Celebrities who were also race drivers

While the biggest names in TV, movies, and music come from the motorsports industry, they aim to live the sweaty, grease-slicked, speed-freak lifestyle that racing drivers lead. It appears that motorsports and celebrity fame go hand in hand. Many actors, broadcasters, and singers have a real passion for speed, whether it's Jay Leno or Ludacris stockpiling their garages with classic vehicles and supercars, or Mr. Bean, Jodi Kidd, Tom Cruise, and Adam Carolla showing off their ability to corner at high speeds. Here are a handful of our most cherished and prosperous crosses between pop culture and motorsports. Here’s a list of celebrities who were race drivers before.

Actors who were race car drivers

James Dean
The first actor to enter a racecourse and concentrate on becoming a respected race driver in addition to an actor was James Dean. Warner Brothers contractually prohibited him from racing until the conclusion of his picture Giant due to his extreme fascination with the sport.

Paul Newman
Paul Newman is regarded as the best racing driver in Hollywood. Though at first a bad racer, he soon improved and won titles with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). He added a feather to his cap by driving in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During the 1980s, Newman competed in the renowned Baja 100 off-road rally raid event and drove Trans Am for Bob Sharpe Racing. In 1995, Newman became the 24 Hours of Daytona's oldest winner.

Walter Cronkite
Before entering the world of racing, Cronkite worked for CBS as a newsreader and anchor. In the late 1950s, he started competing in Little Le Man endurance races. While Cronkite filed race reports in between driving stints, his team finished fifth in the 1959 Sebring 12 Hours. Following that, he went back to work as a reporter and racing was put on hold.

Patrick Dempsey
Patrick is the father to endurance racing. He has competed in the most prestigious endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and Rolex-sponsored 24 Hours at Daytona were he bagged third place

Steve McQueen
For a brief period, Steve McQueen dominated the cinema industry as the epitome of cool in the 1960s and early 1970s. The majority of auto fans will compare Steve McQueen to Frank Bullitt. Following the commercial success of Bullitt and The Thomas Crown Affair, McQueen set out to realise his long-held ambition of making a movie about his love of racing cars.

Having fractured his left foot, McQueen—who performed many of his own motorbike and automobile stunts—drove a Porsche to second place at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Sales of Mustangs skyrocketed following the release of that movie.

Shane Lynch
Shane Lynch was a racer and an artist. He belonged to Boyzone, an Irish boy band. Following the band's 2000 sabbatical, Lynch began his racing career in the British GT Championship, competing for the Eclipse Motorsport Team from 2002 to 2006.

Gene Hackman
Before quitting acting to pursue a career in auto racing, two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman had a successful acting career spanning several decades. Hollywood legend has it that Gene's affinity for racing vehicles began when he filmed "The French Connection." When he competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1983 for Dan Gurney's team, it was the apex of his career.

James Garner
In addition to being an avid racer, James Garner owned a professional racing team that competed in three seasons in some of the most renowned endurance races in the world. He was also a veteran of the Army and contributed to the renowned Baja 500 race's rising fame. On three separate occasions, he had an invitation to drive the Indianapolis 500 pace car.


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