From Beckham to Pelé, through Michael Schumacher or Mike Tyson, here is a list of the athletes who have made the most famous 'cameos'
The world of cinema is sometimes surprised by a type of intrusion that, for all intents and purposes, is always welcomed by the public and almost never by critics. It is about the more or less stellar incorporation of an international athlete to the distribution of a movie , series, short, etc.
This undoubtedly serves to increase the popularity and expectation of a product that, in addition to seeking excellence like any art, also fulfills the most important mission of entertaining . And more in these times that we live by the coronavirus. In many cases, this objective is achieved just by seeing your favorite athlete dressed in period clothing, armed to the teeth or, simply, interpreting himself during any plot.
Most of them note that they are not dedicated to this, hence the criticism almost always calls into question their acting quality , even though the film is comedy and not drama; or that its appearance is just a wink that comes in handy to the plot sequence.
However, to a certain extent the link between sport and cinema becomes so strong, that there are many examples of athletes who left their film career and that many people do not even know that, in the past, they were even Olympians. or world champions.
This is the case, for example, of Johnny Weissmüller , the most famous Tarzan; the esthetic Esther Williams, who could not be an Olympian because World War II broke out; or the always impregnable Bud Spencer , Jason Statham or Chuck Norris ... Does anyone who does not yet know that this last was the world champion of Karate and created his own martial art, Chun Kuk Do ?
Knowing that there are too many to name them all (even many are only known in their country of origin), this list serves to know the best interpretations made by elite athletes.
Beckham, a 'Scarface'
It does not escape anyone that the camera worships the face of David Beckham. There are countless firms for which he has worked as an image. The cinema has also knocked on its door. To the point that even Keira Knightley (before being a pirate of the Caribbean or starring in Victorian-era romantic dramas) had the personal challenge of becoming like the former British footballer in I Want to Be Beckham . One of his last works on the big screen came from the hand of Guy Ritchie and his very personal King Arthur: The Legend of Excalibur . Despite the fact that the British director cut his face (who knows if not to overshadow the handsome officers of the film, Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law), the criticism was baited with his low participation
Somewhat worth an evasion
Pelé has already gone down in history as one of the best soccer players ever. His goals have been successful wherever he has played, but what he would never have imagined when he was only known as Edson Arantes is that one of them would facilitate the escape from a concentration camp. Specifically one that was held, with the permission of Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone, other great footballers such as Osvaldo Ardiles or Bobby Moore, among others. You just have to remember the face that remains for Michael Caine, chosen as the coach of that legendary team that faced the Nazis, when the ball hits Pelé and begins to touch without falling to the ground. Directed by the historical filmmaker John Huston , Evasion or Victoria, it is a cinema classic, inspired by the Death Party that was held in 1942 between Ukrainian players and the Nazis.
McEnroe and his overinterpretation
The American tennis player has always been a character character. Much character. He was on the track, especially when he faced players like Björn Borg. So much so that this relationship degenerated in the Borg McEnroe biopic . The movie . All in all, it could be said that McEnroe's cameos almost lived up to their tennis quality. That yes, almost always, interpreting itself like analyst of some party in series of television. However, it has even come under investigation for the CSI team in New York.
'Hunted' in the air
In many cases, landing in Los Angeles offers opportunities that, perhaps at first, were not in the plans of an athlete. It has happened, for example, to a few Lakers players. Pau Gasol got to participate in a CSI chapter; Shaquille O'Neal was genius of the lamp in Kazaam and man of steel in Steel ... But surely the forerunner of all of them was Kareem Abdul Jabbar. His foray into television series and movies has been so prolific that his last appearance was last year on iZombie . All in all, his two great participations have been at the controls of the Landing plane as you can , where he openly discusses with a child about his true identity and his basketball quality, and in Game with Death , the film that the immortal Bruce could not finish Lee, because he passed away before, and in which both face for five fast-paced minutes.
As if it were his motorcycle
Spanish athletes have also been the object of desire by many titles with a national seal. Without going any further, in the last film starring Javier Gutiérrez, Hogar , the gymnast Natalia García Timofeeva (member of the national team that was going to go to Tokyo 2020 this summer, postponed to 2021), plays the national champion Valentina Costa. All in all, it is not the first time that Javier Gutiérrez meets professional athletes during a recording. What's more, he stood up to a whole Jorge Lorenzo in a race , not on the back of a 500cc donkey , but a donkey. It was during an episode of the Red Eagle series, where the Mallorcan plays Francisco Pulido, nicknamed La leyenda , winner of many donkey races around the world.
The Torrente saga, the paradigm
It could be said that all the Torrente films, directed and starring Santiago Segura, have had important cameos. Not only sports. Segura has always known how to surround himself with a cast that is so important from an acting and media point of view. On one side, Javier Bardem, Antonio de la Torre, Oliver Stone or Guillermo del Tor or. In the other, the list is extensive. Suffice it to say that Belén Esteban or Espartaco Santoni appear. In the sports section, the cast is extensive and almost all football. Sergio Ramos, Arbeloa, Guti, Fábregas, Agüero, Figo, Torres ... the list is endless and there is even someone who intervenes with a single phrase, such as the one Iker Casillas crosses with Torrente himself in a bar.
Then there are the athletes who star in a documentary of his life. This is the case, for example, of the Sevillian center of Real Madrid, who heads the cast, as if not, of his own story in El Corazón de Sergio Ramos . You can see it on Amazon Prime.
A tiger is on the loose
Boxing has always been distinguished as a noble in the arts. And there are not a few films in which it is part of the storyline, especially in overcoming stories in which it serves as an escape valve. This also happens with basketball. Hovik Keuchkerian himself, who continues as a character in the fourth season of La Casa de Papel , was until recently the reigning national heavyweight champion.
There are many legends of the ring that have appeared on the big screen. Even Poli Díaz appears in Torrente . Most, yes, as props . That is, as one more element to set the scene. However, it could be said that Mike Tyson has been more than just a stone guest. In the fun Hangover in Las Vegas he plays himself and puts the protagonists in check as they search for his lost friend. The boxer appears on the scene precisely because the leading trio have had his tiger stolen.
Like one more cartoon
The foray of NBA players into the movies has not been fleeting. Even as producers. In addition to the aforementioned, the list is extensive and, all of them, All Star. But perhaps those who have enjoyed more popularity in their acting facet have been Wilt Chamberlain and his brand new role as Bombaata in Conan The Destroyer ; Dennis Rodman , in starring roles as in Double Team ; or Michael Jordan himself, who shares the script on Space Jam with the entire Looney Toons animation factory: Bugs Bunny, Duck Fights, Tweety or Silvestre, among others, in addition to having Bill Murray as coach.
In this same film, a good part of the members of the legendary Dream Team that played in Barcelona 92 (Larry Brid, Patrick Ewing O Charles Barkley), among many others, appear. For the next year, the launch of the second part of Space Jam is planned, this time, with Lebron James as the protagonist, and in front of current players such as Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard or Klay Thompson.
The Olympic Games, a reef
Such a propitious theme was not going to be detached from its main protagonists, was it? And if the plot is located near a village full of irreducible Gauls, the setting could not be more celebrated. Especially since that means that the viewer will be able to see their favorite athletes , not only out of context, but fully characterized . This is what happened when Asterix was screened at the Olympic Games .
Among the wide cast that participated, several recognized faces of the sports universe stood out: Zinedine Zidane, in the role of Numerodis; Michael Schumacher (Schumix), as a brand new chariot rider , who is assisted in the box by Jean Todt; tennis player Amélie Mauresmo plays a game of supposed tennis against Obelix; Even Tony Parker has his minute of glory.
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