18 celebrities who have run for political office: from Clint Eastwood to Amitabh Bachchan

These stars of stage, screen and the wrestling ring prove you don’t have to be a career politician to get involved with politics

Cynthia Nixon: The ‘Sex and the City’ actress and New York native ran for Governor of New York back in 2018. 'I was given chances I just don’t see for most of New York’s kids today. Our leaders are letting us down,' she said when she launched her political campaign. She failed to unseat the incumbent Andrew Cuomo who has held the position since 2011. Reuters

Amitabh Bachchan: The Bollywood superstar took a break from acting in 1984 to contest Allahabad's seat for the 8th Lok Sabha. He won by one of the highest victory margins in general election history with 68.2 per cent of the vote, but resigned after three years, calling politics a ‘cesspool’. Reuters

Donald Trump: The New York businessman and host of 'The Apprentice' was elected the 45th president of the US in 2016 after beating Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. He lasted just one term and became the only president in history to be impeached twice. AFP

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Famously nicknamed the ‘Governator’, the action star ran for office and became governor of California in 2003 and again in 2006. He left office in January 2011, after completing his second term, the most amount of time allowed by law. Reuters

Jesse Ventura: The American former professional wrestler, who was nicknamed ‘The Body’, became mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota from 1991 to 1995 and the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003. Newsmakers

Shaquille O’Neal: In December 2016, the former NBA star became a sworn deputy in Clayton County, and this year is set to become the director of community relations for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia. He has also announced his plans to run for Sheriff in 2024, but hasn’t yet said which state he will be running in. AP

Shirley Temple: The world-famous child star quit show business at the age of 22 in 1950 and later in 1967 ran for Congress in the Republican primary for California’s 11th district, which she lost. However, after Secretary of State Henry Kissinger overheard her discussing West Africa, he tapped her to serve as the US Ambassador to Ghana and later Czechoslovakia. AP

Clint Eastwood: In 1986, the actor and director ran for mayor of his California hometown, Carmel, winning 72.5 per cent of the vote. He served his two-year term but didn't seek re-election. Rumours abounded he had only run because his plans to put up a building beside his restaurant had been rejected by the town’s council. Reuters

Wyclef Jean: The Haitian native and former Fugee ran for president of the country following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Although he filed the paperwork, he didn't meet Haiti’s five-year residency requirement to run for the role. Getty Images

Jerry Springer: Before becoming the star of his eponymous talk show, Springer held the post of mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978, following an unsuccessful run for Congress in 1970. WireImage

Glenda Jackson: The double Oscar-winning British actress quit both Hollywood and the theatre to turn to politics in 1992, winning a seat in the House of Commons as a Labour candidate. Failing in her 2000 bid to become mayor of London, she successfully defended her parliamentary seat in 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2010. Getty Images

Ronald Reagan: The former actor, who starred in ‘Wagon Train’ and ‘The Killers’, began his political career as a Democrat, but switched to the right, becoming a Republican and the 40th President of the US from 1981 to 1989. AP

Sebastian Coe: The British athlete won four medals at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games, including the 1,500 metres gold medal in Moscow. He also famously set three world records in the space of 41 days in 1979. The middle-distance runner became a Conservative MP from 1992 to 1997, and after becoming a peer in 2000, was behind London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics. Pawan Singh / The National

Glenn Jacobs: Wrestling fans will know Glenn Jacobs by his ring name, Kane. In 2018, running for the Republican party, he was elected mayor of Knox County in Tennessee. Getty Images

Ruben Blades: The popular Panamanian salsa musician had also carved a successful career as an actor before he ran for president of Panama in 1994. Although unsuccessful, in 2004 he was appointed as minister of tourism by President Martin Torrijos. AFP

Sonny Bono: Singer-songwriter Sonny Bono - famous for his hit ‘I Got You Babe’ with his then-wife Cher - became mayor of Palm Springs, California from 1988 to 1992, and created the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He was later elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 to represent California’s 44th congressional district. AFP

Howard Stern: The shock jock joined the 1994 race for New York Governor against incumbent Mario Cuomo and hopeful George Pataki, running as a Libertarian. His election proposals included bringing back the death penalty and making construction workers work at night. He dropped out of the race after refusing to release his personal finances. AFP

Clay Aiken: Aiken went from runner-up on the second season of ‘American Idol’ to running for Congress as a democrat in North Carolina in 2014. He lost against the incumbent, Republican Renee Ellmers. Getty Images

All things considered, actors, actresses and sports people are actually perfectly positioned to move into politics when they desire a change of career. After all, their roles already involve putting in long hours, plenty of diplomacy and the kind of drive and resolve that gets you to, and keeps you at, the top.

It’s little wonder then that politics has long held a fascination for those used to life in the spotlight.

Ever since John F Kennedy was elected the 35th President of the US in 1961, bringing some high-octane glamour to the White House, the line between show business and politics has become increasingly blurred. So much so that it seemed fitting that an actor – Ronald Reagan – would eventually hold the highest office in the US, becoming president in 1981.

And Reagan's was a precedent that paved the way not only for action star Arnold Schwarzenegger to become the governor of California, but also for reality TV star Donald Trump to become the 45th President of the US.

It's not just in America where politics crosses over into other high-profile arenas, either, as Bollywood legend, Amitabh Bachchan, proved with his 1984 landslide victory while contesting Allahabad's seat for the Lok Sabha.

And in the UK, double Oscar-winning actress Glenda Jackson, 84, won a seat in the House of Commons as a Labour candidate and kept it for almost 20 years. She was only recently coaxed back into acting, after an almost two decade-long gap, to much critical acclaim in the BBC drama, Elizabeth is Missing.

From world-famous child star, Shirley Temple, landing a job as an Ambassador to Ghana after Henry Kissinger happened to overhear her talking about West Africa, to Oscar-winning actor and director Clint Eastwood becoming mayor simply because, if rumours are true, he wanted to secure himself planning permission, here are 18 stars who swapped the bright lights of stardom for the unforgiving spotlight of politics.

Scroll though the gallery above for the stars of stage, screen and sports who ran for various political positions across the globe.