Actors Turned Politicians

7 months ago 16th Apr 14:47

Last week actor Kal Penn announced that he was leaving his acting career behind to join the Obama White House as Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison.

Penn made his name in movies such as Van Wilder and Harold & Kumar before moving into television to work on 24 and House.

However Penn is not the only actor to leave behind the big screen to pursue a career in politics and Femalefirst takes a look at some other thespians that have done exactly that.

Ronald Reagan

After starting out his career on radio before landing a seven year acting contract with Warner Brothers studios in 1937 going on to star in Love Is on the Air later that same year.

But it was King's Row that made the actor a star. However he had to wait to capitalise on this success until he returned from fighting in World War II going on to appear in Tennessee's Partner, Hellcats of the Navy and The Killers.

But it was the fifties where Regan's interest began to shift from the big screen to politics as he went on to endorse both Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. In 1966 Republicans nominated him for Governor of California, going on to win.

And it wasn't long before he had his eye on the White House. In 1976 he challenged Gerald Ford to become the Republican Party's candidate for president. And in 1980 he beat off Jimmy Carter to become the fortieth President of the United States.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Ok so Schwarzenegger is better known as a cinema hardman, whether he's a good actor is purely down to personal opinion.

After a career in bodybuilding Schwarzenegger turned his hand to acting and despite early roles in The Long Goodbye and Stay Hungry it was Conan the Destroyer in 1982 that was his breakthrough role, which went on to be a box office hit.

Schwarzenegger became an international star making a string of movies including the Terminator franchise along with Last Action Hero, Commando and The Running Man.

Always known as a Republican the actor's first political role came in 1990 when he served as chairman of the President's Council on Physical fitness and Sports, a role he held until 1993.

But it was ten years later when Schwarzenegger announced that he would be running for Governor of California, the actor saw off Democrat Cruz Bustamante and fellow Republican Tom McClintock to be the first foreign born governor of California since 1862.

Fred Thompson

Has enjoyed a very varied career as he began as an attorney, admitted to the State Bar of Tennessee in 1967 before moving onto Nashville and Washington DC.

He was appointed minority counsel in 1973 to help the Republican senators on the Senate Watergate Committee.

In 1975 he was involved in another high profile case as he represented Marie Ragghianti, a parole board office who was the famous whistleblower exposing Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton's 'clemency for cash' scandal in the late seventies.