Here is a list of America's actors who turned politicians and made a mark there.1. Ronald Reagan: He was a popular actor in Hollywood. Later he joined the Republican Party and became the president of an American labor union representing over 105,000 films and television principal and background performers worldwide called Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He did movies like Kings Row, which took his career to new heights. He chose politics as career and served as the 33rd Governor of California. Reagan went on to become the 40th President of USA. 2. Arnold Schwarzenegger: Arnie was a five-time winner of Mr. Universe and seven-time winner of Mr. Olympia which opened his doors for Hollywood. Although he initially he failed to launch his career successfully but later movies like Terminator and Predator and Total Recall boost up his career.In 2003 he was chosen as the Governor of California in a recall election of the previous Governor Gray Davis. 3. Clint Eastwood: He gave the cult characters to all macho movies of Hollywood. ``The Beguiled'' gave a jump start to his career and then there was no looking back for Eastwood. He starred in blockbusters like ``Any Which Way You Can''. He was as an active supporter of Richard Nixon in his presidential campaign in 1968 and 1972. He served one term as Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He never gave up his career as an actor. He did movies like Heartbreak Ridge and Bird during his tenure. 4. Jerry Springer: A fantabulous TV talk show host of The Jerry Springer Show. He has hosted many other shows on television like America's Got Talent, The Wright Stuff and Nothhing But the Truth. Springer contested for Congress. In 1971, he was chosen in Cincinnati city council. But his tenure came to a halt when he had to resign rendering to his involvement in hiring a prostitute from a local massage parlour. He admitted his fault over national television and created a place in public's heart. He was chosen as the Mayor of Cincinnati once again in 1977. 5. Kal Penn: He started his career in 1998 with ``Express: Aisle to Glory''. Since then he starred in numerous movies and television serials like American Desi, National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Malibu's Most Wanted, A Lot Like Love, Dude, Where's the Party?, Love Don't Cost a Thing, Superman Returns, National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj, Epic Movie, The Namesake, the Harold and Kumar series. He worked as an advocate in Obama's presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, he was invited to take up the position of Associate Director at White House Office of Public Engagement. Due to few prior commitments he resigned from office in 2010. In 2012, he was chosen as the co-chair for Obama's re-election campaign. 6. Shirley Temple: American actress and singer, she started her career at the age of 3. She has given many award winning performances in movies like Curly Top and Heidi. She managed to find the 18th position on American Film Institute's list of the greatest female American screen legends of all time which also makes her the top most ranked living person in the list. She became a part of Republican Party, California in 1967. She was chosen as a Representative in the UN Assembly by President Nixon and was elected as the UN Ambassador to Ghana in 1974. She was also the first woman Chief of Protocol of the United States. She also served as US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1989 by President George Bush. 7. George Murphy: He was a lead dancer and singer in many Hollywood movies. He was also the president of Screen Actors Guild and also won an Academy Award in 1951. He did many musical blockbusters like Broadway Melody of 1938, Broadway Melody of 1940 and For Me and My Gal. He was chosen in the US Senate in 1964 and served till 1971. He became the first prominent actor turned politician.
Updated on: March 26, 2013 6:53 IST
