Actors, athletes, and musicians that have gained fame are often seen in a one-dimensional view by those who enjoy their work. When someone shows talent in multiple aspects of life, such as music and acting for example, people often criticize that famous person for branching out into something other than what they are known for. In reality, most people in the world are talented in more than one aspect in life which is also true for celebrities and athletes too.
The following is a list of celebrities and athletes that almost took a different route in life that could have derailed their fame or made them famous for something else.
1. The Undertaker: The WWE's legend, perhaps the best wrestler of all-time, played college basketball. He played two years at the junior college level before transferring to Texas-Weslayan University. During this same time, the Deadman discovered his love of wrestling and made the choice to try to go pro. After several failed character gimmicks, Mark Calaway developed the Undertaker personality and has been a star since.
2. Dexter Holland: The lead singer to the Orange County punk rock band, The Offspring, could have been a successful college professor instead. He has a B.S. in biology, a M.S. in molecular biology, and was heading towards a PhD in molecular biology at USC before he found some success in the music industry. By the mid-90s, The Offspring had produced several hits including "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem". The hit band released multiple albums that went multi-platinum and because of that success, Holland could have easily ignored his schooling. Instead, Holland jumped back into microbiology and became a doctoral student at the Laboratory of Viral Oncology Proteomics Research at USC. He also created the successful hot sauce, Gringo Bandito.
3. Jason Lee: The famous actor known for being a mainstay in Kevin Smith movies and for in being in movies and TV shows such as My Name is Earl, Almost Famous, A Guy Thing, and The Incredibles, was actually a famous skateboarder before he was an actor. He cofounded Stereo Sound Agency, known as Stereo Skateboards, with fellow skater Chris "Dune" Pastras. He was featured in several skateboarding videos in the late 80s that grew his fame as an athlete. On a whim, he tried out for a part in Mallrats and landed a starring role as Brody.
4. Geena Davis: Known for her starring roles in movies such as Thelma & Louise and A League of Their Own, she was also an accomplished archer. She was so good in fact that she tried out and just missed making it to the United States Olympic team that went to Sydney in 2000.
5. Vanilla Ice: Obviously known for his hit single "Ice Ice Baby", the rapper rose to fame along the same time as MC Hammer. Shook down by Suge Knight for the rights of his music, Vanilla Ice eventually faded out of the music scene. Before being known as the most famous white rapper until Eminem came around, Vanilla Ice was a dirt bike racer as a kid. He was so good at it that he won three Grand National Championships. Later in life, after his music career faded out, he spent his money in real estate, flipping houses and making big profits. He was so good at this that he even got his own TV show flipping houses.
6. Neil Patrick Harris: Originally famous for being Doogie Howser and then later for the hit show How I Met Your Mother, Harris is also an accomplished magician. He currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for Hollywood's Magic Castle and often shows off his abilities on the various shows he appears in.
7. Steve Martin: Known for being a comedy legend and actor, he is talented in magic, as well as banjo playing, and writing. As a banjo player, he won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album in 2010 for The Crow: New Songs for a 5-String Banjo. He has also written two best-selling novellas Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company.
8. Danica McKellar: Known for her role as Winnie Cooper on the hit television show Wonder Years, McKellar went on to UCLA and earned of B.S. in mathematics, summa cum laude. She co-authored the Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem and wrote four books on mathematics aimed at teenagers. Three of those books made it to the children's best seller list for the New York Times. She continues to act as well, guest-starring on shows such as The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and appearing on West Wing as Will Bailey's sister. She even appeared on ABC's hit show, Dancing With the Stars.
9. Jennifer Tilly: If it weren't for her career in acting, Tilly would be on tour, playing professional poker and winning more often than she already does. Using her sexpot image from the movies to her advantage, she will often wear low-cut tops at the tables to distract her fellow players. She has a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2005 and has finished a dozen times in a money spot. She has finished eleven more times as a money spot winner with World Poker Tour, being crowned the Ladies Night Champion and WPT Bellagio Cup 5K Champion.
10. Hedy Lamarr: So talented in the sciences, Lamarr was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014. Her ideas and inventions have been incorporated into modern Wi-Fi technology, CDMA used by some cell phone companies, and Bluetooth. During World War II she developed technology that would prevent torpedo signals from being jammed by opponents, but the technology wasn't fully utilized until the blockade of Cuba in 1962. Other inventions included improved traffic lights and carbonated drinks that she said tasted like Alka Seltzer. She not only had the brains, but also the sex appeal as she was considered one of the most beautiful actresses during her time.
Photo: Screencap taken of Danica McKellar on Dancing With the Stars
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