Players Who Are Actors

[SteveJRogers]

Obviously, Bob Uecker. Major League and Mr. Belvedere

Hmmmmm....can we have a judge's ruling on this one?

Yes he is Harry Coyle in Major League, and whomever his character was in Belvedere, but you can make a case that the characters were extensions of the actor's real life persona?

Sort of like Rosanne Barr/Arnold PLAYING Rosanne Connor whom is loosely based on Barr's real life personae.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

Hmmmmm....can we have a judge's ruling on this one?

Yes he is Harry Coyle in Major League, and whomever his character was in Belvedere, but you can make a case that the characters were extensions of the actor's real life persona?

Sort of like Rosanne Barr/Arnold PLAYING Rosanne Connor whom is loosely based on Barr's real life personae.

I'm no judge but I would say he was a real actor having played in 3 movies and 5 or 6 seasons in Mr. Belvidere. I would have to think when he announces games he's different from his Major League character. I think he was a sportswriter in Mr. Belvidere.

Did they ever have any MLB players on Mr. Belvidere.

[SteveJRogers]

I'm no judge but I would say he was a real actor having played in 3 movies and 5 or 6 seasons in Mr. Belvidere. I would have to think when he announces games he's different from his Major League character. I think he was a sportswriter in Mr. Belvidere.

Did they ever have any MLB players on Mr. Belvidere.

I thought his character was the local TV news sports anchor, hence why I wondered if part of his real life personae came out in that role.

Oh yeah, I'm sure he's not calling every wild pitch that goes away from a hitter as "JUUUUUUUUST a bit outside" and the like, but isn't Coyle pretty much the same Uecker that you see in the Miller Light ads and whenever he does his routine when giving speeches and such?

[chicagowhitesox1173]

I thought his character was the local TV news sports anchor, hence why I wondered if part of his real life personae came out in that role.

Oh yeah, I'm sure he's not calling every wild pitch that goes away from a hitter as "JUUUUUUUUST a bit outside" and the like, but isn't Coyle pretty much the same Uecker that you see in the Miller Light ads and whenever he does his routine when giving speeches and such?

I think your right i'm pretty sure he was a sports anchor in that show. I do see your point on this now.

[Nimrod]

Who could forget Lou Gehrig`s classic 1938 performance in "Rawhide"?(I could).rawhide.jpeg

[westsidegrounds]

Two more:

Mike Donlin

Leon Wagner

[Orioles5]

Mike Piazza was on Married With Children.

Leo Durocher was on The Addams Family.

[BaronSamedi]

Barry Bonds once played a few roles. But after a bad review, he stopped acting.

[Nimrod]

Babe Ruth made a cameo appearance in Harold Lloyd`s movie "Speedy".Lou Gehrig makes a very brief cameo appearance in Babe Ruth`s cameo as you can see in the photo.Poor Lou,always in the enormous shadow the Babe.You can see this clip on YouTube under the title of "driving around New York 1928".The movie was actually filmed in September, 1927 during Ruth and Gehrig`s historical season.lou-double.jpg

[Dude Paskert]

Who could forget Lou Gehrig`s classic 1938 performance in "Rawhide"?(I could).

Man, that guy looks like Gary Cooper!

[Captain Cold Nose]

I'm no judge but I would say he was a real actor having played in 3 movies and 5 or 6 seasons in Mr. Belvidere. I would have to think when he announces games he's different from his Major League character. I think he was a sportswriter in Mr. Belvidere.

Did they ever have any MLB players on Mr. Belvidere.

There was an episode that had a softball ame featuring players like Johnny Bench, Reggie Jackson and some other HOF'ers. It also featured singer Robert Goulet, who, for some reason, was Uecker's enemy on the show. But he was pretty much a family man who sometimes clashed with Mr. Belvedere on the show. The sports aspect was very minor.

[Capital City Goofball]

Do these two count?

