Celebrities with other strings to their bow

[Ximenean]

I am not a fan of British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, but I cannot but be impressed by the CV (resumé) of their lead singer, Bruce Dickinson. When not imploring us to bring our Daughters to the Slaughter, Bruce has also found time to be a professonal airline pilot, and before that was pretty serious about the sport of fencing (some sources claim that he fenced for Britain and was in the world top ten). He cannot be accused of wasting his life, that's for sure.

Are there other examples of famous people achieving notable success in other fields?

[Glory]

Steve Martin -

Comedian
Actor
Author
Painter

And totally foxy. He's my dream man!

[Annie-Xmas]

Kinky Friedman--Cult country western singer turned mystery writer.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

The Rolling Stones' Ron Wood is an accomplished artist (he did the cover of Eric Clapton's Crossroads box set, for example).

John Travolta is a licensed commercial pilot.

[Otto]

Hedy Lamarr invented spectrum spreading.

Madonna writes children's books.

No, the two are in no way comparable.

[Ximenean]

Originally Posted by Mr. Blue Sky

John Travolta is a licensed commercial pilot.

Yeah, but Bruce Dickinson actually flies regular paying customers, on everyday flights to and from the Mediterranean. As in, "hello, this is your pilot, Bruce Dickinson, we'll be landing at Heathrow in 35 minutes." That freaks me out.

[Annie-Xmas]

Originally Posted by Glory

Steve Martin -

Comedian
Actor
Author
Painter

And totally foxy. He's my dream man!

How DARE you leave out musician? He's a damn good banjo boy.

[Eats_Crayons]

Ethan Hawke is an author.

Jamie Foxx is releasing an album this year.

Minne Driver has released an album that's been doing decently.

(Russel Crowe and Billy Bob Thorton have bands and albums, but they don't do terribly well. Keanu Reeves plays bass with some guys in a band, they don't do well either, and James Marsters plays in a band too.)

[Eats_Crayons]

Oh, and Juliette Lewis fronts a band. Is getting some press, but nothing outstanding.

[Eats_Crayons]

And going the other direction, rock 'n roll Canadian Bryan Adams is a photographer (I hate his work!) and was chosen to be one fo the four official photogs for the Queen's "Golden Jubilee" portraits. I know he's released at least one monograph (portraits of famous Canadian women).

[Snooooopy]

Originally Posted by Eats_Crayons

(Russel Crowe and Billy Bob Thorton have bands and albums, but they don't do terribly well. Keanu Reeves plays bass with some guys in a band, they don't do well either, and James Marsters plays in a band too.)

Marsters left his band, Ghost of the Robot, to concentrate on acting.

[bigdfrombigd]

IIRC Gina Davis was into archery and tried out for the Olympics. I thought when I opened the thread that she was going to be the subject of the op. ...you know...'other strings to their bow'...never mind.

[Kythereia]

Angelina Jolie is getting her license to fly...

[Nonsuch]

Before his acting career took off, Harrison Ford was a trained carpenter.

Wallace Shawn is either a funny character actor who is also happens to be an accomplished essayist and playwright, or vice versa.

Clint Eastwood is a jazz pianist and composer. Likewise, John Carpenter also composed rudimentary (but memorable) scores for his own films.

Terry Jones is a published historian, documentary filmmaker and now, political essayist.

Todd McFarlane is a successful entrepreneur as well as an artist.

Gene Simmons was a high school English teacher and speaks, IIRC, seven languages.

David Gilmour is another musician who is also a licensed pilot.

[Dunderman]

Viggo Mortensen is a published poet, an exhibiting photographer, a jazz musician with three released albums and an excellent painter. Oh, and damn hot.

[Annie-Xmas]

Charo is considered one of the best flamenco guitarists in the world.

[Eats_Crayons]

Originally Posted by Snooooopy

Marsters left his band, Ghost of the Robot, to concentrate on acting.

Really? Oh. I thought he still played with them form time to time for fun. He's one busy dude (always seems to have several irons in the fire all at once), so I guess it doesn't surprise me.

[Ximenean]

Originally Posted by Otto

Hedy Lamarr invented spectrum spreading.

Exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. Thanks!

[Sam Stone]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Blue Sky
John Travolta is a licensed commercial pilot.

Yeah, but Bruce Dickinson actually flies regular paying customers, on everyday flights to and from the Mediterranean. As in, "hello, this is your pilot, Bruce Dickinson, we'll be landing at Heathrow in 35 minutes." That freaks me out.

Well, Travolta is type rated in the 747, and flew it around the world as Captain for Qantas airlines. He's also rated in the 707, and has a private one he uses as his flying home away from home. He is also rated in several fighter jets, and used to own a DeHavilland Vampire jet.

Cliff Robertson is an excellent pilot and owns and flies a Supermarine Spitfire.

Tom Cruise is also an accomplished pilot.

Harrison Ford is a very good pilot of both fixed wing and helicopters. In fact, he has been credited with several helicopter rescues flying part time as a rescue pilot.

Rumor has it that Arnold Schwarzenegger has had some success outside acting.

