Sonny Landham

A vast, muscular presence, of Cherokee and Semiole stock, Sonny Landham commenced his acting career in the porn industry -- a history that came back to haunt him when he made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican Party's nomination for the post of Governor of Kentucky in 2003. It was not Landham's past participation in such works as "Oversexed," "Slippery when Wet" and "The Trouble with Young Stuff" that put paid to his political ambitions, however, but a racist tirade that he launched in 2008 whilst running for the US Senate for the Libertarian Party. After Landham advocated genocide against Arabs and referred to them as "ragheadsù," the Libertarians withdrew his nomination. Landham is remembered more fondly for small roles in significant films such as "The Warriors," "Southern Comfort" and "Poltergeist," and more substantial parts in "48 Hrs," "Predator" (alongside his fellow future political hopefuls, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura) and "Lock Up" (alongside fellow former porn star Sylvester Stallone). During the 90s, Landham spent a 31-month stretch in prison for making threatening phone calls to one of his five ex-wives, in the course of a dispute over child custody. He also pursued an unsuccessful lawsuit seeking royalties for the "Predator" action figure based on his character.