"Macho Man" Randy Savage (real name Randy Poffo)
randy.savage4.jpg randy.savage.jpg
(thanks to SI.com for these pics)

Macho Man's stats courtesy of David Roher:

1971 (Rk): .311, 63 AB (league average: .292)

1972 (Rk): .314, 168 AB (league average: .304)

1973 (Rk/A): .346, 177 AB (weighted league average: .286)

1974 (A): .261, 461 AB (league average: .278)

Kurt Russell
kurt_baseball.jpg

Thanks to Jeff Merron at sports.espn.go.com for these stats:

Kurt Russell's minor-league career from 1971-1973:

Year: 1971
Team: Bend Rainbows
League: Northwest
Stats: Batted .285 with 1 HR, 14 RBI and 30 runs scored in 179 at-bats.

Year: 1972
Team: Walla Walla Islanders
League: Northwest
Stats: Batted .325 with 14 RBI and 12 runs scored in 77 at-bats.

Year: 1973
Team: El Paso Sun Kings
League: Texas
Stats: Batted .563 with one HR, four RBI and four runs scored in 16 at-bats.

Year: 1973
Team: Portland Mavericks
League: Northwest
Stats: Batted .229 with nine RBI and 16 runs scored in 83 at-bats.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Do these two count?

"Macho Man" Randy Savage (real name Randy Poffo)
randy.savage4.jpg randy.savage.jpg
(thanks to SI.com for these pics)

Macho Man's stats courtesy of David Roher:



Kurt Russell
kurt_baseball.jpg

Thanks to Jeff Merron at sports.espn.go.com for these stats:

I can't remember who the pitcher was, but I read a story where whomever Poffo was catching was throwing spitballs and he didn't know it. Poffo made a comment about how he was just perplexed how much movement the ball had and how difficult it was to catch. I imagined him using his Macho Man voice while talking to said pitcher.

[Gee Walker]

Jackie Robinson played himself in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950). A bad movie about a great player, and not helped by the fact that Jackie spent all that time in college mastering four sports rather than being in the drama club.

[hartman74]

Reggie Jackson as "The Right Fielder" in The Naked Gun (1988)
Brad "The Animal" Lesley in Mr Baseball (1992) and Little Big League (1994)

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Brad "The Animal" Lesley in Mr Baseball (1992) and Little Big League (1994)

And of course he was in several episodes of MXC: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge.

(Which, I might add, predated that ripoff Wipeout by several years)

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Double post!!

[Nimrod]

I remember hearing The Macho Man exclaim,in reference to his former baseball career,that he had "traded my 'field of dreams' for a 'ring of screams'!

[Nimrod]

mike donlin-The General.pngHere is a still from Buster Keaton`s silent classic,The General(1926).Mike Donlin,the former hard hitting(.333 lifetime BA)NL outfielder is the fellow on the left with the long sideburns.Buster`s dad,Joseph Keaton,is to the right.Both are making very brief cameo appearances.Buster is hiding under the table as he is a Rebel and they are all Union officers.My favorite movie ever!

[Captain Cold Nose]

mike donlin-The General.pngHere is a still from Buster Keaton`s silent classic,The General(1926).Mike Donlin,the former hard hitting(.333 lifetime BA)NL outfielder is the fellow on the left with the long sideburns.Buster`s dad,Joseph Keaton,is to the right.Both are making very brief cameo appearances.Buster is hiding under the table as he is a Rebel and they are all Union officers.My favorite movie ever!

I had no idea Donlin was in that. It's arguably still the best Civil War film ever made.

[Dude Paskert]

I had no idea Donlin was in that. It's arguably still the best Civil War film ever made.

I'm going to have to find this one now...it's got pretty tough competition for that title from "Gettysburg", but your comment has piqued my interest.

I take it that Donlin is the sideburned man in the left foreground, with no facial hair?

[Nimrod]

I'm going to have to find this one now...it's got pretty tough competition for that title from "Gettysburg", but your comment has piqued my interest.

