| Jesse Ventura was born in 1951 in Minneapolis. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the US Navy, where he joined the Special Forces and served as a UDT/SEAL from 1969 to 1973. After being honorably discharged from the Navy, he returned to Minnesota and, while attending community college, started training to become a professional wrestler. Ventura began his successful professional wrestling career in 1975. In the early to mid '80s, he moved from performing in the ring to color commentator. In 1987, Ventura starred alongside fellow future governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the hit film Predator. He has gone on to be featured in numerous films and television shows, including a fan-favorite appearance on The X-Files playing a "Man in Black." The 1990s saw Ventura enter the political arena, serving as Mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minn., and in 1998 as Governor of Minnesota. After he left office, Ventura was a visiting fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He is a New York Times best-selling author of five books and currently resides in Minnesota and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. |
