Former Jobs of 12 Celebrities, 4-7
In this section of our list of former jobs of celebrities, you may be surprised by some of the jobs these folks had before they were famous.4. David Letterman
After graduating from Indiana's Ball State University in 1969, future late night talk show host David Letterman landed a job at Indianapolis television station WLWI (now called WTHR) as a local anchor and weatherman. Letterman was eventually let go for his unpredictable on-air behavior, which included erasing state borders from the weather map and predicting hail stones "the size of canned hams." Those canned hams eventually became popular door prizes on The Late Show with David Letterman.
5. Dennis Farina
Italian-American actor Dennis Farina often portrays cops, detectives, or mobsters and is best known for his roles in Law & Order, Crime Story, and Get Shorty. Some may think he's being typecast, but it's no wonder that Farina is so comfortable in his roles -- from 1967 to 1985, he actually was a police officer with the Chicago Police Department. Farina caught the acting bug after working with director Michael Mann as a police consultant. He started out in community theater and with bit parts on television before landing a starring role in Crime Story in 1986.
6. Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood has established himself as a Hollywood icon. From Westerns in the 1960s to no-nonsense, rebel cop Dirty Harry in the 1970s to a focus on directing since the 1980s, Eastwood has created a body of work that has garnered respect, box office success, and numerous awards. But before that, Eastwood earned his daily bread digging swimming pools for the rich and famous of Beverly Hills, while at night he'd audition for bit parts. He'd already put in hard time working as a lumberjack, steel mill worker, aircraft factory worker, and gas station attendant. Now, he's the one lounging around the pool.
7. Whoopi Goldberg
With careers as a stand-up comedian, actor, and TV talk show host, Academy Award-winner Whoopi Goldberg has firmly established herself as an outspoken, emancipated, confident star. But Goldberg wasn't always living in the lap of luxury. Growing up in the tough Chelsea projects in New York City, her first job was as a bricklayer. When that position fizzled out, she took on the role of a garbage collector and then a funeral makeup artist -- whatever job she could get to make ends meet.
On the next page, you'll find our final five celebrities and their former jobs.
