UCLA had a good amount of former athletes become actors as well as alums who were not athletes who went on to become very successful in the movie and television industry.
First, why have so many actors, producers, and directors come from UCLA in comparison to other schools? Here are some reasons why UCLA may have more famous alumni than other universities.
UCLA is a large and well-respected university. It is one of the most selective public universities in the United States, and it has a strong academic reputation. This attracts talented students from all over the world, many of whom go on to achieve great things such as going into the movie and television industry.
UCLA is located in Los Angeles, a major entertainment and media hub. This gives its students access to opportunities that they might not have at other universities. For example, UCLA students can intern at major studios or networks, or they can participate in film and television productions.
UCLA has a strong alumni network. This network provides its graduates with support and opportunities throughout their careers. For example, UCLA alumni can help each other find jobs, get promoted, or start their own businesses within the television, movie, and streaming industries.
In addition to these factors, UCLA has also been fortunate to have some truly exceptional students and faculty members over the years. These individuals have made significant contributions to their respective fields, and they have helped to make UCLA a world-renowned university in turn, many in the movie, television, and now streaming industries have noticed throughout the year.
Sport: Basketball
Years played at UCLA: 1953, 57-59
Career stats: Stats as a guard
Most Famous Movie/TV Credits:
Starred in the following movies: Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959), Love in a Goldfish Bowl (1961), The Party (1968), Making It (1971), Buck and the Preacher (1972), The Gravy Train (1974), The Norseman (1978), Caboblanco (1980) and Circle of Power (1981).
Starred in the following TV shows: Wagon Train (1961-64) and Mona McCluskey (1965). He guest starred in Gunsmoke; The Fugitive; Gilligan’s Island; I Dream of Jeannie; The Brady Bunch; The Six Million Dollar Man; The New Adventures of Wonder Woman; Battlestar Galactica; Charlie’s Angels; The Incredible Hulk; M*A*S*H; and Magnum, P.I.
Sport: Basketball
Years played at UCLA: 1961, He played in his freshman year under legendary coach John Wooden.
Career stats: 0.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game
Most Famous Movie/TV Credits:
Starred in the following movies: The Landlord (1970), Greased Lightning (1977), The Fifth Musketeer (1979), Heart Like a Wheel (1983), The Hotel New Hampshire (1984), Alice in Wonderland (1985), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), Jerry Maguire (1996), The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005), Max Payne (2008), The Descendants (2011), The Mountain Between Us (2017), and End of the Road (2022)
Starred in the following TV shows: Ensign O’Toole (1962-63), United States (1980), Harts of the West (1993-94), The Agency (2001-2003), Stargate SG-1 (2005-2007), My Name Is Earl (2005-2008), The Millers (2013-2015), Bloodline (2016-2017), Homeland (2018-2020), and Robbie (2020)
Sport: Basketball
Years played at UCLA: 1946-47
Career stats: Stats as a guard
Most Famous Movie/TV Credits:
Starred in the following movies: Sudden Fear (1952), Island in the Sky (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Good Neighbor Sam (1964), Where Love Has Gone (1964), Situation Hopeless… But Not Serious (1965), Stagecoach (1966), Avalanche Express (1979), and Gideon (1998).
Starred in the following TV shows: Tightrope! (1959-1960), Mannix (1967-1975), Today’s FBI (1981-1982), and Hercules (1998-199)
Sport: Basketball
Years played at UCLA: 1969-72
Career stats: Games Played: 69, PPG 2.1, REB 0.6, FG% 34.3, and FT% 73.8
Most Famous Movie/TV Credits:
As the president of CBS Productions from 1991 to 1996, he oversaw primetime shows that included Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; Walker, Texas Ranger; Touched by an Angel; Caroline in the City; and Rescue 911.
From 1997 til 2000, he was president of programming for Channel One News.
Here are some actors and producers who did well in the movie and television industry.
Sport: Football
Years played at UCLA: 2009-2012
Career stats: Defensive Lineman stats
He is most known as being in 47 episodes of the TV show Ballers which aired on HBO from 2015-2019. He played the role of Vernon Littlefield and was a prominent actor on the show.
