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