Roddy Piper’s Greatest Career Highlights

They Live

Outside of the squared circle, Roddy Piper was bitten by the acting bug quickly, and found himself appearing in numerous films and television shows throughout his career. His intense, colorful personality, blended with his great look and distinctive voice, made him an excellent choice for directors to take on lead roles in their feature films. This was especially true in the 1980’s, as his reputation in the wrestling world reached an all-time high, many superstars found themselves in blockbuster movies. Whilst most of those roles found their way to Hulk Hogan, Piper found his way into numerous B-Movies.

Indisputably, his most memorable movie work was in the 1988 science fiction movie They Live. Piper played the main character, an unemployed drifter John Nada, in a cast that included Keith David and Meg Foster. Nada finds a pair of special sunglasses that allow him to see the world in black and white, and look beyond the subliminal messages found in advertising around the city by humanoid alien authoritarians. Despite its bizarre plot, the movie was a commercial success and has become a cult favorite. And, it spawned a famed line in cinema history from Piper himself: “I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubble gum.”