Jesse Ventura
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. 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
Credits
- 2024 · Mr. McMahon as Self (Archival Footage)
- 2024 · Jesse Ventura Shocks the World as Self
- 2022 · Biography: Wrestlemania I as Self (archival footage)
- 2021 · The Claw as Himself
- 2018 · Minnesota Experience as Self (archive footage)
- 2018 · Andre the Giant as Self (archive footage)
- 2017 · This Was the XFL as Himself
- 2016 · Chelsea as Self
- 2015 · The Making of Trump as Self (archive footage)
- 2014 · The Drunk as Governor Littleton
- 2012 · Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as The Finger (voice)
- 2012 · WWE Hall of Fame: Jesse Ventura as Himself
- 2011 · 9/11 Truth: Hollywood Speaks Up as Self
- 2010 · Woodshop as Mr. Madson
- 2009 · Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura as
- 2009 · The Obama Deception as Self
- 2009 · WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event as Himself
- 2006 · WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology as Jesse Ventura
- 2006 · WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA as Self
- 2005 · The Colbert Report as
- 2004 · WWE Hall of Fame 2004 as
- 2004 · 10 Things Every Guy Should Experience as Self
- 2003 · Stuck on You as Jesse Ventura (uncredited)
- 2003 · Real Time with Bill Maher as Self
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as
- 1999 · Beyond the Mat as Self
- 1999 · WWE SummerSlam 1999 as Referee
- 1997 · WWF Summer Flashback! as
- 1997 · Batman & Robin as Arkham Asylum Guard
- 1996 · E! True Hollywood Story as
- 1996 · Arliss as
- 1994 · Major League II as White Lightning
- 1993 · Demolition Man as CryoCon
- 1993 · The X-Files as Man in Black #1
- 1993 · Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun as DMV Testee
- 1993 · WWE Raw as
- 1993 · WWE Raw as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (archive footage)
- 1992 · Renegade as Joe Don Butler
- 1992 · WCW Beach Blast as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
- 1992 · The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as
- 1991 · Ricochet as Chewalski
- 1991 · Tagteam as Bobby Youngblood
- 1990 · Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe as Abraxas
- 1990 · Repossessed as Himself
- 1989 · Hulkamania 4 as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
- 1989 · Thunderground as The Man
- 1989 · WWE SummerSlam 1989 as Jesse Ventura
- 1989 · The Best of the WWF: volume 19 as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
- 1989 · No Holds Barred as Himself - Commentator #1
- 1988 · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! as Baseball Announcer (uncredited)
- 1988 · WWE SummerSlam 1988 as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Referee)
- 1988 · Hulkamania 3 as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
- 1988 · WWE Royal Rumble as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentary)
- 1987 · The Running Man as Captain Freedom
- 1987 · Predator as Blain Cooper
- 1987 · WWF Hulkamania 2 as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
- 1987 · Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
- 1986 · The Best of the WWF: volume 9 as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
- 1986 · WWF Wrestling Challenge as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
- 1986 · Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino as
- 1986 · WrestleMania II as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
- 1986 · Tag Team Champions as Jesse Ventura
- 1986 · The Best of the WWF: volume 5 as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
- 1985 · WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '85 as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
- 1985 · Saturday Night's Main Event as
- 1985 · WWE Pay Per View as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Referee)
- 1985 · Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (archive footage)
- 1985 · WWF's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest as Jesse Ventura
- 1985 · Best of the WWF Volume 1 as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Ringside)
- 1985 · Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps and Bodyslams! as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
- 1984 · Hunter as Jesse
- 1984 · Hunter as Phil Slade
- 1983 · AWA Christmas Show 1983 as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
- 1983 · AWA Christmas Night 1983 as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
- 1983 · AWA Super Sunday as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
- 1977 · Savage as himself