Jesse Ventura
Known for: Acting
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
Filmography
Series
Raw
1993
Series
Raw
Jesse Ventura
1993
Series
The X-Files
Man in Black #1
1993
Series
Real Time with Bill Maher
Self
2003
Series
The Colbert Report
2005
Series
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Finger (voice)
2012
Series
Hunter
Jesse
1984
Series
Hunter
Phil Slade
1984
Series
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self
2003
Series
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003
Series
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Series
WWF Superstars
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1986
Series
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
1985
Series
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
Jesse Ventura
1985
Series
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1985
Series
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentary)
1985
Series
WWF Wrestling Challenge
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1986
Series
Renegade
Joe Don Butler
1992
Film
Predator
Blain Cooper
1987
Series
Arli$$
Jesse Ventura
1996
Series
WWF All-Star Wrestling
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1975
Series
WWF All-Star Wrestling
Jesse Ventura
1975
Series
Chelsea
Self
2016
Film
Demolition Man
CryoCon
1993
Film
Batman & Robin
Arkham Asylum Guard
1997
Film
The Running Man
Captain Freedom
1987
Series
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1981
Series
WWE Old School
Jesse "The Body" Ventura / Jesse Ventura (Commentary)
1973
Series
WWE Old School
Jesse Ventura (Commentary)
1973
Series
Clash of the Champions
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentary)
1988
Film
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Baseball Announcer (uncredited)
1988
Series
Tuesday Night Titans
Jesse Ventura
1984
Series
Tuesday Night Titans
Jesse Ventura (Interviewer)
1984
Series
Tuesday Night Titans
Jesse Ventura (Archive footage)
1984
Series
Mr. McMahon
Self (Archival Footage)
2024
Series
Hulk Hogan: Real American
Self
2026
Series
Minnesota Experience
Self (archive footage)
2018
Film
Stuck on You
Jesse Ventura (uncredited)
2003
Film
Ricochet
Chewalski
1991
Film
Joe Somebody
Himself
2001
Film
Major League II
White Lightning
1994
Film
Repossessed
Himself
1990
Film
The Master of Disguise
Self (uncredited)
2002
Series
AWA Arena Shows
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1981
Series
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
10 Things Every Guy Should Experience
Self
2004
Series
Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura
2009
Film
WWE SuperTape: Volume 1
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1990
Film
Beyond the Mat
Self
1999
Film
Andre the Giant
Self (archive footage)
2018
Film
Macho Madness
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1988
Film
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
Jesse Ventura
2006
Film
No Holds Barred
Commentator #1
1989
Film
WWE SummerSlam 1999
Referee
1999
Film
Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps, & Bodyslams
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1985
Film
WrestleMania II
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
1986
Film
Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
2024
Film
The Making of Trump
Self (archive footage)
2015
Film
The Drunk
Governor Littleton
2014
Film
WWE Royal Rumble 1988
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1988
Film
Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe
Abraxas
1990
Film
WWE SummerSlam 1988
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Referee)
1988
Woodshop
Mr. Madson
2010
Film
Tag Team Champions
Jesse Ventura
1986
9/11 Truth: Hollywood Speaks Up
Self
2011
Film
Demolition: Witness the Power
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1989
Film
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
Himself
2009
Film
The Ultimate Warrior
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1989
Film
Hulkamania 4
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1989
Film
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (archive footage)
1985
Film
Hulkamania 6
Jesse "The Body" Ventura - Commentator
1991
Film
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Self
1987
Film
Women of the WWF
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1988
Film
The Best of the WWF: volume 13
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1987
Film
The Best of the WWF: volume 5
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1986
Film
Tagteam
Bobby Youngblood
1991
Film
Savage
himself
1977
Film
WWF: It's Our Time
Jesse Ventura
1999
Film
WWE Grudge Match
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1986
Film
Biography: Wrestlemania I
Self (archival footage)
2022
Film
Hulk Hogan: Real American
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1989
Film
Villains of the Squared Circle
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1986
Film
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1986
Film
The Best of the WWF: volume 19
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1989
Film
WCW SuperBrawl III
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentator)
1993
Film
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1986
Film
WWE SummerSlam 1989
Jesse Ventura
1989
Film
WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
Self
2006
Film
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun
DMV Testee
1993
Film
The Best of the WWF: volume 20
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1989
Film
Wrestling Tough Guys
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1990
Film
This Was the XFL
Himself
2017
Film
Predator: Old Painless
Self
2001
Film
The Brains Behind the Brawn
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1989
Film
WCW Clash of the Champions XXV
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentary)
1993
Film
WWF Hulkamania 2
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1987
Film
WCW Beach Blast
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
1992
Film
Wrestling's Most Embarrassing Moments
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1987
Film
If It Bleeds We Can Kill It: The Making of 'Predator'
Self
2000
Film
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1987
Film
The British Bulldogs
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1986
Film
The WWF's Amazing Managers
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1985
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '85
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1985
Film
Wrestling Superheroes
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1990
Film
Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1985
Film
WWF Summer Flashback!
1997
Film
The Life and Times of Captain Lou Albano
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1986
Film
AWA Christmas Night 1983
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1983
Film
Best of the WWF Volume 1
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Ringside)
1985
Film
The Best of the WWF: volume 14
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1987
Film
Most Unusual Matches
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1985
Film
Hulkamania 3
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1988
Film
The Obama Deception
Self
2009
Film
Jesse Ventura Shocks the World
Self
2024
Film
AWA Super Sunday
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1983
Film
The Ken Patera Story
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1987
Film
The Claw
Himself
2021
Film
Thunderground
The Man
1989
Film
WWE Hall of Fame 2004
Self
2004
Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino
1986
Trump: Anatomy of a Man
Self (archive footage)
2018
AWA Christmas Show 1983
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1983
Film
WWE Hall of Fame: Jesse Ventura
Himself
2012
Film
WrestleMania: The Greatest Hits
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1992