Election News and Features
Movie Tough Guys Flex Political Muscle
February 10, 2008 11:27 AM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
TV and cinema action stars have a history of successful forays into politics, both as candidates and as supporters.
30-Second Summary
On Jan. 31, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger voiced his support for presidential candidate John McCain. The former action hero said that McCain “has proven over and over again that he is reaching across the aisle in order to get things done.”
But Schwarzenegger is not the “Last Action Hero” (or the first, for that matter) to make inroads into politics.
Chuck Norris, martial arts champion and star of action films, writes a column on religion and politics for WorldNetDaily in which he wrote that “true patriots” do not shy away from talking about those topics. Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee enlisted him as a campaign spokesperson. In their ad together, Huckabee said that Norris “tells America how it’s going to be.”
The John McCain campaign got Sylvester Stallone to join its cause last month. In an interview on Fox News, Stallone called the former POW candidate “the real Rambo.”
Former pro wrestler and actor Jesse Ventura, who starred alongside Schwarzenegger in the 1987 sci-fi horror movie “Predator,” surprised pundits by becoming Minnesota governor in 1998. The selling point of the third-party candidate’s campaign was that “he was not a career politician.”
He told the Associated Press in 2005 that he was considering running for president in 2008, but would feel pinned down because he “wouldn’t be able to get up in the night and drive to the 7-11 for a Slurpee” while in office.
In a 2003 open letter to Schwarzenegger published in Time magazine, Ventura gave advice to his fellow “Predator”: “Think about what you want to say, and talk from your heart. Scripts are for actors.”
But Schwarzenegger is not the “Last Action Hero” (or the first, for that matter) to make inroads into politics.
Chuck Norris, martial arts champion and star of action films, writes a column on religion and politics for WorldNetDaily in which he wrote that “true patriots” do not shy away from talking about those topics. Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee enlisted him as a campaign spokesperson. In their ad together, Huckabee said that Norris “tells America how it’s going to be.”
The John McCain campaign got Sylvester Stallone to join its cause last month. In an interview on Fox News, Stallone called the former POW candidate “the real Rambo.”
Former pro wrestler and actor Jesse Ventura, who starred alongside Schwarzenegger in the 1987 sci-fi horror movie “Predator,” surprised pundits by becoming Minnesota governor in 1998. The selling point of the third-party candidate’s campaign was that “he was not a career politician.”
He told the Associated Press in 2005 that he was considering running for president in 2008, but would feel pinned down because he “wouldn’t be able to get up in the night and drive to the 7-11 for a Slurpee” while in office.
In a 2003 open letter to Schwarzenegger published in Time magazine, Ventura gave advice to his fellow “Predator”: “Think about what you want to say, and talk from your heart. Scripts are for actors.”
Headline Link: ‘Schwarzenegger Backs McCain for President’
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger formally endorsed presidential candidate John McCain on Jan. 31. In his announcement, the governor said he was supporting McCain “because I am interested in a great future and I think Sen. McCain has proven over and over again that he is reaching across the aisle in order to get things done.”
Source: CNN
Historical Context: ‘The Rifleman Meets Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev’
Chuck Connors, an actor who specialized in westerns, met Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev in 1973, when the leader was visiting President Richard Nixon at the White House. Said Connors during the meeting, “Mr. Brezhnev, on behalf of everybody who ever made a western—including every member of the crew, every actor and actress—I'd like to present you with a pair of matching Colt .45 revolvers, that I used in a show called ‘Branded.’” Brezhnev, a fan of Connors’ show “Rifleman,” was reportedly overjoyed. The repercussions for Connors were unfortunately less than happy. Some people, including two of his close friends, accused him of being a Communist.