I take it that Donlin is the sideburned man in the left foreground, with no facial hair?

The General very often makes top 20 Greatest Movies ever lists.Orson Welles considered it THE greatest film ever.It is a comedy that just happens to be set in the Civil War(filmed at Cottage Grove,Oregon).Many critics have remarked on how it looks like Mathew Brady photos coming to life on the big screen.Great sight gags and the usual incredible stunts by the Great Stone face.Check it out on YouTube as well(the one by Mrfilmschatten has the best image and music imo) as well as the various shorts and "best of" and "stunt" clips by Keaton.Donlin is on the left with cigar in left hand and sporting sideburns(mutton chops).

[Dude Paskert]

The General very often makes top 20 Greatest Movies ever lists.Orson Welles considered it THE greatest film ever.It is a comedy that just happens to be set in the Civil War(filmed at Cottage Grove,Oregon).Many critics have remarked on how it looks like Mathew Brady photos coming to life on the big screen.Great sight gags and the usual incredible stunts by the Great Stone face.Check it out on YouTube as well(the one by Mrfilmschatten has the best image and music imo) as well as the various shorts and "best of" and "stunt" clips by Keaton.Donlin is on the left with cigar in left hand and sporting sideburns(mutton chops).

I see now that "The General" is considered to be one of the all time great films, but, as you said, happens to be set in the Civil War instead of really being about it. I'll still keep an eye out for it. Guess I need to respect Welles' opinion, but I also remember that guy ranked Gallo Bros wine pretty highly...

[Captain Cold Nose]

I see now that "The General" is considered to be one of the all time great films, but, as you said, happens to be set in the Civil War instead of really being about it. I'll still keep an eye out for it. Guess I need to respect Welles' opinion, but I also remember that guy ranked Gallo Bros wine pretty highly...

There are battle scenes, etc. It is loosely based on the actual Union theft of the General supply train in 1862, which would lead to the first congressional medals of honor being awarded. Keaton at his best.

Turkey Mike Donlin was a known "eccentric." He actually acted in over 60 films, mostly in uncredited roles.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0232592/

Speaking of Gettysburg, Braves owner Ted Turner, who helped finance the movie and its prequel Gods and Generals, appears in a non-speaking role as one of the participants in the climactic Pickett's charge scene. He did have a line in Gods and Generals, speaking to Stephen Lang's (who may have been the only actor to pull off the role of Babe Ruth in an early 90's TV movie) Stonewall Jackson at a ball held for Confederate officers.

[Dude Paskert]

There are battle scenes, etc. It is loosely based on the actual Union theft of the General supply train in 1862, which would lead to the first congressional medals of honor being awarded. Keaton at his best.

Turkey Mike Donlin was a known "eccentric." He actually acted in over 60 films, mostly in uncredited roles.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0232592/

Speaking of Gettysburg, Braves owner Ted Turner, who helped finance the movie and its prequel Gods and Generals, appears in a non-speaking role as one of the participants in the climactic Pickett's charge scene. He did have a line in Gods and Generals, speaking to Stephen Lang's (who may have been the only actor to pull off the role of Babe Ruth in an early 90's TV movie) Stonewall Jackson at a ball held for Confederate officers.

I am watching "Gods And Generals" in pieces right now, not enjoying it as much as "Gettysburg" so far but it's worth watching. I was a little disappointed to find Duvall playing Lee instead of Sheen, whom I thought was brilliant in the first movie, but you can't really go wrong with either man. I'm also reading a book about the battle and find that the focus on Little Round Top in "Gettysburg" is a little deceiving because the Union forces lost a lot of ground elsewhere on the field during the second day...their focus was really on holding the most favorable ground in the area until full forces arrived and they did that, but being pushed back at all must have been demoralizing (damn Sickles!!).
BTW, I found both movies in the $5 bin at MalWart...dig a lot of good flicks out of there.