time in the league saw impressive accomplishments, including winning four Super Bowls in just six years with the Steelers, in 1975, 1976, 1979 and 1980.
Bradshaw played the father of Matthew McConaughey's character Tripp in the 2006 rom-com "Failure to Launch."
Terry Bradshaw was in "Failure to Launch," a popular rom-com with Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. (Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Friars Club)
Sarah Jessica Parker and Bradley Cooper are also among the stars of the popular film.
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Over the years, Bradshaw has also made appearances in a number of TV shows, like "Married…with Children," "Modern Family" and "Last Man Standing."
7. Bubba Smith
Bubba Smith was a defensive end in the NFL. He was the first overall pick of the 1967 draft. He played for the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers throughout his professional football career, which lasted from 1967 to 1976.
During this time, he had one Super Bowl win with the Colts.
As an actor, Smith is known for his roles in the "Police Academy" movies, appearing in six out of the franchise's seven films.
Bubba Smith, right, had a role in almost all the "Police Academy" films. (Warner Brothers/Getty Images)
The first of the films came out in 1984. "Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment" came out in 1985, followed by "Police Academy 3: Back in Training" in 1986 and "Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol" in 1987.
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The final two movies Smith was in were "Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach" in 1988 and "Police Academy 6: Under Siege" in 1989.
Smith died in 2011 at the age of 66.
8. Tom Brady
Last, but certainly not least, the former NFL player regarded as the "greatest of all time" has also appeared in several films.
Tom Brady spent the majority of his professional football career with the New England Patriots before finishing out his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady won seven Super Bowl rings (six with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers) before his retirement in 2023.
An entire movie was based around Tom Brady in 2023 called "80 for Brady," about a group of friends' journey to the Super Bowl. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Brady first appeared in the 2003 comedy "Stuck on You" with Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear. He later appeared as himself in the 2015 film "Ted 2" with Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane, who voiced the talking teddy bear.
The NFL star was also in the 2023 film "80 for Brady," a film that starred Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field.
Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital.