Source: Rifleman-Branded
Biography: Past political tough guys
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Born in the Austrian city of Graz, Arnold Schwarzenegger won several bodybuilding championships in Europe as a young man. He emigrated to the United States to appear in body-building exhibitions and later studied economics at the University of Wisconsin. His contest winnings and investments made him a millionaire by age 22. Credited as “Arnold Strong,” his first film appearance was the title role in “Hercules in New York” (1970) in which someone overdubbed all of his dialogue. He went on to an extremely successful movie career, with starring roles in “The Terminator,” “Conan the Barbarian,” “Total Recall” and “Last Action Hero.”
Source: All Movie Guide
Chuck Norris
Joining the military after high school, Norris was sent to South Korea, where learned the martial art of Tang Soo Do. He moved to California in 1962 and opened a karate school, where he trained several Hollywood stars, including Steve McQueen, who encouraged Norris to go into acting. Norris won the middleweight karate championship in 1968. A year later, he made his film debut in “The Wrecking Crew.” He would go on to numerous other roles on the big and small screen, including the 1990s TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
Source: The Biography Channel
Chuck Norris pens a column about faith and politics in magazine WorldNet Daily. In one installment, he writes, “People often say to stay clear of religion and politics. True patriots don’t do that.”
Source: WorldNet Daily
Chuck Norris endorsed 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. In this TV spot, Mike Huckabee and Chuck Norris exchange compliments and jokingly “tell it like it is.” Huckabee tells viewers, “Chuck Norris doesn’t endorse. He tells America how it’s going to be.”
Source: YouTube
Sylvester Stallone
GOP presidential candidate John McCain teamed up recently with Sylvester Stallone. Taking a cue from the Huckabee camp, McCain said to reporters in January 2008, “Look out Chuck Norris, Sylvester’s comin’ after you. He’s comin’ after you and he’s going to get you.” Sylvester Stallone, whose film credits include the title roles in “Rocky” and “Rambo,” said on an interview with Fox News that McCain is “the real Rambo.” Stallone likened the state of the country to an action film, saying, “Like a rough action film, you need somebody who’s been in that to deal with it.”
Source: Fox News
Jesse Ventura
After graduating from Minneapolis Roosevelt High School in 1969, James Janos enlisted in the Navy and was accepted into the SEAL unit, serving in Vietnam. After an honorable discharge in 1973, he lived in California, where he worked as a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones. He moved back to Minneapolis two years later, where he was discovered by a wrestling scout. He took on the persona “Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura,” a California surfer who wore pink tights.
Source: The Biography Channel
A 1998 Associated Press article, published just after Jesse Ventura was elected, says of the governor-elect, “He chews tobacco and mows down the bad guys with a big gun. He smacks a guy around and impales him on spikes. He wears a black boa and provides commentary on an exorcism. He is Minnesota’s next governor.” Alongside his pro wrestling career in the 1980s, Jesse “The Body” Ventura played the tough guy in several feature films, the most of famous of which arguably being “Predator,” “The Running Man” and “Repossessed.”
Source: Slam! Sports
Ventura’s 1998 campaign radio spot, set to a rendition of the 1970s hit “Shaft,” features the future governor proclaiming “I’m no career politician!” and “You’re making me blush!”
Source: Radiotapes.com
Jesse Ventura spent a semester as a visiting professor at Harvard University, following his term as Minnesota governor. In a 2004 interview with the Associated Press, he said he was contemplating a 2008 presidential bid. He likens his postgubernatorial life to “rehab,” and said that being president would bug him because he “wouldn’t be able to get up in the night and drive to the 7-11 for a Slurpee.”
Source: USA Today
Jesse Ventura wrote an open letter to then California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger that ran in the Aug. 9, 2003, issue of Time magazine. Drawing parallels between the two campaigns, Ventura advises Schwarzenegger to “think about what you want to say, and talk from your heart. Scripts are for actors.” Ventura also offers counsel to his fellow “Predator” cast member regarding any potential skewering by the press: “The stuff it comes up with is nothing like a bad review for a recently reviewed film.”
Source: Time
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