Hollywood careers don’t always start with drama class. Some begin with lab coats and sleepless nights. Before fame hit in the early 2000s, a few Hollywood actors in their late teens and early twenties aimed for medicine, not movie posters.
Ken Jeong
Ken Jeong began his comedy career as a physician by day and a stand-up comic by night. That was until he made his film debut in the first Knocked Up movie. He even worked his experience in the medical field into a TV series called Dr Ken. They do say laughter is the best medicine.
Adrian Holmes
Before his acting career took off, Adrian Holmes studied nursing in college as a backup plan. Now he’s had roles in several popular TV shows, including Bel-Air and 19-2.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow’s original career path was going to be academic research in medicine and neuroscience. The Friends star was all set to join her father in the field when she graduated with a degree in psychobiology from Vassar College. However, she was inspired to enter show business thanks to a family friend.
Bonnie Hunt
Actress Bonnie Hunt was an oncology nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for five years before she got her big break in Hollywood. While the Jumanji star admitted she would have never gone into the medical field had it not been for pressure from her father, she also appreciates how it has kept her humble in such a “self-obsessed” industry.
Eva Longoria
The beautiful Eva Longoria received a degree in kinesiology, but winning a beauty pageant changed the course of her career. The Desperate Housewives star already had plans to further her education in sports science, but fate had other plans for her.
George Miller
It’s strange to think that there could have been a world without the Mad Max franchise or the penguins of Happy Feet if filmmaker George Miller had never stumbled across a lecture that helped him realise he “wasn’t just a medical student“. He slowly embraced the change in profession by working as a doctor while making early short films and saving up to finance the first Mad Max film. The rest, as they say, is history.
Mayim Bialik
Turns out Mayim Bialik is just as brainy as her on-screen character, Amy Farrah Fowler. The Big Bang Theory actress has a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA and has published research articles in scientific journals.
Jennifer Stone
Don’t be too surprised if you happen to see Jennifer Stone working in the emergency room at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Centre. The Wizards of Waverly Place alum was inspired to become a nurse after her own struggles with Type 1 diabetes. But that doesn’t mean she’s abandoned her acting career entirely.
Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy initially pursued a nursing career but had to drop out of the programme because of financial constraints. She ended up modelling for Playboy to earn some money and went on to a career in entertainment from there. Now, she seems to be ruffling up feathers in the medical industry as an anti-vaccine activist.
Sonya Eddy
Actress Sonya Eddy likely drew on her experiences as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) for her character on General Hospital. She played the role of head nurse, Epiphany Johnson, for 17 years, until she died in 2022.
Jennifer Stone
Don’t be too surprised if you happen to see Jennifer Stone working in the emergency room at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Centre. The Wizards of Waverly Place alum was inspired to become a nurse after her own struggles with Type 1 diabetes. But that doesn’t mean she’s abandoned her acting career entirely.
Julie Walters
One of the grande dames of the British acting community, Julie Walters, has shared many amusing anecdotes about her time as a student nurse. The actress was halfway through her nursing course when she decided to give her love for acting a real chance. And what a versatile acting career she’s had.
Naomi Judd
Naomi Judd worked as an ICU nurse before rising to fame as one-half of the famous country music duo The Judds. It was actually while treating producer Brent Maher’s daughter that she got a foot in the door at RCA Records.
Dr Phil
Phillip Calvin McGraw didn’t stumble into fame. The man you know as Dr Phil built it step by step, starting back in 1975 with a psychology degree from Midwestern State University . He doubled down at the University of North Texas, stacking an MA and PhD before most people figure out their morning routine. Then came Oprah Winfrey, who handed him a TV moment that stuck. One appearance turned into many. Soon, ‘Life Strategies’ flew off shelves, and Dr Phil became the guy giving blunt advice on daytime TV.
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