Jesse Ventura
Born
July 15, 1951 (73 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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
Known For
Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
2024
Mr. McMahon
Self (Archival Footage) · (1 episode)
2024
Jesse Ventura Shocks the World
Self
2024
Biography: Wrestlemania I
Self (archival footage)
2022
The Claw
Himself
2021
Minnesota Experience
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2018
Trump: Anatomy of a Man
Self (archive footage)
2018
Andre the Giant
Self (archive footage)
2018
This Was the XFL
Himself
2017
Chelsea
Self · (1 episode)
2016
The Making of Trump
Self (archive footage)
2015
The Drunk
Governor Littleton
2014
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Finger (voice) · (1 episode)
2012
WWE Hall of Fame: Jesse Ventura
Himself
2012
9/11 Truth: Hollywood Speaks Up
Self
2011
Woodshop
Mr. Madson
2010
Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura
(22 episodes)
2009
The Obama Deception
Self
2009
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
Himself
2009
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
Jesse Ventura
2006
WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
Self
2006
The Colbert Report
(1 episode)
2005
WWE Hall of Fame 2004
2004
10 Things Every Guy Should Experience
Self · (1 episode)
2004
Stuck on You
Jesse Ventura (uncredited)
2003
Real Time with Bill Maher
Self · (1 episode)
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
(2 episodes)
2003
The Master of Disguise
Self (uncredited)
2002
Joe Somebody
Himself
2001
Beyond the Mat
Self
1999
WWE SummerSlam 1999
Referee
1999
WWF Summer Flashback!
1997
Batman & Robin
Arkham Asylum Guard
1997
E! True Hollywood Story
(2 episodes)
1996
Arliss
(1 episode)
1996
Major League II
White Lightning
1994
WCW Clash of the Champions XXV
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentary)
1993
Demolition Man
CryoCon
1993
The X-Files
Man in Black #1 · (1 episode)
1993
WCW SuperBrawl III
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentator)
1993
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun
DMV Testee
1993
Raw
(2 episodes)
1993
Renegade
Joe Don Butler · (1 episode)
1992
WCW Beach Blast
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
(3 episodes)
1992
Ricochet
Chewalski
1991
Tagteam
Bobby Youngblood
1991
Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe
Abraxas
1990
Repossessed
Himself
1990
Hulkamania 4
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1989
Thunderground
The Man
1989
WWE SummerSlam 1989
Jesse Ventura
1989
The Best of the WWF: volume 19
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1989
No Holds Barred
Himself - Commentator #1
1989
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Baseball Announcer (uncredited)
1988
WWE SummerSlam 1988
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Referee)
1988
Hulkamania 3
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1988
WWE Royal Rumble
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentary)
1988
The Running Man
Captain Freedom
1987
Predator
Blain Cooper
1987
WWF Hulkamania 2
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1987
WrestleMania III
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1987
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1987
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1986
WWF Wrestling Challenge
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura · (14 episodes)
1986
Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino
1986
WrestleMania II
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
1986
WrestleMania 2
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
1986
Tag Team Champions
Jesse Ventura
1986
The Best of the WWF: volume 5
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1986
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '85
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1985
Saturday Night's Main Event
(5 episodes)
1985
Saturday Night's Main Event
Jesse Ventura · (1 episode)
1985
WrestleMania
1985
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (archive footage)
1985
Best of the WWF Volume 1
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Ringside)
1985
Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps and Bodyslams!
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1985
WWF's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest
Jesse Ventura
1985
Hunter
Jesse · (1 episode)
1984
Hunter
Phil Slade · (1 episode)
1984
AWA Christmas Night 1983
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1983
AWA Christmas Show 1983
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1983
AWA Super Sunday
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
1983
Savage
himself
1977