Other politician/actors: Senators Fred Grandy ("Gopher" on the Love Boat) and Fred Thompson, Shirley Temple Black, Ronald Reagan.

Lots of actors have branched into writing, but I wouldn't count that very strongly because lots are no doubt propelled by their fame and aren't any good. But some have made a name for themselves. Carrie Fisher is an excellent writer ("Postcards from the Edge"), and is one of the most in-demand script doctors in Hollywood. William Shatner had a lot of success with Tek War and his Trek novels, although it's unclear how much of them were ghostwritten.

Shatner is also a world-class horse trainer/breeder/competitor, and his last album is getting pretty good critical acceptance.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

Tom Waits has done a good deal of acting (Down By Law and Mystery Men come to mind), and has written and produced plays too.

Christopher Walken is known as quite an accomplished cook, and for a long time, there were rumors of him having a TV cooking show, which would have been the BEST COOKING SHOW EVER.

Many wrestlers have written books, but Mick Foley is known as the best writer among them--in addition to two wonderfully well-written behind-the-scenes books about the industry and his own life, he has written a novel and several children's books.

Robert Rodriguez is a great acoustic guitarist, and composed the music for his own movie Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and his friend Quentin Tarantino's movie Kill Bill Volume 2.

Woody Allen plays clarinet in a Dixieland band (as shown in his documentary Wild Man Blues) and is really terrific.

Ron Jeremy was a special education teacher.

Jeff Goldblum is supposed to be a great jazz pianist.

Johnny Depp has a band (or did at one time) that was actually supposed to be GOOD.

Jack White (of the White Stripes) has produced other artists like Loretta Lynn and done some acting (Cold Mountain).

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

Trey Parker, co-creator of South Park, is also an actor and a musician, with a fine band called DVDA. He co-wrote almost all the music for South Park (the show and movie), Team America, Orgazmo, and Cannibal: The Musical (wherein he played the lead parts in the latter two).

William Moulton Marston, the creator of Wonder Woman back around 1940, is also known as the creator of the polygraph (lie detector). Surprisingly, the original polygraph has nothing to do with a sexy Amazon tying people up with a magic lasso and forcing them to tell the truth.

William Shatner's new album, Has Been, is damn good. Seriously.

[Annie-Xmas]

Originally Posted by Sam Stone

Other politician/actors: Senators Fred Grandy ("Gopher" on the Love Boat) and Fred Thompson, Shirley Temple Black, Ronald Reagan.

Let's not forget the late Sonny Bono

[Ximenean]

Originally Posted by Sam Stone

Travolta is type rated in the 747 [...] He's also rated in the 707, and has a private one he uses as his flying home away from home. He is also rated in several fighter jets, and used to own a DeHavilland Vampire jet.

OK... maybe flying airliners is not the big deal that I imagine it to be. Although I still wouldn't particularly want to hear "this is William Shatner" over the intercom.

[Annie-Xmas]

Originally Posted by Usram

OK... maybe flying airliners is not the big deal that I imagine it to be. Although I still wouldn't particularly want to hear "this is William Shatner" over the intercom.

Cue "Twilight Zone" music

[Justin_Bailey]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

Cue "Twilight Zone" music

"I saw something on the wing of the plane!"

"So did I!"

[Lamia]

There are tons and tons of musicians that are actors on the side, or actors that are musicians on the side, but I don't think that's what the OP is after.

I am sure I remember reading that a former member of the Kinks -- either Peter Quaife or Mick Avory -- left rock and roll and became an astronomer. However, a quick Google didn't turn up anything relevant on the subject.

It did, however, reveal that Brian May of Queen fame had been pursuing a Ph.D. in astronomy when he decided he had a more promising future in rock and roll. He has apparently since been awarded an honorary degree.

[Eve]

Ziegfeld Girl, Broadway star and movie actress Justine Johnstone later became a medical pathologist and in 1940 was cited as one of the scientists behind the five-day cure for syphilis.

Movie star William Haines later became one of the country's foremost interior designers.

[Ximenean]

Brian May is a good one. He is a regular guest on the BBC's rather quaint monthly astronomy show The Sky At Night. I love that show, and I especially love the way that they never mention that he was Queen's lead guitarist. He's just Brian May, honorary PhD, astronomy fan.

[Snooooopy]

Originally Posted by Eats_Crayons

Really? Oh. I thought he still played with them form time to time for fun.

That might very well be true, but Marsters definitely isn't a committed, full-on band member anymore.

It looks like some of the ex-Ghost of the Robot members have decided to soldier on as Gods of the Radio. I guess they just couldn't imagine giving up the GotR abbreviation!

[Spoke]

Monty Python's Terry Jones is something of an an expert on Medieval history, having written several books on the subject, and also writes op-eds for The Observer and The Guardian.

[Gadfly]

Shane Carruth only recently became a celebrity - he was an engineer for years and years and years, and then went out and made Primer. Incredible.

[Crusoe]

Iain Dowie, former Northern Ireland international footballer and currently manager of Crystal Palace (in England's top division), was a qualified aeronautical engineer for British Aerospace.