Sport: Football
Years played at UCLA: 1942-44
Career stats: Quarterback stats
Most Famous Movie/TV Credits:
Starred in the following movies: Triple Threat (1948), Jungle Manhunt (1951), and Crazylegs (1953)
Produced the following movies: The King and Four Queens (1956), Run for the Sun (1956), Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), and The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957)
Sport: Football
Years played at UCLA: 1950-52
Career stats: N/A
Most Famous Movie/TV Credits:
Starred in the following movies: The Missouri Traveler (1958), Law of the Lawless (1964), Stage to Thunder Rock (1964), Apache Uprising (1965), Harper (1966), The Bandits (1967), Jigsaw (1968), Halls of Anger (1970), The Getaway (1972), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), Chinatown (1974), Breakout (1975), The Car (1977), Tom Horn (1980), Honkytonk Man (1982), Red Dawn (1984), and Solar Crisis (1990)
Guest starred in the following TV shows: Bonanza (1959,1965, and 1969), Perry Mason (1961), Rawhide (1964), Batman (1966), Gunsmoke (1966,1968, and 1970), I Spy (1967 and 1968), The Andy Griffith Show (1967), Star Trek (1968), Mission: Impossible (1968), Kung Fu (1972 and 1973), Little House on the Prairie (1976), Charlie’s Angels (1978), Fantasy Island (1979), The Dukes of Hazzard (1980), Magnum, P.I. (1986), Knight Rider (1986), and Simon & Simon (1987)
Sport: Football
Years played at UCLA: 1950-52
Career stats: N/A
In 1953, he was the first African-American graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and, Television.
He was a producer on the film called, A Man Called Adam, which starred famous actor Sammy Davis Jr. This was historical due to it being the first time that an African American was brought on as a producer on a major motion film.
Guest starred in the following TV shows: Suspension (1958), Anna Lucasta (1958), Marcus Welby M.D. (1973), This Rebel Breed (1960), Adam-12 (1973), and Lucas Tanner (1975).
More former UCLA athletes who went on to become actors.
Sport: Football
Years played at UCLA: 1937-39
Career stats: N/A
Best Known for: The Film Spartacus
Strode was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Spartacus.”
He also appeared in films such as “The Ten Commandments,” “The Longest Day,” “Sergeant Rutledge,” and “Once Upon a Time in the West.”
Strode was a pioneer in both football and film. He was one of the first African-American players to break the color barrier in the NFL, and he helped pave the way for other African-American actors in Hollywood. Strode was a talented and versatile performer, and he starred in a wide range of films during his career.
Sport: Basketball
Years played at UCLA: 1965-68
Career stats: 13.7 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game
Best Known for: The TV show Hill Street Blues
Warren won back-to-back national championships at UCLA before beginning an acting career that led to a recurring role on Hill Street Blues, one of network television’s best dramas in the 1980s.
His performance on Hill Street Blues was critically acclaimed, and he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1981.
He appeared in a number of guest roles on television shows, including Adam-12, The Rookies, and Starsky & Hutch.
Sport: Basketball
Years played at UCLA: 1966-69
Career stats: 26.4 points per game, 15.5 rebounds per game
Best Known for: The movie Airplane
Abdul-Jabbar’s basketball success and fame earned him a role in the comedy Airplane!. Abdul-Jabbar has appeared in a number of TV shows and movies over the years, including the TV series 21 Jump Street, D2: The Mighty Ducks, Everybody Loves Raymond, Scrubs, and The Big Bang Theory.
Abdul-Jabbar has also appeared in a number of documentaries about his life and basketball career, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: More Than a Game (2000) and Kareem: Minority of One (2015).
In addition to his acting career, Abdul-Jabbar is also a producer and writer. He produced the documentary On the Shoulders of Giants (2011), which tells the story of the UCLA Bruins basketball team of the 1960s, and he wrote the episode “Entering a World of Pain” of the TV show Veronica Mars (2019).
Sport: Football
Years played at UCLA: 1972-73
Career stats: 845 passing yards, nine passing TDs, 976 rushing yards, 14 running TD
Best Known for: The TV show NCIS
Mark Harmon, is best known today for his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, and he left NCIS in 2021 after 18 seasons. He remains the executive producer of the show. He starred in such films as Summer School, Wyatt Earp, and Freaky Friday.
He also starred in various TV shows like St. Elsewhere, Reasonable Doubts, Chicago Hope, and The West Wing.
Harmon is a respected actor and producer. He has had a successful career in both television and film. Harmon is a role model for many aspiring actors and producers, and he is a true icon of the entertainment industry.