From Actors to Presidents
When Russian propagandists run out of arguments, they often resort to pointing out that the current President of Ukraine is an actor. They like to mockingly refer to him as a "clown." This is rather peculiar for three reasons. Firstly, Volodymyr Zelensky was never a clown; he was a comedian. Secondly, calling someone a "clown" is a strange insult, as clowns in the circus are not only important characters but also incredibly skilled individuals. Clowns not only make people laugh but also need to master acrobatics, balance, and a multitude of skills. So, "clown" should be seen as a recognition of merit rather than an insult. And thirdly, Zelensky is far from being the first artist to become a president. Some might say he is the second, while others might argue he is the third, but in reality, he is the seventh. There is also a prime minister who, in the past, was an actor.
Let's take a look at other actor-presidents and see what they achieved. To avoid bias, we will arrange them in chronological order of their assumption of office.
Ronald Reagan - 40th President of the United States (January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989)
Photo: Ronald Reagan, Source: White House
Ronald Reagan was born into an ordinary family and attended a regular high school. He had a passion for sports and acting.
After college, Reagan worked as a radio announcer at various small stations and eventually moved on to work at WHO radio station in Des Moines, where he provided live commentary for Chicago Cubs baseball games from the stadium.
This led to screen tests and a seven-year contract with Warner Bros. studio, marking the beginning of Reagan's acting career. On one hand, his career was impressive, with 54 films to his name. On the other hand, most of these films fell into the category of "B movies" and did not bring him much fame. His most successful film, released in 1943, was "Kings Row." This film received three Oscar nominations, although Reagan's performance received mixed reviews, though many consider it his best role.
It's unclear how Reagan's career would have continued, but a few months after the premiere of "Kings Row," he was drafted into the military, and the films he appeared in upon his return couldn't replicate his earlier success.
However, Reagan was not only involved in acting but also was an active union leader. In 1947, Reagan became the president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
Perhaps this experience pushed him toward a political career. Ultimately, as a manager, he proved more successful than as an actor. Interestingly, Reagan initially supported the Democrats, but over time, his views changed, and he joined the Republican Party.
In 1966, Reagan was nominated for the position of Governor of California (yes, Schwarzenegger was not the first actor to become the governor of that state), and he won the election.
His first attempt at the presidency in 1976 ended in failure, but Reagan learned from it and won the 1980 presidential election against the incumbent U.S. President Carter.
In history, Reagan will be remembered as the chief adversary of the USSR, the man who branded the Soviet Union an "Evil Empire," the leading advocate of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), known as "Star Wars" in the USSR, and the one who played a significant role in ending the Cold War and contributing to the collapse of the USSR.
Yes, perhaps as an actor, Reagan did not achieve much, but the kind of president he was is sorely missed in America and the entire Western world today.
Vaclav Havel - the last President of Czechoslovakia (1989–1992) and the first President of the Czech Republic (1993–2003)
Photo: Vaclav Havel, Source: Vaclavhavel.cz
Vaclav can be described as a true scion of the film industry. His grandfather founded the film company "Lucerna film" in 1912. His father and uncle continued the family business.
In 1938, after the communists came to power, the family's property was confiscated, and Vaclav was expelled from high school as the son of a foe of the new regime. Vaclav began his acting career as a stagehand at the Na zábradlí theatre. Later, he worked at this theatre as an assistant director, literary manager, and playwright. This marked the beginning of his acting career.
From 1965 to 2011, he appeared in five films and one series. In addition, in 2011, he released his directorial debut, the film "Leaving." In 1965, Vaclav became a member of the editorial board of the banned literary journal "Tvarz" (Face). From 1970 to 1989, Václav Havel was convicted three times, spending a total of about five years in prison.
Only in 1989, after the "Velvet Revolution," was Vaclav elected as the president of Czechoslovakia, and on February 2, 1993, he became the first president of an independent Czech Republic.
A writer, director, actor, and dissident – the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic. Truly, someone to aspire to.
Joseph Marcelo Ejercito Estrada - the 13th President of the Philippines (served from 1998 to 2001)
Photo: Joseph Marcelo Ejercito Estrada, Source: Wiki
Not many people have heard of this man because the Philippines are far from us. His real name is Jose Marcelo Ejercito. He became an actor at the age of twenty and changed his name then. His film career started way back in 1956 and progressed quite successfully. Estrada appeared in over a hundred films and was a five-time recipient of the Philippine Best Actor Award. Additionally, Joseph received the Best Film award five times as well. Yes, Reagan might just be envious.
However, Joseph's political career didn't go as smoothly. Although it started well. In 1967, he became the mayor of San Juan municipality, and in 1987, a senator. In 1992, he was elected vice president of the Philippines, and in May 1998, he won the presidential election.
It seemed like everything was going great, but by 2001, due to a peaceful revolution, Estrada had to step down from his post.
Notice that no one dispersed this revolution, its participants weren't executed, and Joseph didn't flee to another country. However, he was accused of receiving bribes and a series of corrupt acts and was sentenced to life imprisonment. But soon, he was pardoned by the new head of state, Gloria Arroyo, and even managed to continue his political career. He was elected mayor of Manila in 2013.
