1. JOHNNY WEISSMULLER (4 golds; 1924 and 1928 swimming)
While swimming at a club on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Weissmuller was invited to try out for the part of Tarzan. In 1932 he made his film debut in Tarzan, the Ape Man. He eventually starred in 11 more Tarzan films.
2. HERMAN BRIX (silver; 1928 shot put)
Brix changed his name to Bruce Bennett, and pursued a successful 358 career that included performances in Mildred Pierce (1945) and The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948). He also acted in such clunkers as The Alligator People (1959) and The Fiend of Dope Island (1961).
3. BUSTER CRABBE (gold; 1932 400-metre freestyle)
Crabbe won his gold medal by one-tenth of a second. He later recalled that that tenth of a second led Hollywood producers to discover 'latent histrionic abilities in me'. In 1933 Crabbe made his film debut as Karpa the Lion Man, in King of the Jungle. He eventually appeared in 53 movies, but is best known for his roles as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.
4. HELENE MADISON (gold; 1932 100-metre freestyle)
Madison, who once set 16 world records in 161.2 months, was invariably described by sportswriters as 'shapely'. After her Olympic triumph, she played an Amazon captain of the guards in the 1933 satire The Warrior's Husband. Unfortunately, her performance was undistinguished and she never acted again.
5. SONJA HENIE (3 golds; 1928, 1932 and 1936 figure skating)
Henie's first film, One in a Million (1937), was a box-office winner, and nine more followed. Although her acting was never as smooth as her skating, her Hollywood career brought her great financial success.
6.-7.GLENN MORRIS (gold; 1936 decathlon) and ELEANOR HOLM (gold; 1932 100-metre backstroke)
Tarzan's Revenge (1938) starred two Olympic champions as Tarzan and Jane. Unfortunately, Holm was described as looking 'bored' throughout the film, and reviewers found Morris's performance 'disappointing' and 'listless'. Holm never acted again.
8. HAROLD SAKATA (silver; 1948 light-heavyweight weightlifting)
After the Olympics, Sakata pursued a successful career as a professional wrestler and then moved on to acting. He appeared in eight films, but it was his first role that gained him international stardom - the evil Oddjob in Goldfinger (1964).
9. CAROL HEISS (gold; 1960 figure skating)
Heiss, described by Variety as 'a fetching lass', made her film debut in the title role in Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961). The film was panned, but she received praise for her acting, singing and, of course, her skating. However, she never appeared in another movie.
10. JEAN-CLAUDE KILLY (3 golds; 1968 Alpine skiing)
Killy co-starred as a con-man ski instructor in the mediocre 1972 film Snow Job.
11. CORNISHMAN V (2 golds; 1968 and 1972 three-day event)
The only non-human Olympic medallist to pursue a successful film career, Cornishman V helped two different riders to victory in equestrian events. He later appeared in Dead Cert (1974), based on a Dick Francis novel, and International Velvet (1978).
12. BRUCE JENNER (gold; 1976 decathlon)
Jenner's one and only film appearance was in the loud and awful 1980 film Can't Stop the Music. He played a staid lawyer who is drawn into the irresistibly fun New York disco scene.
13. MARK BRELAND (gold; 1984 welterweight boxing)
Breland is one of the few athletes to appear in a movie before he appeared in the Olympics. In 1983 he received good reviews for his role in The Lords of Discipline. He played the first black cadet in a Southern military academy.
Note: Among the dozens of other Olympic athletes who have appeared in movies are 1924 pole-vault champion Lee Barnes, who served as a standin stuntman for Buster Keaton in College (1972); 1948 and 1952 decathlon champion Bob Mathias, who appeared in four films, including It Happened in Athens (1962) with Jayne Mansfield, and 1952 and 1956 triple jump champion Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, who appeared in the internationally acclaimed film Black Orpheus (1958). Ken Richmond, who won a bronze medal as a wrestler in 1952, was better known as the muscleman who struck the gong at the beginning of J. Arthur Rank films.
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