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 "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
The X-Files
Man in Black #1
Raw
Raw
Jesse Ventura
Predator
Blain Cooper
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Finger (voice)
Saturday Night's Main Event
Saturday Night's Main Event
Jesse Ventura
Saturday Night's Main Event
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Saturday Night's Main Event
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentary)
Renegade
Joe Don Butler
WWF Wrestling Challenge
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
Hunter
Jesse
Hunter
Phil Slade
The Running Man
Captain Freedom
Batman & Robin
Arkham Asylum Guard
Demolition Man
CryoCon
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Baseball Announcer (uncredited)
Joe Somebody
Himself
Arli$$
Ricochet
Chewalski
WWF All-Star Wrestling
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
WWF All-Star Wrestling
Jesse Ventura
Repossessed
Himself
The Drunk
Governor Littleton
Tagteam
Bobby Youngblood
The Claw
Himself
Andre the Giant
Self (archive footage)
WWE Old School
Jesse "The Body" Ventura / Jesse Ventura (Commentary)
WWE Old School
Jesse Ventura (Commentary)
Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura
WWE SuperTape: Volume 1
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
E! True Hollywood Story
Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe
Abraxas
Minnesota Experience
Self (archive footage)
Savage
himself
Mr. McMahon
Self (Archival Footage)
AWA Super Sunday
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Thunderground
The Man
Most Unusual Matches
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Tag Team Champions
Jesse Ventura
Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps, & Bodyslams
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Major League II
White Lightning
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Macho Madness
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
AWA Christmas Show 1983
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Woodshop
Mr. Madson
WWE Grudge Match
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Ultimate Warrior
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Stuck on You
Jesse Ventura (uncredited)
Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVII
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
This Was the XFL
Himself
10 Things Every Guy Should Experience
Self
The Master of Disguise
Self (uncredited)
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Biography: Wrestlemania I
Self (archival footage)
Clash of the Champions
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentary)
9/11 Truth: Hollywood Speaks Up
Self
No Holds Barred
Himself - Commentator #1
The British Bulldogs
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Beyond the Mat
Self
Jesse Ventura Shocks the World
Self
WrestleMania III
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '85
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
WrestleMania 2
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
Jesse Ventura
WCW Beach Blast
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
WWE SummerSlam 1989
Jesse Ventura
WrestleMania II
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Hulk Hogan: Real American
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
AWA Arena Shows
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Making of Trump
Self (archive footage)
WWE Hall of Fame 2004
Self
Hulkamania 4
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
WWE SummerSlam 1988
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Referee)
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
Himself
WWE SummerSlam 1999
Referee
WWE Royal Rumble 1988
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Commentary)
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun
DMV Testee
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (archive footage)
WrestleMania IV
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
WWF Summer Flashback!
WWF: It's Our Time
Jesse Ventura
Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Wrestling's Living Legend Bruno Sammartino
Villains of the Squared Circle
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
WWF Hulkamania 2
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
If It Bleeds We Can Kill It: The Making of 'Predator'
Self
Wrestling's Most Embarrassing Moments
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Best of the WWF: volume 13
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Hulkamania 3
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
WCW SuperBrawl III
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentator)
WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
Self
The Obama Deception
Self
Hulkamania 6
Jesse "The Body" Ventura - Commentator
Trump: Anatomy of a Man
Self (archive footage)
The Best of the WWF: volume 19
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The WWF's Amazing Managers
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura
WCW Clash of the Champions XXV
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Color Commentary)
The Life and Times of Captain Lou Albano
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Ken Patera Story
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
AWA Christmas Night 1983
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Best of the WWF Volume 1
Jesse "The Body" Ventura (Ringside)
The Brains Behind the Brawn
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Demolition: Witness the Power
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Wrestling Superheroes
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Best of the WWF: volume 5
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
Wrestling Tough Guys
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
The Best of the WWF: volume 14
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
WWE Hall of Fame: Jesse Ventura
Himself
Real Time with Bill Maher
Self
The Colbert Report
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self
Chelsea
Self
Tuesday Night Titans
Jesse Ventura
Tuesday Night Titans
Jesse Ventura (Interviewer)
Tuesday Night Titans
Jesse Ventura (Archive footage)