Lights, Camera, Political Action!

“Politicians are actors, too, don’t you think? Usually, if you like people and you’re outgoing, not a shy little thing, you can do pretty well in politics.” — Shirley Temple Black

No shrinking violet herself, Shirley Temple Black enjoyed a successful career as a child actor before moving on to politics as U.S. chief of protocol at the State Department and later as an ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.

Black’s statement is a testament to several Los Angeles Local members who transitioned from performing in front of the camera to performing in political or diplomatic arenas, sometimes maintaining or returning to their acting roots, and occasionally going in the other direction by building acting credits after attaining political office.

Past and present Los Angeles Local members in politics include:

One U.S. President

• Ronald Reagan, two terms 1981–1989. Reagan also served on SAG’s Board of Directors for several years and president of SAG for five terms: 1947–1952 and 1959–1960; Films and TV: Dark Victory; King’s Row; Knute Rockne, All American; General Electric Theater.

One First Lady

• Nancy Davis Reagan, first lady of California 1967–1975; first lady of the United States 1981–1989. She also served on the SAG Board of Directors 1950–1960; Films: Hellcats of the Navy; Donovan’s Brain; East Side, West Side; Crash Landing; The Next Voice You Hear; Night into Morning.

One U.S. Senator

• George Murphy, 1965–1971. Murphy served as president of SAG 1944–1946. Films: This Is the Army; Battleground; For Me and My Gal; Step Lively.

Five U.S. House of Representatives Members

• Sonny Bono, California’s 44th District 1995–1998; Films and TV: The Sonny and Cher Show; Hairspray; Dirty Laundry; Airplane II.
• Robert Dornan, California’s 38th District 1977–1983, 46th District 1985–1997; Films and TV: The Starfighters; Twelve O’Clock High; To the Shores of Hell; Tempo; The Robert K. Dornan Show.
• Fred Grandy, Iowa’s 6th District 1987–1992; 5th District 1993–1994; Films and TV: The Love Boat; Monster Squad; The New Love Boat; The Love Boat II; Maude; Love, American Style.
• Ben Jones, Georgia’s 4th District 1989–1993; Films and TV: The Dukes of Hazzard; CBS Summer Playhouse; The Lincoln Conspiracy; Primary Colors.
• Will Rogers Jr., California’s 16th District 1943–1944; Films and TV: The Story of Will Rogers; Burke’s Law; Look for the Silver Lining.

Two U.S. Ambassadors

• Shirley Temple Black, ambassador to Ghana 1974–1976, ambassador to Czechoslovakia 1989–1992; Films: The Little Colonel; The Little Princess; Bright Eyes; Curly Top; Heidi; Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm; The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer.
• John Gavin, ambassador to Mexico 1981–1986. Gavin also served as president of SAG 1971–1973; Films: Spartacus; Psycho; Imitation of Life; Thoroughly Modern Millie.

One U.S. Delegate to the United Nations

• Shirley Temple Black, 1969 under President Richard Nixon.

One Special Advisor to the Secretary General of the Organization of American States

• John Gavin, 1961–1973.

One U.S. Chief of Protocol at the State Department

• Shirley Temple Black, 1976–1977 under President Gerald Ford.

One Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs

• Kal Penn, 2009–2011; Films and TV: Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle; A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas; House; Designated Survivor.

Two Governors

• Ronald Reagan, two terms 1967–1975, 33rd governor of California. 
• Arnold Schwarzenegger, two terms 2003–2011, 38th governor of California; Films: Conan the Barbarian; Stay Hungry; Twins; The Terminator; Total Recall; True Lies.

Two California State Senators  

• Edward M. Davis, 19th District 1980–1992; TV: Adam-12.
• Sheila James Kuehl, 23rd District 2000–2008; TV: The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis; The Stu Erwin Show; Broadside; Zelda.

One Member of the California State Assembly

• Sheila James Kuehl, 41st District 1994–2000. 

One California State Park and Recreation Commission Member and California Film Commission Member

• Clint Eastwood, two terms 2001–2008 California State Park and Recreation Commission; 2004 California Film Commission; Films and TV: Rawhide; Play Misty for Me; A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; Dirty Harry; Unforgiven; Million Dollar Baby.

Four Mayors  

• Sonny Bono, one term 1988–1992, mayor of Palm Springs, California.
• Clint Eastwood, one term 1986–1988, mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 
• Eric Garcetti, two terms 2013–present, 42nd mayor of Los Angeles; Films and TV: End of Watch, Major Crimes, The Closer.
• Jack Kelly, one term 1983–1986, mayor of Huntington Beach, California; Films and TV: Maverick; Drive a Crooked Road; Stories of the Century.

One Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Member

• Sheila James Kuehl, 3rd District 2013–present. 

One Los Angeles City Council Member

• Eric Garcetti, 2001–2013; L.A. City Council president 2007–2012. 

One Board of Directors of Southern California Rapid Transit District Member

• George Takei, 1973–1984; Films and TV: Star Trek; Allegiance; Avatar: The Last Airbender.

One British Parliament House of Lords Member (Inherited Title)

• Christopher Guest, 1996–1999; Films: This Is Spinal Tap; A Mighty Wind; Best in Show; Waiting for Guffman.

One British Parliament House of Commons Member

• Glenda Jackson, representing Hampstead and Highgate 1992–2010; Representing Hampstead and Kilburn 2010–2015; Films and TV: Women in Love; A Touch of Class; Sunday Bloody Sunday; Elizabeth Is Missing; The Romantic Englishwoman; The Music Lovers; Elizabeth R; Mothering Sunday; Health.

“… [J]ust about every well-known actor gets asked to lend his or her name to causes. Once they become convinced that their celebrity status can be used as a force for good, it’s an easy leap for some to conclude that they should make politics their full-time occupation,” wrote Alan Greenblatt in his article for National Public Radio, “Celebrities Turn Star Power Toward Political Stage.”

After all, acting is not that far removed from politics. Both actors and politicians have a flair for the dramatic, attracting attention and followers. Both professions require many of the same skills: the ability to appeal ‘presidential,’ take direction, receive feedback and understand and share feelings of others. 

Over the years, politics has turned mainly to television to showcase candidates, and actors with on-camera experience have an advantage. Ronald Reagan often referred to how his acting career aided his political career.

In his 2005 biography of Reagan, The Triumph of Imagination, SAG-AFTRA broadcaster Richard Reeves wrote, “The President was in Shanghai, ending a tour of China — signing trade and cultural agreements — with a visit to Fudan University, where he told students a bit about his former life and how it served him as president: ‘You’d be surprised how much being a good actor pays off,’ Reagan said.” 

As Reagan once remarked to Warren Beatty, “I don’t know how anybody can serve in public life without being an actor.”