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Wrestlers
who became actors
(Credit:
ABC TV 'Mondo Thingo' - Mondo Movies)
Transcription of the ABC television programme
*Steve "Crusher" Rackman footage supplied
by Media Man Australia
Now,
obviously not all the great actors come from the
theatre. Many of them learn their craft in the
world of professional wrestling.
'Walking
Tall' is the new movie from a hunk of man-steak
glistening with baby oil that we've come to know
as The Rock. Sure, he's no Olivier. But could
Laurence bounce cherry tomatoes off his butt cheeks?
I think not. This week on Mondo Movies, we look
at wrestlers who've left the safety of the ring
for a no-holds-barred career in the movies.
Walking
Tall
If
you're excited by the idea of Dwayne 'The Rock'
Johnson righting wrongs with a big stick, then
'Walking Tall' is your movie. 'Walking Tall' is
a remake and based on a true story that's been
pumped, oiled and supercharged to suit its star,
The Rock. And he's the best thing in a pretty
hackneyed film. With his ability to lift grown
men and his ring-bred charisma, he's perfect for
the part.
THE
ROCK: If you smell-ell-ell-ell-ell what The Rock
is cookin'!
The
Princess Bride
Well,
you can see you need plenty of ego to get in the
ring, which is why so many of these wrestling
gorillas can make the shift from spinebusters
to blockbusters. Standing 7'4" and weighing
over 230 kilos, Andre the Giant was destined to
dominate pro wrestling. Suffering giantism, Andre's
condition and scary but lovable manner helped
make him a star. He was the first inductee into
the WWF Hall of Fame. Hollywood couldn't help
but notice Andre. But of all his acting roles,
his own favourite was as the lovable giant Fezzik
in Rob Reiner's classic 'The Princess Bride'.
ANDRE
AS 'FEZZIK': It's not my fault, being the biggest
and the strongest. I don't even exercise.
It
may have lost some puff over the years, but 'The
Princess Bride' is still captivating. And despite
being typecast as the big guy, Andre was as much
loved onscreen as in the ring, unlike most of
his showier peers.
Suburban
Commando
Hulk
Hogan is arguably one of the most popular professional
wrestlers of all time.
HULK
HOGAN: Are you actually gonna do something or
are you just gonna stand up there like the bitch
that you are?
And
his ball-busting, trash-talking, over-the-top
theatrics in the ring have also bagged him plenty
of movie roles. Sylvester Stallone gave him his
first role as Thunderlips, the ultimate male,
in the slightly decaying threequel 'Rocky III'.
For Hulk, it wasn't a stretch.
But
his acting in the film 'Suburban Commando' was
a stretch, with Hulk playing an alien bounty hunter
stranded on earth. Unfortunately, Hulk forgot
he was in a movie and not in the ring.
They
Live
Despite
being a wrestling bad guy constantly goading Hulk
Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper became so popular with
fans he was turned into a wrestling good guy.
And he also played a good guy for perhaps his
finest movie role in John Carpenter's cult favourite
'They Live'. Here, Roddy is a construction worker
who finds sunglasses that show the world is full
of subliminal messages put there by aliens. And
his acting classes paid off with this superb bit
of adlibbing.
ROWDY
RODDY PIPER IN 'THEY LIVE: I have come here to
chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of
bubblegum.
Crocodile
Dundee
And
for our very own Aussie wrestler-cum-thespian,
look no further than Steve 'The Crusher' Rackman,
who played the poetically-named Donk in the 'Crocodile
Dundee' movies, which went from good to bad to
ugly. Unlike his American counterparts, the movie
roles were few and far between. So Steve concentrated
on some local acting.
The
wrestling ring has proved the perfect breeding
ground for chunky movie action heroes, but strangely,
not many chunky movie lawyers or chunky movie
doctors or chunky movie presidents. Well, that's
typecasting for you.
Websites
ABC
Mondo Thingo
Media
Man Australia
Profiles
Steve
"Crusher" Rackman
Johnny
Valiant
Wrestling
Directory
Projects
The
Glory Days of Australian Professional Wrestling
- documentary on Australia pro wrestling history
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