Famous Former Bodyguards

Close protection personnel, or bodyguards as they are commonly referred to, are usually seen but not heard. Their job is to take care of the rich and famous, and if they do their job well, they should be nothing more than an imposing figure in the background.   But sometimes, the men and women tasked with looking after “the beautiful people” decided to step into the limelight themselves, and some even get to the point where they need to hire bodyguards themselves! So here are a few famous former bodyguards you may not have known came from the close protection world:

 

Terry Crews

Now known for his roles in comedies, as well as being part of the ensemble cast of The Expendables, it still shouldn’t come as a surprise that Terry Crews was once a bodyguard. The man takes his shirt off in every movie he stars in for a reason – he’s not exactly small. And back in the 90s, he was putting his physique to good use as part of Ice Cube’s security team. In a strange turn of events, the pair eventually starred in movies together, first appearing alongside each other in Ice Cube’s “Friday After Next”.

Michael Clarke Duncan

Similar to how Terry Crews got work protecting a rapper turned actor, Michael Clarke Duncan, who you’ll recognise from The Green Mile, ended up protecting Will Smith and Jamie Foxx, who were both going through a transition from music to film at the time. Always determined to become an actor, he used his time in the company of his clients to pick up tips and tricks. He decided to go full time into acting following the death of rapper Notorious B.I.G. – Duncan was supposed to be protecting him on the night he got shot, but had instead traded to look after another client. He decided enough was enough, and the rest is history.

 

Pro Wrestlers

It’s again not a huge leap of imagination to think that a physical line of work like close protection can lead quite naturally into a physical sport like professional wrestling. Current star Sheamus, pictured above, is now a 3 time World Champion in the WWE, but prior to embarking on a wrestling career, he was tasked with looking after Bono, of U2, as well as Denise Van Outen.

But he is hardly the first guy to make the jump. Back in the 70s, Jesse Ventura (above), who is not only a famous wrestler but also a star of the first Predator movie (and a former US Governor), had the unenviable task of looking after the Rolling Stones whenever they rolled through his home state of Minneapolis.

 

Mr. T

Most of the people above moved into a different profession through desire. While their work as a bodyguard undoubtedly helped, it could be argued they would have made it without being a bouncer first. Mr. T, on the other hand, almost entirely owes his lucky break to his work as a bodyguard. He used to charge up to $10,000 a day for his services, and looked after notable names like Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and even Muhammad Ali. When the greatest boxer of all time uses you as protection, you know you are good! Through this work, Mr. T appeared on a game show called “America’s Toughest Bouncer”. During an interview for the series, he said the line “I don’t hate him, but I pity the fool”. Sylvester Stallone happened to be watching the interview, and decided to offer Mr. T the role of Clubber Lang in Rocky III. Mr. T accepted, and his unlikely acting career began.

Gary Coleman

And to finish, we end on the unique case of Gary Coleman. Firstly, he goes to show that personnel can come in all shapes and sizes. Coleman was only 4ft 7in when he worked as a security guard at a Californian shopping mall. He is also unique on this list as he was an actor who moved into the field of protection, instead of out of it. But that only goes to prove that, no matter what your previous occupation, it’s not too late to make the switch!   Photo credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/   Jesse Ventura image credit: http://sofrep.com/news/page/6/