Here’s my rule of thumb: actors who want to get involved in politics should try to run for office. That’s a controversial hot take, but I think the reason people have been revolted by the actor-activist is that they come off as snobbish and holier than art thou. They talk about in their award speeches, which they have the right to speak at if they want, but people, in general, want to get away from the subject for three hours. I’ll at least give credit to Cynthia Nixon challenging the now-disgraced Andrew Cuomo for the governorship in New York back in 2018. She’s been laughing it up since his downfall, for sure. Conservative or liberal, it doesn’t matter, here are some screen actors who made the transition to politician seamlessly.
Melina Mercouri (Member of the Hellenic Parliament, 1977-94)
One of Greece’s most famous actresses worldwide, Mercouri married American director Jules Dassin and he would direct her in the romantic comedy Never On Sunday (1960), winning Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival and later received an Oscar nomination. This opened her to more international roles on stage and screen; while in New York, a coup d’etat took place by the Greek military and she became an activist in condemning the junta. When democracy was reestablished in 1974, she joined the centre-left PASOK and was elected to Parliament in 1977. Mercouri was natural to become Minister of Culture and among her accomplishments, she promoted government funding in Greek cinema and remained active until her death in 1994.
Ronald Reagan (U.S. President, 1981-89)
Reagan was a middle-of-the-road Hollywood actor from the 1930s to the 50s, even serving as President of the Screen Actors Guild during this time. His most famous performance was in the Best Picture-nominated Kings Row, playing a mild-mannered young man in a small town whose life is upended by betrayal and tragedy. Reagan, a New Deal Democrat, soon converted to being a conservative Republican, making his mark with his “A Time For Choosing” speech in 1964, and was elected governor of California in 1966 for two consecutive terms. After missing out on the Republican nomination for President in 1976, he would win in a landslide four years later against Jimmy Carter, starting a new period of conservative rule that remains controversial to this day.
Glenda Jackson (UK Member of Parliament, 1992-2015)
Glenda Jackson did something Reagan never did: win not one, but two Academy Awards. Both for Best Actress, she first won for Women In Love (1969) and then for A Touch Of Class (1974). She put her activism for the Labour Party to the test when she won a seat in the House of Commons – Britain’s seat of government – in the general election of 1992. For a time, she served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Tony Blair in the 1990s but became a critic of Blair for his actions in sending the country to Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s. After Jackson retired in 2015, Jackson successfully returned to acting, playing the titular role in King Lear in 2016 and winning a Tony for her performance in Three Tall Women in 2018.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Governor of California, 2003-2011)
Before this recent recall election, there was another one in 2003. Schwarzenegger had shown his support for the Republican party since the 1980s while also being married to a known Democrat, Maria Shriver. But his first step towards running for office was the successful recall against the highly unpopular Democrat Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger won with 48.6% of the vote and was re-elected in 2006, cementing his time as the “Governator” in a solidly Democratic state. As a moderate, he was the opposite of then-President George W. Bush’s style of conservatism and received some support from Democrats, but left office unpopular as voters were ready to go back to their Democrat stronghold.
Beppe Grillo (Co-Founder Of Five Star Movement, 2009-Present)
Grillo first became known as a standup comedian in the 1970s and was a household name in the 1980s for his stinging political satire. His work was so offensive to politicians that they were able to ban Grillo from the country’s dominant, publically-owned station, RAI. Yet, he remained very popular for his anti-establishment views, constantly calling out the blatant corruption amongst the media that carried into the 2000s when he decided to put his words into action with the establishment of the populist, syncretic-viewed Five Star Movement party. He continues to direct the party’s success in government, even as head of state with Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2021.
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