Lech Kaczynski - President of Poland (2005–2010)
Photo: Lech Kaczynski, Source: Wiki
Referring to Mr. Kaczynski as an actor is a slight exaggeration. After all, he only had one role, and it was a children's role.
The future President of Poland played his first and last role alongside his twin brother Jaroslaw when they were thirteen. However, sometimes quality matters more than quantity. The fairy-tale film "O dwóch takich, co ukradli księżyc" (About Two Who Stole the Moon) became quite popular in Poland.
Kaczynski began his political career in 1977 in the "Committee for the Defense of Workers." His path resembled that of his Czech colleague - the "Committee for the Defense of Workers" was considered an anti-communist organization, and its activities were banned. Then he worked in the "Solidarity" trade union, spent eleven months in prison, and the situation changed. The Soviet Union could no longer control the Eastern Bloc countries, and Kaczynski's career took off. He became a member of the Sejm (Polish parliament) and the Senate, served as Minister of Justice, and was the Mayor of Warsaw. Together with his brother Jarosław, he founded the political party "Law and Justice" in 2001, and in 2005, he was elected President of Poland.
During the war in Georgia in 2008, Kaczynski took a pro-Georgian stance and accused Russia of aggression. In 2010, he tragically passed away.
During the landing at Smolensk-North Airport, in foggy conditions, the plane went below the glide path 1.5 km from the runway. Failing to reach the runway, the plane collided with trees and was destroyed. All 96 people on board, including Kaczynski's wife, perished. Kaczynski left behind a daughter and two granddaughters.
Several investigations into the cause of the crash were conducted. The Russian and the initial Polish investigation attributed it to pilot error in challenging meteorological conditions. However, a subsequent Polish investigation launched in 2016 yielded different conclusions. The 2018 report indicated that the plane disintegrated in mid-air due to an explosion, and Russian air traffic controllers misled the pilots about their location during the approach. Therefore, the plane crash should be considered a terrorist act.
Naturally, Russia did not agree with the results of the Polish investigation, which is not surprising. Denying one's own wrongdoing and, even better, shifting blame onto the victim is a well-known tactic in the so-called Russian "diplomacy." We would like to remind you of one more thing. After Russia's attack on Georgia, Kaczynski was considering the possibility of further military expansion from Russia's side: starting with Georgia, then Ukraine, followed by Moldova, the Baltic countries, and eventually Poland.
We are currently at the second point on that list.
Jimmy Morales - President of Guatemala from January 14, 2016, to January 14, 2020
Photo: Jimmy Morales, Source: Facebook
To call Mr. Morales an actor is a bit of an understatement. Alongside his brother Samuel, he co-founded a film company that produced the popular comedy show "Moralejas." In addition to this, over his 15-year career, he played lead roles in about a dozen feature films with his brother. He gained fame as an actor in comedic roles.
In 2015, amid a political crisis, he ran for president. One of the key points of his platform was that he had no ties to the corrupt political elite.
His promises to combat crime and corruption, promote economic prosperity, and improve education and healthcare attracted voters, and Jimmy became president.
However, despite his lofty anti-corruption rhetoric, Morales' tenure was marked by a series of corruption scandals that led to mass street protests. Fortunately, the country avoided bloodshed, but Morales lost the subsequent election.
Donald Trump - the 45th President of the United States from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021, representing the Republican Party
Photo: Donald Trump, Source: TheGaze
Many may not consider Trump an actor, thinking that his only role was a cameo in the movie "Home Alone 2." In reality, he had several roles, although mostly minor, and he often played himself. Additionally, Trump was an executive producer and host of the popular reality TV show "The Apprentice," for which he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.
In 2017, after numerous unsuccessful attempts, Trump became the President of the United States. His presidential career was marked by various scandals and two impeachment attempts.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy - President of Ukraine since May 20, 2019
Photo: Volodymyr Zelensky, Source: President.gov.ua
Zelenskyy began his career in the KVN (Club of the Funny and Inventive) comedy show. He was part of teams like "Zaporizhzhia-Kryvyi Rih-Transit," "National Team of Kryvyi Rih," and "95th Kvartal."
After leaving KVN, Zelenskyy's team, "95th Kvartal," started performing on television as "Studio Kvartal-95." Volodymyr was involved in the creation of dozens of films and TV series, as an actor, producer, and sometimes a screenwriter. However, Zelenskyy gained the most fame for his role as Vasyl Holoborodko in the TV series "Servant of the People," where he portrayed a high school history teacher who becomes the President of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy's popularity was evident when he won the presidential election's second round, where he garnered 73.22% of the votes, running against incumbent President Petro Poroshenko.
Some political analysts argued that many voters were not necessarily voting for Volodymyr Zelenskyy but for his character, Vasyl Holoborodko. Nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that he became the President.
Justin Trudeau - the only non-president on this list, he is the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada since November 4, 2015
Photo: Justin Trudeau, Source: Facebook
In his youth, Justin tried his hand at various roles, including being a snowboarding instructor, actor, and radio host. While his filmography consists of only one role in the TV series "The Great War," it still captured the audience's attention.
In the series, Justin played a major who participated in World War I.
As you can see, Zelenskyy is not the first president to come from an acting background. Moreover, he's not even the first comedian. When considering governors, mayors, and so on, the list of actors-turned-politicians becomes even more impressive.