Before They Were Famous

It's always fun to pop over to the Mental Floss website and check out the blogs, or take a few quizzes. I thought the following was a fun list-- finding out what some of the most famous stars did to pay the bills before they didn't have to worry about bills anymore.

The Quick 10: What 10 Famous People Did Before They Were Famous

by Stacy Conradt - January 27, 2009 - 3:27 PM

I know there have been numerous People magazine issues dedicated to this very topic, but I think it’s pretty interesting. I mean, if Sean Connery started his working life as a truck driver, that gives us all a little hope for doing something great, doesn’t it?

1. Sean Connery - coffin polisher. Back when Sean was still known as Thomas Sean, he held a series of odd jobs to help his family out during the depression. These included delivering milk, driving a truck, and polishing coffins.

2. Michelle Pfeiffer - supermarket cashier at Von’s.

3. Greta Garbo - a lather girl at a barber shop. Can you imagine?

4. Jack Nicholson - office boy in MGM’s cartoon department. He made friends with all of the animators, especially Tom & Jerry animator Erv Spence, who liked to draw caricatures of Jack’s big teeth and ears.

5. Alec Baldwin - busboy at Studio 54.

6. Luciano Pavarotti was an elementary school teacher for two years - but only after abandoning his dream job of being a professional football goalkeeper.

7. Patrick Swayze - professional ballet dancer with Disney on Parade.

8. Pierce Brosnan - fire-eater. Yeah, like with the circus. He learned it as a teen and says he still puts it on his resume.

9. Alan Ladd owned a hot dog stand named Tiny’s (some sources say it was a hamburger stand). But to be fair, he only did it to get his foot in the door with acting: the stand was just outside of Universal Studio Acting School and it was all part of Ladd’s ploy to get noticed.

10. Anne Rice - insurance claims adjuster. No wonder she needed a creative outlet.

article and photos courtesy of www.mentalfloss.com