It might be a cliche to say it, but there really is very little difference between politics and acting.

They're both trying to convince you that something of that often isn't true, it usually a bonus to both careers if you're self-involved, and very often the worst make their way to the top.

With news that Cynthia Nixon of Sex And The City fame is considering a run for public office, here's a few other TV actors who have worked their way into politics.

6. AL FRANKEN

Senator Al Franken began his career as a comedy double-act, before graduating to SNL in its early years. Franken was one of the first writers on the show, writing some of the most well-known sketches throughout the '80s and '90s. Franken was elected as the junior Senator for Minnesota in 2005, and has been seen recently in the Senate investigations into the Trump campaign's collusion with Russia.

5. JESSE 'THE BODY' VENTURA

Although you might remember him as Jesse 'The Body' Ventura from the WWF, his role in '80s action classic Predator or his short-lived TV show with Roddy Piper called Tag Team (amazing), Ventura also served as Mayor of Brooklyn Park for five years and Governor of Minnesota from 1999 until 2003. Less said about his thoughts on conspiracy theories, the better.

4. KAL PENN

You might know him from House or Harold & Kumar Get The Munchies, but Kal Penn has a pretty extensive background in politics. The actor - real name Kalpen Suresh Modi - had to be written out of House when he accepted the role of Associate Director for the White House Office of Public Engagement, and later co-chair of the campaign to re-elect Barack Obama. Not bad for a guy who played the sidekick in Van Wilder: Party Liasoin.

3. TRACY BRABIN

Before she was the Labour MP for Bratley and Spen, Tracy Brabin had a successful career as a TV writer and soap actor. Brabin starred in all the major UK soaps - Eastenders (she played Roxy Drake), Corrie (Tricia Armstrong, where she starred in 193 episodes), and even wrote an episode of Shameless and was in the writer's room for Heartbeat.

2. FRED THOMPSON

You'll no doubt know Fred Thompson from either his supporting roles in the likes of Days Of Thunder, The Hunt For Red October, or his recurring role in Law & Order as New York D.A. Arthur Branch. Playing a lawyer wasn't much of a stretch, either. Thompson was involved in the Watergate hearings as minority counsel to the Republican senators, and later worked as a political lobbyist. Thompson served as Senator for Tennessee from 1994 up to 2003, as well as acting as Chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, and was national co-chairman for John McCain's presidential bid.

1. JERRY SPRINGER

That's right, before he was trying to reconcile people on his infamous talk show, Springer was a pretty infamous politician in the US. In 1974, Springer resigned from the Cincinnati city council after he openly admitted to hiring a prostitute. A police raid on a massage parlour found a cheque pinned to the wall made out by Springer, which he later used as a campaign tactic when he ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Ohio. Springer, however, served a one-year term as Mayor of Cincinnati after the news broke about his indiscretions, with many believing his political career to be finished. Springer was reportedly considering a run for US Senate in 2000 and again in 2004, but backed down in both cases owing to his connection with the TV show that bore his name.