By Walter Bergeson on April 24, 2014
Celebrities You Didn't Notice In Sports Movies
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Sports movies are great. They almost always feature an underdog overcoming the odds and coming out victorious. Some of them also happen to have celebrities in them that fly under the radar of most viewers. It may be an actor who hasn't yet found their break out role, or maybe it's a well known celebrity who just takes a real small part.
Here are 15 celebrities you didn't realize were in your favorite sports movies.
15. William Shatner, "Dodgeball"
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15. William Shatner, "Dodgeball"
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The actor became a celebrity after starring as Captain Kirk on "Star Trek" in the late 60's. He's appeared in numerous movies, including a small part as Dodgeball Commissioner in the movie starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller.
14. Forest Whitaker, "The Color of Money"
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14. Forest Whitaker, "The Color of Money"
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Whitaker had only four movie credits to his name when he was cast in "The Color of Money" in 1986. The Martin Scorsese movie continued the story of Paul Newman's character from "The Hustler".
13. Richard Schiff, "Major League II"
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13. Richard Schiff, "Major League II"
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Schiff is best known for his role as Toby Ziegler on "The West Wing". Before being cast in critically acclaimed movies like "Se7en" and "I Am Sam", Schiff had a minor role in the sequel to the hit baseball movie.
12. John Turturro, "Raging Bull"
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12. John Turturro, "Raging Bull"
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While he's had more prominent roles in other sports movies like "He Got Game" and "The Bronx is Burning", Turturro's first appearance was an uncredited role in Martin Scorsese's biopic about boxer Jake LaMotta. A regular in films by the Coen Brothers and Spike Lee, Turturro has appeared in over 70 movies in his career.
11. Neil Flynn, "Rookie Of The Year"
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11. Neil Flynn, "Rookie Of The Year"
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Best known as The Janitor on the TV show "Scrubs", Flynn played the Cubs first baseman in Rookie of the Year. He currently stars on the TV sitcom "The Middle".
10. Charlton Heston, "Any Given Sunday"
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10. Charlton Heston, "Any Given Sunday"
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The star of classic films "The Ten Commandments", "Ben-Hur" and "Planet of the Apes", Heston appeared as the Commissioner in "Any Given Sunday". It was easy to overlook Heston with his small role and a star-studded cast.
9. Tea Leoni, "A League Of Their Own"
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9. Tea Leoni, "A League Of Their Own"
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Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell and Geena Davis got to play for Tom Hanks on the Rockford Peaches, but someone had to play for the rival Racine Belles. Leoni played first base for the Belles in one of her first movie roles.
8. Kevin Connolly, "Rocky V"
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8. Kevin Connolly, "Rocky V"
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Best known as E on the TV show "Entourage", Connolly appeared as a bully who picked on Rocky Balboa's son. Connolly himself is a big sports fan, having directed the documentary film "Big Shot" about potential New York Islanders owner John Spano.
7. Mike Myers, "Mystery, Alaska"
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7. Mike Myers, "Mystery, Alaska"
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When "Mystery, Alaska" was released in 1999, Myers was already a big star. However, he played a small part in the film about a hockey team from a small Alaskan town that plays an exhibition game against the New York Rangers.
6. Adrien Brody, "Angels In The Outfield"
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6. Adrien Brody, "Angels In The Outfield"
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Brody became the youngest winner of the Best Actor Academy Award when he starred in "The Pianist" in 2002. Eight years earlier, he played utility infielder Danny Hemmerling in the movie about actual angels assisting the California Angels on the baseball diamond.
5. Lucy Liu, "Jerry Maguire"
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5. Lucy Liu, "Jerry Maguire"
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Before breaking out in "Charlie's Angels" in 2000, Liu played one of Tom Cruise's ex-girlfriends in "Jerry Maguire". She starred in the sequel to "Charlie's Angels" as well as the two "Kill Bill" movies, making her a big star.
4. Jack Lemmon, "The Legend of Bagger Vance"
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4. Jack Lemmon, "The Legend of Bagger Vance"
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One of the most famous men in Hollywood over the last half of the 20th Century, Lemmon's final role came as the narrator in "The Legend of Bagger Vance". Along with narrating, he briefly appears at the beginning and end of the film.
3. Vince Vaughn, "Rudy"
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3. Vince Vaughn, "Rudy"
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Vaughn appeared as running back Jamie O'Hara in "Rudy". Rather than kneel down the clock as ordered by the coach, Vaughn's character leads the offense to score another touchdown so that Rudy can get in on defense.
2. Ryan Gosling, "Remember The Titans"
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2. Ryan Gosling, "Remember The Titans"
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Gosling played Alan in "Remember The Titans", a defensive back who really liked country music. After starring in "The Notebook", "Blue Valentine" and "Drive", Gosling has become one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood.
1. Matthew McConaughey, "Angels In The Outfield"
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1. Matthew McConaughey, "Angels In The Outfield"
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After appearing as Wooderson in "Dazed in Confused", McConaughey's next role was as left fielder Ben Williams in "Angels in the Outfield". He's the first player to be assisted by an actual angel when he's carried through the air to make a miraculous catch.
Walter Bergeson is a writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on twitter @WalterBSports or add him to your network on Google