Given that there are over 500 versions, it’s safe to say that we as human beings love a good Cinderella story. We love hearing stories about people starting as waiters, going on to follow their dreams, and ending up as multi-million-dollar superstars. To remind us that our current circumstances aren’t the ending, here are some surprising jobs celebrities had before making it big.
Tina Turner: Nursing Aide
With twelve Grammy Award wins, an international musical career spanning decades, and the title “Queen of Rock and Roll,” it’s hard to imagine Tina Turner doing anything other than delighting audiences with her vocal performances.
But before she was Tina Turner, she was Anna Mae Bullock. As a daughter of poor sharecroppers fresh out of high school, she didn’t have much to her name. That gave her a pretty compelling reason to become a nursing aid at the prestigious Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. But it was her time in St. Louis that gave her the chance to immerse herself in R&B music.
Christopher Walken: Lion Tamer
Christopher Walken has done almost everything as a performer. He’s appeared in film, TV, and on stage over a hundred times, acting, singing, and dancing in everything from Pulp Fiction to Hairspray. But despite his versatility, his first performance is one that could raise some eyebrows.
As a teenager trying to make extra money, Walken worked as the assistant of a lion tamer. In his act, Walken and the tamer, Terrel Jacobs, worked with at least twelve lions. Later, when the show was finished, he would perform with an older lion named Sheba. In interviews later in his career, Walken called Sheba “very sweet.”
Whoopi Goldberg: Morgue Beautician
Actress, comedian, and TV personality Whoopi Goldberg has an impressive range as a performer, nailing comedic roles like Deloris in Sister Act and dramatic roles like Celie in The Color Purple. As she waited for her big break in show business, she worked as a beautician—a common job celebrities have before making it big. But this work took her in an unexpected direction: a morgue.
Doing hair and makeup for corpses was hard work, and one day the work turned terrifying. While waiting in her boss’ office for a meeting, the drawer of a nearby desk started opening—seemingly on its own. Terrified, Goldberg fled and ended up knocking herself out. As it turned out, it was Goldberg’s boss pulling a prank on her. Ironically, the joke unknowingly foreshadowed her future Oscar-winning performance in Ghost.
