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Jesse Ventura
Actor

Jesse Ventura

15 Jul 1951Born
75Age
87Credits
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USABirthplace

Biography

Jesse "The Body" Ventura (born James George Janos) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in WWE, he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003. He was elected governor with the Reform Party and is the party's only candidate to win a major government office.

Ventura was a member of the United States Navy Underwater Demolition Team during the Vietnam War.

Read the full biography

After leaving the military, he embarked on a professional wrestling career as a heel from 1975 to 1986, taking the ring name "Jesse 'the Body' Ventura." He had a lengthy tenure in WWE as a performer and color commentator and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004. In addition to wrestling, Ventura pursued an acting career, appearing in films such as Predator and The Running Man.

Ventura entered politics in 1991 when he was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a position he held until 1995. He was the Reform Party candidate in the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election, running a low-budget campaign centered on grassroots events and unusual advertising that urged citizens not to "vote for politics as usual". In a major upset, Ventura defeated both the Democratic and Republican nominees. Amid internal fights for control over the party, Ventura left the Reform Party a year after taking office and served the remainder of his term as a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota. Since holding public office, Ventura has referred to himself as a "statesman" instead of a politician.

As governor, Ventura oversaw reforms of Minnesota's property tax as well as the state's first sales tax rebate. Other initiatives he took included construction of the METRO Blue Line light rail in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area and income tax cuts. Ventura did not run for reelection. After leaving office in 2003, he became a visiting fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has since hosted a number of political television shows on RT America and Ora TV, and written several books. Ventura has been a prominent figure in third-party politics, having repeatedly floated the idea of running for President of the United States as an independent candidate.

In late April 2020, Ventura endorsed the Green Party in the 2020 presidential election and showed interest in running for its nomination. He officially joined the Green Party of Minnesota on May 2. On May 7, he confirmed he would not run. The Alaskan division of the Green Party nominated Ventura without his involvement, causing the national party to disown it for abandoning its nominee, Howie Hawkins.

Early life

Known for

Filmography

The 80 most recent of 87 credits.

  1. 2024Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVIIFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  2. 2014The DrunkFilm: Governor Littleton
  3. 2012Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesSeries: The Finger (voice) (1 episode)
  4. 2010WoodshopFilm: Mr. Madson
  5. 2009Conspiracy Theory with Jesse VenturaSeries (22 episodes)
  6. 2006WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate AnthologyFilm: Jesse Ventura
  7. 2005The RingerFilm: Motivational Speaker (voice)
  8. 2003Stuck on YouFilm: Jesse Ventura (uncredited)
  9. 1999WWF: It's Our TimeFilm: Jesse Ventura
  10. 1999WWE SummerSlam 1999Film: Referee
  11. 1997WWF Summer Flashback!Film
  12. 1997Batman & RobinFilm: Arkham Asylum Guard
  13. 1996E! True Hollywood StorySeries (2 episodes)
  14. 1996Arli$$Series: Jesse Ventura (1 episode)
  15. 1994Major League IIFilm: White Lightning
  16. 1993WCW Clash of the Champions XXVFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentary)
  17. 1993Demolition ManFilm: CryoCon
  18. 1993The X-FilesSeries: Man in Black #1 (1 episode)
  19. 1993WCW SuperBrawl IIIFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentator)
  20. 1993Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has BegunFilm: DMV Testee
  21. 1993RawSeries: Jesse Ventura (2 episodes)
  22. 1992RenegadeSeries: Joe Don Butler (1 episode)
  23. 1992WCW Beach BlastFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
  24. 1992WrestleMania: The Greatest HitsFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  25. 1991Hulkamania 6Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura - Commentator
  26. 1991RicochetFilm: Chewalski
  27. 1991TagteamFilm: Bobby Youngblood
  28. 1990Abraxas, Guardian of the UniverseFilm: Abraxas
  29. 1990Hulkamania ForeverFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  30. 1990Wrestling Tough GuysFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  31. 1990Wrestling SuperheroesFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  32. 1990WWE SuperTape: Volume 1Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  33. 1989Hulkamania 4Film: Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
  34. 1989ThundergroundFilm: The Man
  35. 1989WWE SummerSlam 1989Film: Jesse Ventura
  36. 1989Demolition: Witness the PowerFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  37. 1989The Best of the WWF: volume 20Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  38. 1989The Best of the WWF: volume 19Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  39. 1989The Ultimate WarriorFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  40. 1989No Holds BarredFilm: Commentator #1
  41. 1989The Brains Behind the BrawnFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  42. 1989Hulk Hogan: Real AmericanFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  43. 1988The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!Film: Baseball Announcer (uncredited)
  44. 1988Macho MadnessFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  45. 1988WWE SummerSlam 1988Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Referee)
  46. 1988Hulkamania 3Film: Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
  47. 1988Women of the WWFFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  48. 1988Clash of the ChampionsSeries: Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentary) (1 episode)
  49. 1988WWE Royal Rumble 1988Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  50. 1987The Best of the WWF: volume 14Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  51. 1987Wrestling's Most Embarrassing MomentsFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  52. 1987The Running ManFilm: Captain Freedom
  53. 1987The Best of the WWF: volume 13Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  54. 1987The Ken Patera StoryFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  55. 1987PredatorFilm: Blain Cooper
  56. 1987Hulkamania 2Film: Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
  57. 1987Bob Uecker's Wacky World of SportsFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  58. 1986The Best of the WWF: volume 9Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  59. 1986The British BulldogsFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  60. 1986WWF Wrestling ChallengeSeries: Jesse 'The Body' Ventura (15 episodes)
  61. 1986WWF SuperstarsSeries: Jesse "The Body" Ventura (174 episodes)
  62. 1986Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno SammartinoFilm
  63. 1986Villains of the Squared CircleFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  64. 1986The Best of the WWF: volume 7Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  65. 1986Ricky "The Dragon" SteamboatFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  66. 1986The Best of the WWF: volume 6Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  67. 1986WrestleMania IIFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
  68. 1986WWE Grudge MatchFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  69. 1986The Life and Times of Captain Lou AlbanoFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  70. 1986Tag Team ChampionsFilm: Jesse Ventura
  71. 1986The Best of the WWF: volume 5Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  72. 1985The WWF's Amazing ManagersFilm: Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
  73. 1985WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '85Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  74. 1985WWE Saturday Night's Main EventSeries: Jesse Ventura, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentary) (3 episodes)
  75. 1985Bob Uecker's Wacky World of SportsFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura (archive footage)
  76. 1985Best of the WWF Volume 1Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Ringside)
  77. 1985Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps, & BodyslamsFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  78. 1985Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!Film: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  79. 1985Most Unusual MatchesFilm: Jesse "The Body" Ventura
  80. 1984HunterSeries: Jesse, Phil Slade (1 episode)

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.