12 Famous Actors Who Also Race Cars

For many actors, it’s hard to forget the exhilarating feeling of speeding down the race track, even if it’s all pretend for a racing film. It’s why we’ve seen so many actors pursue a career behind the steering wheel too. Whether it started from a childhood dream or a simple act of curiosity, auto racing is serious business to these Hollywood A-listers.

James Dean

James Dean wasn’t just a legend in Hollywood. He was a prominent figure on the race track too. Even before shooting his breakthrough role in “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955), Dean was already an avid lover of all things auto. He participated in the Palm Springs Road Races, Minter Field Bakersfield, and Santa Barbara Road Races.

Unfortunately, Dean’s career in Hollywood and racing were both cut short after he succumbed to injuries when he collided with another vehicle while driving his Porsche Spyder in 1955.

Paul Newman

After playing the role of a professional race car driver in the 1969 film “Winning,” Paul Newman quickly took an interest in the world of racing. He began racing in the early 1970s and later co-founded the Newman-Haas IndyCar team, which later won 105 races and 8 championships.

Paul Newman himself participated in several races, winning four national championships between 1979 to 1986. He’s considered one of the most popular race car drivers ever, and in 2024, he was inducted into the Motor Sports Hall of Fame.

Patrick Dempsey

The “Grey’s Anatomy” star first started racing in the early 2000s. While he took a break in 2016, he recently returned to the racing world in 2024 after filming “Ferrari.”

In 2013, he competed in arguably the most prestigious endurance race in the world, the Le Mans 24 Hours. Patrick Dempsey’s race car was the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, which he scored fourth place with.

Dempsey has also competed in several other races, including the American Le Mans Series and Tudor United SportsCar Championship.

Gene Hackman

Aside from being a two-time Academy Award winner, Gene Hackman was also a lover of race cars. After doing most of his own stunt driving in “The French Connection,” Gene Hackman began racing in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, he participated in two seasons in the IMSA GTU Championship, where he recorded four starts in endurance races.

In 1983, he joined Dan Gurney’s All American Racers team and raced in the Daytona 24 hours for the first time. He drove the #99 Toyota Celica.

Steve McQueen

No list of actors turned famous race car drivers is complete without Steve McQueen. In Hollywood, he was known for his roles in “Tales of Wells Fargo,” ”Bullitt,” and “Le Mans.”

On the race track, he was known as Harvey Mushman, who participated in several events, such as the 1961 British Touring Car Championship, where he snagged third place. He also competed in off-road motorcycle races during his later life.

James Garner

With over 50 lead roles under his belt, James Garner was a Hollywood superstar through and through. Like his “The Great Escape” co-star Steve McQueen, however, he also had an affinity for racing cars.

Garner participated in both on-road and off-road races. In 1972, he won the Riverside Grand Prix while racing the Banshee, a vehicle specifically built for him by Vic Hickey, another racing icon. He also drove the pace car at the Indianapolis 500 in 1975, 1977, and 1985.

Jason Priestley

Considered as one of the most high-profile actors in Hollywood history, Jason Priestley began racing in 1991. The “Beverly Hills 90210” star competed in several races and bagged his first win at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1998.

He had a successful racing career for 10 years until a tragic accident on the race track caused him to give up life behind the wheel. In 2002, he endured serious injuries after being involved in one of the worst crashes ever seen at the Kentucky Speedway. Today, he still works as the co-founder of the racing team FAZZT.

Frankie Muniz

Frankie Muniz started acting at a very young age, but he always found time to pursue his dreams of being a professional racer as well. In 2006, Muniz started racing professionally. He’s had a successful career so far, with a Top 10 finish in the 2009 Formula Atlantic Championship on his resume.

The “Malcolm in the Middle” star is dedicated to the race track. He’s even put his acting career on hold to join the Reaume Brothers Racing team as a full-time driver in the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Paul Walker

In the “Fast & Furious” franchise, Paul Walker played Brian O’Conner, a skilled street racer and second in command to lead protagonist Dominic Toretto. In real life, Walker was also one of the most famous race car drivers ever.

He competed in several races, such as the Redline Time Attack racing series and the Cadillac Super Bowl Grand Prix. In 2013, he died in a car crash, but his memory lives on through the “Fast & Furious” films and his racing team Always Evolving.

Tom Cruise

Did you know that Tom Cruise’s racing film “Days of Thunder” was a passion project born out of the famous action star’s love for race cars? Following in the footsteps of his “The Color of Money” co-star Paul Newman, Cruise started racing for the same team.

In 1987, Cruise won 4 out of 16 races in a modified Nissan 300ZX. While he had to end his racing career due to filming, he remains an avid lover of auto racing.

Rowan Atkinson

While many know him for his iconic character Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson is more than just your average comedy actor. He’s also a massive motoring and racing enthusiast. Over the years, he’s owned and raced in famous cars, such as the McLaren F1, Renault 5, and Aston Martin.

He’s also been a part of a few unfortunate accidents, such as when he accidentally crashed his McLaren into a fence in 2011.

Michael Fassbender

You might know him simply as Magneto from the “X-Men” franchise, but Michael Fassbender trained with Porsche for three years in the hopes of achieving his dream of becoming a racer. He recently made his debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022. And despite a few accidents and several setbacks, Fassbender and his crew successfully finished the race.

You can watch his entire racing journey from 2018 to 2023 in the 90-minute documentary “Road to Le Mans. The Film” on YouTube.