From movie stars to doctors, what do Olympic stars do after retirement?

Here’s a look at some Olympic stars who became movie actors, and had flourishing careers even after their time at the Games.

Sonja Henie, thrice figure skating champion and 10 times holder of the world title, posing for her first studio “still” at Hollywood, California, USA. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

The Paris 2024 Olympics, set to take place from July 26 to August 11, will be the 33rd edition of the Summer Olympics.

The quadrennial event acts as a platform for thousands of athletes across the globe to compete for the Olympic medal. However, due to the strenuous training and fitness regimens, Olympians end their sporting careers far before most people stop working.

Many who have succeeded in bagging the top prize have chosen several paths after drawing the curtain on their sporting careers.

Here’s a look at some Olympic stars who became movie actors, and had flourishing careers after their time at the Games:

Johnny Weissmuller

Johnny Weissmuller. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Johnny Weissmuller was an American freestyle swimmer of the 1920s who won five Olympic gold medals and set 67 world records. But he was more famous as a motion-picture actor, most notably in the role of Tarzan. Weissmuller starred in 12 Tarzan films between 1932 and 1948, beginning with  Tarzan the Ape Man (1932).

Eric Heiden (Five-time speed skating Olympic gold medallist)

The most remarkable triumph of the 1980 Winter Olympics in New York was that of speed skater Eric Heiden. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Eric Heiden won all five speed skating gold medals at the 1980 Games. He became a professional cyclist and raced in the 1986 Tour de France. He later attended Stanford medical school and became an orthopaedic surgeon. He was the team physician for the US Olympic Speedskating Team for three editions.

Harold Sakata

Harold Sakata. | Photo Credit: X/@007

Harold Sakata was a silver medalist in the light-heavyweight division of weightlifting at the 1948 Olympics in London. Sakata then went on to become a professional wrestler, and appeared under the name “ Tosh Togo”. However, his career took a major turn when he was noticed by the producers of the James Bond series, and he went on to play the villainous “Odd Job” in the Bond film, Goldfinger (1964).

Bob Anderson

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Robert James Gilbert Anderson was an English Olympic fencer and a renowned film fight choreographer. His cinema career spanned more than 50 years and included films such as Star Wars, Highlander, and The Lord of the Rings. He was regarded as the premier choreographer of Hollywood sword-fighting also appeared as a stunt double for Darth Vader‘s lightsaber battles.

Sonja Henie (Three-time figure skating Olympic gold medallist)

Sonja Heinie won three successive Olympic gold medals from 1928 to 1936, and went on to become a movie star. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Sonja Henie won three figure skating golds between 1928 and 1936. The Norwegian parlayed her success on skates into a contract with Twentieth Century Fox. Her draw was so great that during the 1940s she was earning around $2 million a year, making her one of the world’s highest earning women.

Michelle Kwan (Two Olympic medals in figure skating)

Michelle Kwan, world skating champion of the United States, in action. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Michelle Kwan took silver in figure skating in 1998, then won bronze in 2002. Kwan penned a children’s book and an autobiography and also appeared on The Simpsons and Family Guy. Since 2006, Kwan has also served as a public diplomacy ambassador for the US State Department.

Tenley Albright (Two Olympic medals in figure skating)

Tenley Albright of the USA, who won a figure skating Olympic silver in 1952, then followed it up with a gold in 1956. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Tenley Albright won a figure skating silver in 1952, then followed it up with a gold in 1956. She went to medical school and was in her undergraduate work at Radcliffe when she won her gold in 1956. She later went to Harvard Medical School, became a general surgeon in Boston and conducted blood plasma research at Harvard.

1980 US Hockey team (1980 Olympic gold)

Puck goes past Soviet goalkeeper Vladimir Myshkin to mark the fourth goal for the USA in the ice hockey game in 1980. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

The 1980 US Hockey team toppled the invincible Soviet squad in the ‘Miracle on Ice’ en route to a gold medal. Twelve of the 20 members of the team eventually made it to the NHL- Neal Broten won a Stanley Cup, was the first American to score 100 points in a season while Ken Morrow racked up four Stanley Cup wins.