Jesse 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. Early life
Known For
Blain Cooper
Predator
Captain Freedom
The Running Man
Himself
Repossessed
CryoCon
Demolition Man
Self
Beyond the Mat
White Lightning
Major League II
Abraxas
Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe
Himself - Commentator #1
No Holds Barred
Self
The Obama Deception
Self
WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
DMV Testee
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
AWA Christmas Night 1983
Mr. Madson
Woodshop
The Man
Thunderground
himself
Savage
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
WCW Beach Blast
Self
9/11 Truth: Hollywood Speaks Up
Governor Littleton
The Drunk
Bobby Youngblood
Tagteam
Jesse Ventura
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
AWA Christmas Show 1983
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (archive footage)
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
Self
Jesse Ventura Shocks the World
Self (archival footage)
Biography: Wrestlemania I
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
WWF Hulkamania 2
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
Hulkamania 3
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Ringside)
Best of the WWF Volume 1
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
Hulkamania 4
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Best of the WWF: volume 5
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Best of the WWF: volume 19
Chewalski
Ricochet
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps and Bodyslams!
Jesse Ventura
WWF's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest
Self (archive footage)
The Making of Trump
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '85
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentary)
WWE Royal Rumble 1988
Himself
The Claw
Baseball Announcer (uncredited)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Himself
This Was the XFL
WWE Hall of Fame 2004
Arkham Asylum Guard
Batman & Robin
Himself
WWE Hall of Fame: Jesse Ventura
Self (archive footage)
Andre the Giant
Himself
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
AWA Super Sunday
Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino
Jesse Ventura
Tag Team Champions
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Referee)
WWE SummerSlam 1988
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
WrestleMania II
Jesse Ventura
WWE SummerSlam 1989
Referee
WWE SummerSlam 1999
Jesse Ventura (uncredited)
Stuck on You
WWF Summer Flashback!
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentator)
WCW SuperBrawl III
Himself
Joe Somebody
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentary)
WCW Clash of the Champions XXV
Self (archive footage)
Trump: Anatomy of a Man
WrestleMania
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
WrestleMania 2
Self (uncredited)
The Master of Disguise
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
WrestleMania III
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
WrestleMania IV
Jesse Ventura
WWF: It's Our Time
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
The WWF's Amazing Managers
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Best of the WWF: volume 13
Jesse "The Body" Ventura - Commentator
Hulkamania 6
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Life and Times of Captain Lou Albano
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Best of the WWF: volume 14
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
WWE Demolition
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Hulk Hogan: Real American
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Ultimate Warrior
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Macho Madness
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The British Bulldogs
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Brains Behind the Brawn
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Ken Patera Story
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Most Unusual Matches
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Villains of the Squared Circle
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Wrestling Superheroes
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Wrestling Tough Guys
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
83
Gender
Male
Birthday
1951-07-15
Place of Birth
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Also Known As
James George Jano