Entertainment & Arts

Athletes: Sporting life to reel life

Michael Strahan, a former NFL defensive lineman and Super Bowl champion, is now the cohost of "Live," taking the place of the venerable Regis Philbin.

Michael Strahan, a former NFL defensive lineman and Super Bowl champion, is now the cohost of “Live,” taking the place of the venerable Regis Philbin.

  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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Professional athletes have been courted by Hollywood. Some athletes successfully make the transition to film and TV; others leave movie sound stages in defeat. Here’s a look at some pro athletes brave enough to test Hollywood waters.

Gina Carano

Gina Carano is a muy thai fighter who competed in mixed martial arts and was the face of the sport. She has scored notable roles including a part in “Fast & Furious 6” and two upcoming comic book titles. She is pictured here with director Steven Soderbergh on the set of “Haywire.”  (Claudette Barius / Relativity Media)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Abdul-Jabbar played professional basketball for 20 years. He made his film debut in Bruce Lee’s “Game of Death,” released in 1978, five years after Lee’s death. He’s best known for his turn as a co-pilot in the 1980 classic “Airplane!”  (Rob Schumacher / Associated Press)

Joe Namath

The colorful football player, pictured with actress Raquel Welch, was the star quarterback who led the New York Jets to an upset victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in 1969. “Broadway Joe” debuted in 1970’s “Norwood.”   (Fotos International / Getty Images)

Esther Williams

The Los Angeles native was a teen swimming champion who was in training for the 1940 Olympics, canceled because of World War II. Williams made her film debut as a love interest for Mickey Rooney in 1942’s “Andy Hardy’s Double Life.” Among her biggest films was “Neptune’s Daughter.”   (Keystone / Getty Images)

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