Hollywood Stars Who Chose a Second Career

Statistics show that the typical person switches jobs five to six times over his or her work life, but this is rarely the case with celebrities. Some celebrities not only dabble in many fields but find they excel at them to the point that they decide to make a total career switch. Below are seven of the most famous Hollywood stars who went into a different vocation.

Tony Danza

Tony Danza, the famous ’80s and ’90s actor, took a break from Hollywood in 2009 to become an English teacher at a Philadelphia high school. His journey was documented on the reality show, Teach: Tony Danza.

Through this experience, he wanted viewers to be inspired by his example of trying something new later in life while also shining a light on what goes on inside American classrooms today.

Jim Carrey

Over the last few decades, Jim Carrey has become a legend in comedy. With iconic films like Liar Liar and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he made an impact on pop culture irrevocably. However, recently, he decided to branch out into another passion of his—art.

His works are now selling for no less than ten thousand dollars a piece, with famous fans such as none other than Lebron James himself.

Clearly, this comedic icon is also an artistic marvel. Who knows what other types of creative feats we should expect from him next?

Macaulay Culkin

Macaulay Culkin quickly rose to fame with his success in the Home Alone films but found incredible fame overwhelming.

Opting for a break from the spotlight and dedicating time to his personal life while coping with addiction, he made an unexpected comeback as part of The Pizza Underground—singing songs about pizza.

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz’s bright and infectious smile lit up screens across the world throughout the ’90s, but she has now retired from the show biz.

After starring in some of Hollywood’s most iconic films—from There’s Something About Mary to Vanilla Sky and Gangs Of New York—who can blame Cameron for wanting a break?

Now in her fifties with musician husband, Benji Madden (not forgetting their recent wine company venture!), it appears that Cameron has done nothing but go from one strength to another during this period away from acting. She is thus part of this list of Hollywood celebrities who chose alternative career paths later on in life.

Diaz has also written two books, namely The Body Book and the bestseller The Longevity Book, giving us further insight into how one person can achieve an impressive range of goals over several careers.

Angelina Jolie

Despite an already packed schedule involving being a mom to six and a working actress, Angelina Jolie decided she wanted to extend her influence on the world beyond Hollywood.

She has been consistently devoted to her role as the UN’s Refugee Agency’s Goodwill Ambassador since 2001, striving for change in conflict prevention and sheltering people during times of strife.

With sincerity abounding, Angelina hopes this is one mission worthy enough of making some real positive impact.

Emma Watson

Harry Potter and Emma Watson may have had their Hogwarts days behind them, but this hasn’t stopped the actress from making a real difference in the world.

With her appointment as UN Woman’s Goodwill Ambassador and advocacy for HeForShe, she is tackling serious issues such as girls’ education inequality around the globe.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio is a master at stealing the spotlight, honing this skill as an actor, and redirecting it toward his second passion, environmental activism.

In 1998, he founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation with a specific mission in mind—to help preserve our planet’s biodiversity, combat climate change, and support renewable energy resources.

From funding documentaries online to creating real-life debt-for-nature swaps, Leo has proven that we can celebrate his achievements for more than just film accolades.

Hence, DiCaprio is one of the seven most famous Hollywood stars among the others mentioned herein who chose a second career at a later point in his life.