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Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura went on to a career in acting and politics, becoming the governor of Minnesota.
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Actors Turned Politicians (2:48)
Actors Turned Politicians
As Ronald Reagan asked, "How can a President NOT be an actor?" Since Reagan, Celebrities such as Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger have entered the political arena and run for elected office.
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Play NowJesse Ventura. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 03:08, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/jesse-ventura-9542225.
Jesse Ventura. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/jesse-ventura-9542225 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Jesse Ventura." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 03:08 http://www.biography.com/people/jesse-ventura-9542225.
"Jesse Ventura," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/jesse-ventura-9542225 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Jesse Ventura," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/jesse-ventura-9542225 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Jesse Ventura [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/jesse-ventura-9542225.
Jesse Ventura, http://www.biography.com/people/jesse-ventura-9542225 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Jesse Ventura. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/jesse-ventura-9542225. Accessed May 21, 2013.
In early 1994 he sued the WWF for $2 million, claiming they were cheating him out of videocassette royalties—he won the case and was awarded more than $810,000. Ventura also continued acting, landing roles in such high profile movies as 1993's Demolition Man, starring Sylvester Stallone, and 1997's Batman and Robin,
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starring George Clooney. He and his family moved from Brooklyn Park to Maple Grove, Minnesota, and Ventura began hosting several radio talk shows.
In late 1997, Ventura decided to run for governor of Minnesota as a Reform Party candidate. His unusual platform—pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and pro-gun—and somewhat unorthodox background caused many observers to completely dismiss Ventura as a serious candidate. His promises to lower taxes and improve education appealed to Minnesota voters, however, and his performances in the gubernatorial debates showcased his down-to-earth style and plain-spoken, "Everyman" politics.
On November 3, 1998, Jesse "The Body" Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota. As CBS news anchorman Dan Rather put it on election night: "The people of Washington could not be more surprised if Fidel Castro came loping across the midwestern prairie on the back of a hippopotamus." As the first Reform Party candidate ever elected to state or federal office, Ventura was the party's highest-ranking member, and some supporters hoped he might become its next presidential candidate. In February 2000, however, disappointed with both the party's management and Reform presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan, Ventura announced he was leaving the Reform Party.
In a June 2002 interview on Minnesota Public Radio, Ventura announced that he would not seek re-election.
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View groupLot of actors play politicians on the big and small screens, but few have made the transition in real life. At every level of government, there are actors who have used their charisma, good looks, and personalities to get the policies they support enacted. Though Hollywood has a reputation as a city of liberals, many conservative actors have been members of the Republican party. From Ronald Reagan to Sonny Bono, here's a look at famous actors who went on to careers in politics.
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