From David Beckham to LeBron James, sports stars who have acted in movies - in pictures

A look at the athletes who have ventured into the world of cinema

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  LeBron James (Trainwreck): The NBA all-time great showed his capabilities extend beyond the basketball court when he gave a refreshing performance in the 2015 romantic comedy written by Amy Schumer. LeBron is set to star in the 'Space Jam' sequel as well. Courtesy IMDb

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  Mike Tyson (The Hangover): There is a funny side to the former heavyweight champion, which came out remarkably well in the 2009 hit 'The Hangover' and the sequel in 2011. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

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  John McEnroe (You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Mr Deeds): The American tennis great is still famous for his explosive meltdowns on court. He played himself in the 2003 hit 'Mr Deeds' and in 2008 in Adam Sandler’s 'You Don’t Mess with the Zohan'. Courtesy Columbia.

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  Bobby Moore and Pele (Escape to Victory). This 1981 war film directed by John Huston starred football legends like and Moore and Pele. The film is about Allied prisoners of war in a German prison camp during the Second World War who play an exhibition match against a German football team.

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  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Airplane): The NBA legend played a co-pilot in the 1980 movie 'Airplane'. Abdul-Jabbar was also the co-producer of the 1994 film 'Road to Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story'. Courtesy IMDb

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  David Beckham (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword): The England football star has made two appearances in good friend Guy Ritchie's movies - in 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' and in 2017’s 'King Arthur: Legend of the Sword'. Courtesy IMDb

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  Michael Jordan (Space Jam): A Super Bowl commercial inspired the 1996 animated film Space Jam, which starred Jordan and Bugs Bunny in a story set during the basketball great’s first retirement from the sport. Courtesy IMDb

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  Pele in the 1981 war movie 'Escape to Victory'. Courtesy IMDb

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  Ronda Rousey (The Expendables 3, Furious 7, Entourage): The MMA superstar was at her peak when she ventured successfully into Hollywood. Rousey featured in 2014’s 'The Expendables 3'. Next year, she had a role in 'Furious 7', and played herself in the movie 'Entourage'. Courtesy IMDb

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  Shaquille O’Neal (Kazaam, Steel): O’Neal was one of the first African Americans to be portrayed as a major comic book superhero in the 1997 film 'Steel'. He had earlier starred in the 1996 musical fantasy comedy 'Kazaam' as a 5,000-year-old genie. AFP

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  Neymar (XXX: Return of Xander Cage): The Brazilian star featured in the 2017 Vin Diesel movie where he played a footballer about to be recruited into a secret organisation, with his special skill being ‘shooting objects with his foot’. AP

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  Sunil Gavaskar (Savli Premachi): The former India captain has worn many hats. One of them was playing the lead role in 1980 Marathi film 'Savli Premachi'. He also had a cameo in the Bollywood hit 'Maalamaal'. Getty

When you are a universal phenomenon and supremely successful athlete, chances are you will be coveted by many outside your sporting world.

And sometimes, it turns out the sports stars are more than capable in other areas as well – like acting.

Many sporting legends have featured in movies over the years, some more than others. A few did not have great sporting careers but tasted extraordinary success on the big screen.

Here is a list of athletes who have acted in movies over the years. For this story, we have not included names like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson or Jason Statham, who were professional athletes but are now bona fide 'A' list Hollywood celebrities.

Above is a picture of gallery of a few star athletes turned actors. To move to the next image, click on the arrows. Or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.