[DoctorJ]

Christopher Walken is known as quite an accomplished cook, and for a long time, there were rumors of him having a TV cooking show, which would have been the BEST COOKING SHOW EVER.

"This sauce needs MORE COWBELL!" (I actually use that phrase when something I'm cooking needs something, but I'm not sure what.)

I agree, this would be the best cooking show ever.

[Sam Stone]

Usram said:

OK... maybe flying airliners is not the big deal that I imagine it to be.

No, it is a big deal. To do so, you have to have a commercial pilot's license, an Airline Transport Rating (which requires an IFR, 1500 hours of flying time, multi-engine ratings, and all kinds of other requirements). Then once you have the ratings, you have to get a type rating in every big plane you fly, a process which is very difficult, time consuming, and expensive.

Getting to the point where you can fly an airliner means you have a serious commitment to aviation. Travolta has been flying since he was 16 years old, and has thousands and thousands of hours. He's simply an outstanding pilot. Once he had a total electrical failure in a Gulfstream jet while in instrument conditions. He found a hole in the clouds and spiralled that jet under the cloud layer and made an uneventful landing at a small airport. This is a pretty impressive feat in a Gulfstream with most of his instruments and his radios dead.

[aruvqan]

Originally Posted by Big Bad Voodoo Lou

Ron Jeremy was a special education teacher.

I am *so* not making a comment here...

Did anybody mention Richard Gere is an accomplished musician, plays piano and coronet that I know of...

and he has a cute butt=)

[Otto]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

Let's not forget the late Sonny Bono

And the equally late Helen Gahagen Douglas. Also George Murphy. And the woman who played Jane Hathaway on the Beverly Hillbillies (whose name escapes me and I'm far too lazy to look it up) ran for Congress, unsuccessfully (Buddy Ebson recorded radio ads for her opponent).

[Agrippina]

Anthony Hopkins is an accomplished pianist. He also composes music, both for piano playing and for orchestras.

[rjk]

This one isn't nearly as current as most of those above, but still interesting.

Aleister Crowley, well-known mountaineer and member of the ill-fated first European attempt to climb K2 (the second tallest mountain in the world), later took up a successful career as a student of the occult.

[Wendell Wagner]

bigdfrombigd writes:

> Gina Davis was into archery and tried out for the Olympics.

To flesh this out a little, Geena Davis never even tried archery until she was in her late thirties. In general, as I understand, archers are at the top of their form in their twenties and thirties. At 43, she came very close to making the U.S. women's Olympic team in archery.

[LifeOnWry]

Sting had a career as a school teacher before he was famous. Also former teachers: the lead singers for Men At Work and Midnight Oil, whose names completely escape me right now.

[Wendell Wagner]

Mayim Bialik, who starred in the TV series _Blossom_, is now a grad student in neuroscience.

[SallyCan'tDance]

Originally Posted by LifeOnWry

Sting had a career as a school teacher before he was famous.

"Don't stand so close to me...."
Steve Buscemi was a firefighter in Little Italy, New York, for several years in the early 80's.

[RealityChuck]

Fred "Herman Munster" Gwynne wrote a series of well-regarded children's books ("The King Who Rained," "A Chocolate Moose for Dinner") In college, he was the editor of the Harvard Lampoon.

Ventriloquist and voice actor Paul Winchell (voice of Tigger, Gargamel, Dick Dastardly and many others) has been involved in the development of an artificial heart.

[Sam Stone]

Steve Buscemi was a firefighter in Little Italy, New York, for several years in the early 80's.

So was Denis Leary. And in fact, I believe both of them re-joined their old fire stations after 9/11 and put in a bunch of volunteer firefighter time.

[LifeOnWry]

Which reminds me: Dennis Farina was a cop.

And Dennis Franz is a decorated Vietnam vet, which is probably completely irrelevant to the OP, but I think it's interesting.

[Hometownboy]

Vincent Price was an avid cook, the author of a number of
cookbooks and founded the Vincent Price Gallery at East Los Angeles Community College way back in 1951.

Martin Mull isn't just an actor/comedian (though he's a damn good one) as the IMDB indicates, but also an artist with more than 30 one-man shows to his credit. He is also a gifted musician with several albums exhibiting his peculiar sense of humor. Well worth tracking down those 1970s efforts, particularly the live gig, "Martin Mull and His Fabulous Furniture in Your Living Room!!" with the hilarious tune "Just Licks Off Of Records That I Learned." He also has a master's degree in design.

[Ranchoth]

Voice actress Grey de Lisle has released a couple of country/folk albums. ("Graceful Ghost" is really good.)

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Sonny Bono: Successful singer and songwriter, popular US Congressman, mediocre downhill skier.

[LifeOnWry]

Originally Posted by Hometownboy

Vincent Price was an avid cook

Ooh, and my father-in-law once ran into him in a bar and I kid you not, they exchanged recipes! How fun is that? My FIL has a recipe for salad dressing from Vincent Price!

[tripthicket]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

Charo is considered one of the best flamenco guitarists in the world.

Forgive my ignorance, but I thought this was Charo's main accomplishment. If you're presenting this as her 'alternate' accomplishment, what else is she known for? Her acting? (No snark intended)