Without further ado,
here’s a list of 10 celebrities’ jobs from before they were famous:
Sir Bob Geldof – Pea
Canner
The outspoken former frontman of the Boomtown Rats and
face of the ‘Make Poverty History’ movement took on all kinds of dead-end jobs before finding his calling in music.
He worked as a road navvy, a hot dog vendor, a slaughterman and finally an exciting career in pea canning before getting a
job as a music journalist in Canada.
Sylvester
Stallone – Porn Star
Stallone’s tough reputation
may have begun in one of his first pre-celebrity jobs – a lion cage cleaner! Years later, after dropping out of Miami
University, Stallone pursued his acting dreams, but the ‘Rocky’ star had a long way to go before he was famous
and his place in Hollywood history – one of his first films was called ‘Party at Kitty and Stud’s’,
which is exactly as high brow as it sounds. This silver screen ‘classic’ was a hardcore pornographic film, which
has since been repackaged on the back of Stallone’s success as a softcore release entitled ‘Italian Stallion’
– a reference to Rocky Balboa’s nickname.
Rod
Stewards – The Grave Digger
After trying out for a football
career with Scottish giants Celtic and London minnows Brentford, a young Rod Stewart decided the glamorous career of a footballer
wasn’t for him and opted for the not-so-glamorous career as a grave digger. He wasn’t there for too long though,
before pursuing a career in music. The Maggie May songwriter took up street singing, travelling around Europe… indeed
he was actually deported from Spain for vagrancy for his art!
Madonna – Dunkin’ Donuts Worker
Madonna
is now one of the best selling female music artist of all time, but somehow this will have seemed an unlikely scenario for
her 20 year old self upon arriving in New York with just $35 to her name. Over the course of these tough months before she
became famous, the ‘Like a Prayer’ singer made ends meet by taking on a range of low paying jobs including a stint
serving customers at ‘Dunkin’ Donuts’. An exhibitionist even in those days, she also took on some nude modelling
work to supplement the limited fast-food income before finding her celebrity job calling…
Michael Dell – Dishwasher
At
the age of 12 the founder of Dell computers, Michael Dell was washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant for $2.30 an hour. With
Dell Inc. now worth over $16 billion, I would hope that the CEO is allowing himself a better salary than he earned at the
restaurant.
Helen Mirren – Amusement Park
Promoter
Long before she was famous and had won her Oscar, SAG
Awards, BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Emmy Awards, Dame Helen Mirren had the slightly less glamorous role of attracting punters
to use the rides at an amusement park in Southend on Sea. It’s unclear whether she won as many accolades in this period
of her life…
Paul Daniels - Accountant
The magician and entertainer Paul Daniels was in the army, serving in Hong Kong
during his national service. On his return he began training as an accountant in the civil service before leaving to run a
small mobile grocery business owned by his parents. While performing magic in the evenings, the door to show business was
eventually opened to him.
Jack Nicholson –
Mailroom Worker
The veteran actor and star of classics like
A Few Good Men, The Shinning and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was reportedly discovered working in MGM’s mailroom.
Before that, the three times Oscar winner had worked in a toy store and as a lifeguard.
Jerry Seinfeld – Lightbulb Retailer
Before
he became famous as a comedian and sitcom star, Jerry sold lightbulbs over the phone. After no doubt being on the end of several
aggressive customers, Jerry made fun of his former career on his hit sitcom by telling a cold-caller that it was a bad time
and asking if he could call them back later when they’re at home trying to relax.
Brad Pitt – Man in a Chicken Suit
Now
regarded as one of the most desirable men on the planet, you’d be hard pushed to see that in Brad Pitt when he handed
out flyers outside El Pollo Loco Restaurant in Los Angeles dressed in a chicken suit! Even the role of refrigerator delivery
man, although a step up, is a far cry from his current status! As the most embarrassing celebrity job in the list, we can’t
imagine Brad looks back fondly on his occupations before he was famous!
So, aside from a slight feeling of smugness, what have we gained from seeing what these celebrities’ occupations
before they were famous? Not much, but it’s clear that celebrities come from all walks of life and you never know when
you might be spotted. Hopefully that’ll give you the impetus to return to your online job search with renewed vigour,
afterall sir Bob Geldof wasn’t stuck canning peas forever!
