
Jesse Ventura
Known for Acting · 113 credits
- Born
- 1951-07-15 (age 74)
- Place of birth
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Also known as
- James George Jano · The Body · Jesse "The Body" Ventura · Jesse Ventura · Surf Ventura
Biography
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.
Known For
TV Shows (27)

Raw
1993
as Jesse Ventura

Real Time with Bill Maher
2003
as Self

The X-Files
1993
as Man in Black #1

The Colbert Report
2005

Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self

Arli$$
1996
as Jesse Ventura

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
2012
as The Finger (voice)

Renegade
1992
as Joe Don Butler

WWF Superstars
1986
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Hunter
1984
as Jesse / Phil Slade

WWF Wrestling Challenge
1986
as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura

WWE Pay Per View
1985

Chelsea
2016
as Self

WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
1985
as Jesse Ventura / Jesse "The Body" Ventura / Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentary)

WWE Old School
1973
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura / Jesse Ventura (Commentary)

WWF All-Star Wrestling
1975
as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura / Jesse Ventura

Clash of the Champions
1988
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentary)

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
1981
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Mr. McMahon
2024
as Self (Archival Footage)

Tuesday Night Titans
1984
as Jesse Ventura / Jesse Ventura (Interviewer) / Jesse Ventura (Archive footage)

Hulk Hogan: Real American
2026
as Self

E! True Hollywood Story
1996
10 Things Every Guy Should Experience
2004
as Self

Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura
2009

Minnesota Experience
2018
as Self (archive footage)

AWA Arena Shows
1981
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Movies (86)

Predator
1987
as Blain Cooper

Batman & Robin
1997
as Arkham Asylum Guard

Demolition Man
1993
as CryoCon

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
1988
as Baseball Announcer (uncredited)

The Running Man
1987
as Captain Freedom

Stuck on You
2003
as Jesse Ventura (uncredited)

Major League II
1994
as White Lightning

Ricochet
1991
as Chewalski

Joe Somebody
2001
as Himself

Repossessed
1990
as Himself

WrestleMania II
1986
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)

The Master of Disguise
2002
as Self (uncredited)

Beyond the Mat
1999
as Self

No Holds Barred
1989
as Himself - Commentator #1

WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
2006
as Jesse Ventura

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII
2024
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun
1993
as DMV Testee

Thunderground
1989
as The Man

Andre the Giant
2018
as Self (archive footage)
9/11 Truth: Hollywood Speaks Up
2011
as Self

WCW Beach Blast
1992
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)

Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe
1990
as Abraxas

WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
2009
as Himself

Biography: Wrestlemania I
2022
as Self (archival footage)

The Making of Trump
2015
as Self (archive footage)

Hulkamania 6
1991
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura - Commentator

Jake "The Snake" Roberts
1987
as Self

The Best of the WWF: volume 20
1989
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps, & Bodyslams
1985
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Hulkamania 3
1988
as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura

WWE Royal Rumble 1988
1988
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentary)

The British Bulldogs
1986
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

The Ultimate Warrior
1989
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

WWF: It's Our Time
1999
as Jesse Ventura

WWE SummerSlam 1999
1999
as Referee

WWF Hulkamania 2
1987
as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura

WWE SummerSlam 1988
1988
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Referee)

Best of the WWF Volume 1
1985
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Ringside)

This Was the XFL
2017
as Himself

The Brains Behind the Brawn
1989
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Macho Madness
1988
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

WWE SummerSlam 1989
1989
as Jesse Ventura

The Life and Times of Captain Lou Albano
1986
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

WWE Hall of Fame 2004
2004
as Self

Hulkamania 4
1989
as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura

Tagteam
1991
as Bobby Youngblood

Wrestling's Most Embarrassing Moments
1987
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Most Unusual Matches
1985
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Villains of the Squared Circle
1986
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Demolition: Witness the Power
1989
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

The WWF's Amazing Managers
1985
as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
Woodshop
2010
as Mr. Madson

The Obama Deception
2009
as Self

Wrestling Superheroes
1990
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

The Ken Patera Story
1987
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

The Best of the WWF: volume 19
1989
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

The Best of the WWF: volume 14
1987
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

The Best of the WWF: volume 13
1987
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

The Best of the WWF: volume 5
1986
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
1985
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (archive footage)
Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino
1986

WWE SuperTape: Volume 1
1990
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

WCW Clash of the Champions XXV
1993
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentary)

WWE Hall of Fame: Jesse Ventura
2012
as Himself

WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
2006
as Self

The Claw
2021
as Himself

AWA Super Sunday
1983
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Savage
1977
as himself

Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!
1985
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

WCW SuperBrawl III
1993
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentator)

WWF Summer Flashback!
1997

The Drunk
2014
as Governor Littleton

Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
1987
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Tag Team Champions
1986
as Jesse Ventura
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '85
1985
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Hulk Hogan: Real American
1989
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Trump: Anatomy of a Man
2018
as Self (archive footage)

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
1986
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

WWE Grudge Match
1986
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

AWA Christmas Night 1983
1983
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Wrestling Tough Guys
1990
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Jesse Ventura Shocks the World
2024
as Self

The Best of the WWF: volume 9
1986
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

If It Bleeds We Can Kill It: The Making of 'Predator'
2000
as Self
AWA Christmas Show 1983
1983
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Women of the WWF
1988
as Jesse "The Body" Ventura
About 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… With 113 credits spanning from 1973 to 2026, Jesse Ventura has appeared in 86 films and 27 TV shows.
Fans searching for Jesse Ventura movies, Jesse Ventura filmography, or the latest projects starring Jesse Ventura can stream many of these titles on CineFlixo, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Jesse Ventura Movies
- Predator (1987) — as Blain Cooper
- Batman & Robin (1997) — as Arkham Asylum Guard
- Demolition Man (1993) — as CryoCon
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) — as Baseball Announcer (uncredited)
- The Running Man (1987) — as Captain Freedom
Where to Watch Jesse Ventura Films
Most Jesse Ventura movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Jesse Ventura, check our movies catalogue and browse page.