Sports Figures Portrayed in Movies

Al Pacino will play Joe Paterno in a movie about the late Penn State football coach. Producer Edward R. Pressman confirms Brian De Palma will direct "Happy Valley," the tentative title of the film, based on Joe Posnanski's best-seller "Paterno." While Pressman said the plot remains "under wraps," Posnanski's book followed Paterno's final years, as the winningest coach in college football history saw his career end in disgrace in 2011 with the sex abuse scandal involving assistant Jerry Sandusky. No start or release dates were given for the film. Here, we take a look at past casting choices to play actual sports figures in cinema.

Oscar-nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

Oscar-nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Oscar-nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

John Cusack as Buck Weaver Charlie Sheen as Happy Felsch David Strathairn as Eddie Cicotte D.B. Sweeney as Shoeless Joe Jackson Michael Rooker as Chick Gandil Don Harvey as Swede Risberg James Read as Lefty Williams Perry Lang as Fred McMullin Eight Men Out (1988)

Won Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Oscar-nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role.