From Jayalalithaa to Ronald Reagan: 6 actors who turned politicians

Here are 6 film celebrities who joined politics and ran for public office

The 'Iron Butterfly' of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa Jayaram, chief minister of the state, passed away yesterday. The AIADMK supremo began her career as a filmstar in the Tamil film industry. She wasn't the only one who made the journey from silver screen to public office though.

The world has seen a number of great artists who have contributed richly to the entertainment industry and then moved to public office, getting immense public support on the way. Some have left behind footprints for others to tread on- they were big stars in their time -on reel and off reel.

Here are 6 personalities who made the journey from cinema to public office, successfully:

1. Jayalalithaa Jayaram, Late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

The three times Filmfare award winner, six times Tamil Nadu Chief Minister- J Jayalalithaa breathed her last on Monday after a bitter 74-day battle for life. She will forever be remembered in Tamil Nadu as "Puratchi Thalaivi', meaning a revolutionary leader for her aggressive brand of politics. 

Much before she won over people in her political avatar, Jayalalithaa was a very popular film star of Tamil cinema. She appeared in 140 films from 1961 to 1980 in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi industries and made her last on screen appearance in Tamil film, "Nadhiyal Thedi Vanda Kadhala (1980). Jaya had done only one Hindi film called Izzat in 1968. The melodrama featured Bollywood's veteran actor  - Dharmendra.

Then, Jayalalithaa joined politics under the guidance of the founder of AIADMK, M G Ramachandran. In 1982, she became an AIADMK party member. In 1991, Jayalalithaa was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the first time. From then on, her journey as Amma started.

Her political life was marred by corruption allegations. She was convicted in four corruption cases and had to step down from chief minister twice but higher courts acquitted her and she was able to come back to power.

2. Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

Popularly known as MGR, he was an Indian actor, director, producer, and politician who worked primarily in Tamil films. Ramachandran was the founder of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). MGR was a member of the Congress Party till 1953 and then joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

He became Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 30 June 1977, and remained in office till his death in 1987. MGR mobilised between 1972 and 1977 to spread and preach his party ambition with films like Netru Indru Naalai (1974), Idhayakani (1975), Indru Pol Endrum Vazhga (1977), etc.

He made his film debut in 1936, in the film Sathi Leelavathi, directed by Ellis Dungan, an American-born film director. His acting career ended in 1984 with his last film, Ullagam Suthi Paru, in which he acted even though he had been diagnosed with kidney failure.

3. N T Rama Rao, former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, more popular as N T R was one of the most popular actors of South Indian film industry during his time. NTR made his debut as an actor in a Telugu social film Mana Desam, directed by L V Prasad in 1949. He gained popularity in the 1950s when he became well known for his portrayals of Hindu deities, especially Krishna and Rama, roles which have made him a "messiah of the masses".

After his career in films, NTR entered politics. He founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982 and served three tumultuous terms as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh between 1983 and 1995. He was known as an advocate of Andhra Pradesh's distinct cultural identity,

As an actor NTR received three National Film Awards and was voted 'Greatest Indian Actor of All Time' in a CNN-IBN national poll conducted in 2013.

4. Ronald Reagan, former US President

Ronald Reagan, originally an American actor and politician, became the 40th President of the United States serving from 1981 to 1989. He spent two decades in the entertainment industry. His most well-known role was in Knute Rockne, All American (1940), where he played the role of Notre Dame halfback George "the Gipper" Gipp. Reagan first became involved in politics as a union official for the Screen Actors Guild. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1941 and served as vice president in 1946. Before his presidency, he was the 33rd Governor of California, from 1967 to 1975. An icon among Republicans, he is viewed favorably in historian rankings of US presidents.

5. Mahinda Rajapaksa, former President of Sri Lanka

Mahinda Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka from 19 November 2005 to 9 January 2015. Mahinda Rajapaksa was also a talented actor who played roles in several Sinhala movies, skills acquired from which came to his benefit later in his political career.

Following his father’s death in 1967, Rajapaksa replaced as the SLFP candidate for the Beliatta constituency and was elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970 as the youngest Member of Parliament at the age of 24.

6. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California (2003 – 2011)

Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American actor, producer, businessman, investor, author, philanthropist, activist and politician. He first gained fame as a body builder, using that as a launching point to become a huge Hollywood star.

In 1984, Schwarzenegger appeared in James Cameron's science-fiction thriller film The Terminator, which was a huge success. Then he appeared in a number of successful films, such as Commando (1985), The Running Man (1987), Predator (1987), Twins (1988), Total Recall (1990), Kindergarten Cop (1990) and True Lies (1994). His all-time box office greats established him as one of the greatest action film stars in history.

Schwarzenegger served two terms as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011.