From the screen to the campaign trail: 20 actors who were also politicians

Shaq is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He's also marginally an actor — who can forget (as much as one could try) "Steel" and "Kazaam"? Though the big man is currently an on-camera basketball analyst, Shaq has said he's planning on running for sheriff in Henry County, Georgia in 2020.

The self-described "Franchise Viagra" is nowhere near done being one of Hollywood's biggest draws — he's currently starring in "Rampage," and "Skyscraper" is about to come out. But when The Rock does call it quits, chances are high that he'll go into politics next. Johnson has confirmed that he's seriously contemplating running for president but has already said he wouldn't do it in 2020. 

Melissa Gilbert has had an extensive career in the entertainment industry — mostly television — but she'll perhaps best be known for her role as Laura Ingalls, the little girl in "Little House on the Prairie." In 2016, Gilbert ran as the Democratic nominee in Michigan's 8th congressional race but withdrew for health reasons. 

The beat went on for Sonny Bono long after the end of "Sonny & Cher." The singer/entertainer/actor was mayor of Palm Springs from 1988 until 1992 before he successfully ran for Congress in 1994. Bono represented California's 44th district until his untimely death in 1998.

Jack Kelly's most notable work as an actor was his role as Bart Maverick, one of the two card-playing bon vivants in the western series "Maverick." He eventually turned to real estate before becoming a politician in the 1980s. From 1983 until 1986, he was mayor of Huntington Beach, California, using "Let Maverick Solve Your Problems" as his campaign slogan.

George Murphy blazed the trail for the likes of Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, two actors who saw a second revival as politicians. Murphy's stint in Hollywood came shortly after the talkies did, starring in musicals like "Broadway Melody of 1938" and "For Me and My Gal." In 1964, he was elected to represent California in the U.S. Senate. Murphy did not win a second term, losing at least partially for his support of the Vietnam War. Here, you see him (right) pictured with Ronald and Nancy Reagan. 

Unlike others on this list, Jerry Springer actually began as a politician before transitioning to the world of entertainment — mostly in the form of the peak guilty pleasure daytime talk show program "The Jerry Springer Show," but some acting ("Ringmaster"). In fact, Springer's political career began when he served as an advisor to Robert F. Kennedy and culminated with his stint as mayor of Cincinnati.

Autry actually began his professional career as a pro NFL player, playing with the Green Bay Packers very briefly (as Carlos Brown) before getting cut. Autry's real claim to fame came in 1988, when he was cast as Bubba Skinner in the TV adaptation of "In the Heat of the Night." In 2000, Autry became the mayor of Fresno, California, a position he held for two terms.

How is Miranda Hobbes celebrating the 20th anniversary of the premiere of "Sex and the City"? Probably by not campaigning. In March, the actress announced her candidacy for New York governor, but she failed to get enough votes during the recent Democratic Primary to get on the ballot. 

How much does being on television help if you're running for office? According to Fred Grandy, who played Gopher Smith on the "Love Boat" from 1977 until 1986, quite a bit. 

"If there were no Gopher, there would be no Fred Grandy for Congress," he told People Magazine in 1985. Grandy represented the state of Iowa for four terms. 

Yes, Clay Aiken counts as an actor (he was in an episode of "Scrubs" where he played a cafeteria worker named Kenny, which means he was acting as someone else). The former "American Idol" contestant entered the world of politics when he ran as a Democrat during the 2014 midterm elections for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district. Aiken did not win. 

The "Harold & Kumar" star's forray into politics didn't involve being elected. In 2009, he joined the Obama administration as an Associate Director at the White House Office of Public Engagement. It's worth noting that Penn took a brief leave of absence during his stint at this position to go film "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas." 

What do Cooter Davenport of "The Dukes of Hazzard" and Newt Gingrich have in common? They both ran to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. Ben Jones, the actor who portrayed Cooter, served as a congressman from 1988 until 1992 until he was redistricted. He ran against Gingrich two years later but lost.

The quintessential child actress, Shirley Temple Black, the star of films like "Heidi," actually had a busy career after show business. She ran as a Republican for California's 11th congressional district but didn't even make it out of the primary. In 1989, she became U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia and was even present in the country during its "Velvet Revolution." 

That Thompson ran for office shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. The former "Law & Order" star (he played district attorney Arthur Branch across several of the franchise's shows) was a lobbyist and a lawyer before jumping in front of the camera. Thompson served in the U.S. Senate for eight years after being elected in 1994. He also ran for president multiple times but not much came of that. 

Jesse "The Body" Ventura isn't the only "Predator" actor to become governor of a U.S. State. In fact, Ventura, who's also a WWE Hall of Fame inductee, won the Minnesota governorship a whole two years before Arnold Schwarzenegger became California's head of state. Unlike Arnold, however, Jesse "The Body" Ventura only made had one term.  

The former "Saturday Night Live" alum — he was one of the show's original writers and performed from time to time – was elected to represent Minnesota in the Senate in 2008, a position he held until January 2018 after resigning over allegations of sexual misconduct. 

Clint Eastwood's politics are no secret to anyone — remember his infamous speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention, where he spoke to an empty chair? But did you know that the actor and director of such classics as "Unforgiven" and "Mystic River" served as mayor of the picturesque city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., twice?

Arnold Schwarzenegger is arguably the greatest action hero that ever lived — the "Terminator" franchise, "Conan the Barbarian," "Total Recall," you get it. He's also the second most successful actor-turned-politician on this list. The former Mr. Olympia was elected California's 38th governor in 2002 and served for two terms. Were it not for the fact that he was born in Austria, Schwarzenegger could have conceivably had a legitimate shot at the U.S. presidency. 

As an actor, Ronald Reagan had mediocre success at best. He starred in mostly B-movies before moving on to be the host of "General Electric Theater" for much of the 1950s. His stint as politician was far more successful. Reagan served as California's 33rd governor from 1967 until 1974, before becoming the 40th President of the United States at the start of 1981.