# examples of well-known people who "bounced around" for years until they found just the right 'fit'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 29, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801 "2014-03-29T00:51:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Win\_Place\_Show](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/win_place_show/32/13469_2.png) [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/1 "2014-03-29T00:51:26Z")
Heard one of the ESPN talking-heads (Colin Cowherd) this week on the radio, talking about people who took years to find the right “fit” for them, and then they excelled at it. The only example I heard him discuss before I arrived to work, was Bill O’Reilly. Say what you want about O’Reilly (personally, I think he seems like a douche), but you’ve gotta give him credit for finally finding what seems to be his “role” in life. After years of bouncing around local TV news, a stint on Inside Edition, etc., and now the guy’s got to be a multi-millionaire. I was trying to think of a sports example, but the only one who came to mind was Steve Young - he bounced around the USFL for a couple of years, the lowly Buccaneers for a couple more, held a clipboard for Joe Montana for a few years, and then everything fell into his lap - and now you’d have to give him credit for being one of the top QB’s of the 90’s - and he’s in the Hall of Fame. Any other examples come to mind of people who bounced around for years as “meh, they’re alright”, to all of a sudden - BAM! niche found, overnight-superstardom here we come? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/2 "2014-03-29T01:00:52Z")
Grandma Moses Rodney Dangerfield Kurt Warner ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/3 "2014-03-29T01:04:52Z")
Timothy Olyphant. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/4 "2014-03-29T01:08:54Z")
I remember a documentary I once watched about David Bowie. Before Space Oddity, he had tried different characters with little success… he even released an album of songs for kids. And even after Oddity, which looked like a one hit wonder for him, it took him years to really make it with the Ziggy Stardust character. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/5 "2014-03-29T02:13:25Z")
[Papa John Creach](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_John_Creach). Was a journeyman musician for most of his life, then, by chance, joined Hot Tuna at age 53 and because a minor rock star. Scatman Crothers. He was a drummer in various house bands, and turned to acting in his early 40s. By the time he was in his 70s, he was a well-known face in TV and movies, and well-known voice in animated films. Ted Nugent took over a decade to catch on. He started performing in 1958; his first solo album came in 1975. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/6 "2014-03-29T02:48:41Z")
[Paul Ford](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ford) is another example. Didn’t get into acting until his 40’s, didn’t have any real success until his mid-50’s. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/7 "2014-03-29T03:52:08Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > [Paul Ford](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ford) is another example. Didn’t get into acting until his 40’s, didn’t have any real success until his mid-50’s. [Richard Farnsworth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Farnsworth) was acting much earlier in his career ( stuntman from 1937, acting credits starting in 1963 ), but also came to relative success in late middle-age. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/8 "2014-03-29T06:58:57Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > Timothy Olyphant. Eh, isn’t the OPs idea pretty much the definition of the modern actor. They bum around scrapping together bit parts until a big break - or not. Like, 90% of actors fit the “bounced around” description. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/9 "2014-03-29T07:52:44Z")
Abe Vigoda didn’t have much of an acting career until he was 50 or 51. He auditioned for _The Godfather_, probably expecting to get a small role at best, and was cast in a major part. Then a few years later he got a role in the TV show _Barney Miller_: > **[Abe Vigoda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Vigoda)** > > Abraham Charles Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather (1972) and Phil Fish in both Barney Miller (1975–1977, 1982) and Fish (1977–1978). > Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, New York, on February 24, 1921, the son of Samuel Vigoda and Lena Moses, Jewish immigrants from Russia. His father was a tailor who had two other sons: Hy and Bill. The latter was a comic book artist who drew for the Archie Comics... > **[Abe Vigoda - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001820/?ref_=nv_sr_1)** > > Abe Vigoda. Actor: The Godfather. Tall, dour-faced and slouch-shouldered character actor Abe Vigoda proved himself in both gritty dramatic roles and as an actor with wonderful comedic timing. > > Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lena (Moses)... ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/10 "2014-03-29T07:54:59Z")
Here are a whole slew of examples: > **[Late bloomer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_bloomer)** > > A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual. The term is used metaphorically to describe a child or adolescent who develops slower than others in their age group, but eventually catches up and in some cases overtakes their peers, or an adult whose talent or genius in a particular field only appears later in life than is normal – in some cases only in old age. > There are many theories of the way in which children develop, proposed by a... ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/11 "2014-03-29T08:04:23Z")
The most interesting example in movies is the Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira. He began trying to make it in the film industry during the silent period. He didn’t really break through as a feature film director though until 1963. He has grandchildren in their forties who appear in his films. He’s now 105, and he’s still working: > **[Manoel de Oliveira](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manoel_de_Oliveira)** > > Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira GCSE GCIH (Portuguese: \[mɐnuˈɛl doliˈvɐjɾɐ\]; 11 December 1908 – 2 April 2015) was a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in Cedofeita, Porto. He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about World War I. In 1931 he completed his first film Douro, Faina Fluvial, a documentary about his home city Porto made in the city-symphony genre. He made his feature film debut in 1942 with Aniki-Bóbó and continued to make ... > **[Manoel de Oliveira - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0210701/)** > > Manoel de Oliveira. Director: Os Canibais. Manoel de Oliveira was born on 11 December 1908 in Oporto, Portugal. He was a director and writer, known for Os Canibais (1988), I'm Going Home (2001) and Christopher Columbus, the Enigma (2007). He was... ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/12 "2014-03-29T08:56:08Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Eh, isn’t the OPs idea pretty much the definition of the modern actor. They bum around scrapping together bit parts until a big break - or not. Like, 90% of actors fit the “bounced around” description. Just to quote [me](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=15250846) from another thread, Jackie Earle Haley still stands out: he was a child actor best known for BAD NEWS BEARS; he was the right age to play second-banana when a twentysomething Dennis Quaid or Tom Cruise needed to excel in the leading-man “teen” role; he brought his pal along on a movie audition that worked out a heck of a lot better for ol’ Johnny Depp; he eventually found himself doing sitcom work and animation voice-overs and decided to call it a day. A decade and change went by; as he puts it, _“I was just working – driving a limousine and delivering pizzas. I was a security officer for a while. I was a furniture refinisher for a while – hated it. I just didn’t have the arms for it. I also hooked up with this videographer and started to crew for him. I would run sound, I learned how to grip. I even learned how to be a cameraman, all the time trying to get my own corporate video thing going.”_ And in his mid-40s he gets back into acting, and right off the bat his portrayal of a pedophile gets him an Oscar nomination, and suddenly he’s playing a costumed superhero and signing a multi-picture deal to star as Freddy Krueger. He found his niche, but it was a long time getting there. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/13 "2014-03-29T11:54:27Z")
**George Clooney** was in 'leventy-twelve sitcoms and other shows before breaking out as Dr. Doug Ross on ER… ---
**Author:** ![ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisUsernameIsForbidden)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/14 "2014-03-29T12:46:58Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Here are a whole slew of examples: > > [Late bloomer - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_bloomer) No engineers or scientists? Sad. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/15 "2014-03-29T14:45:19Z")
Well, it does include some mathematicians. Here are some late-blooming scientists: > **[Famous late-bloomer scientists](https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/famous-late-bloomer-scientists.700810/)** > > Anyone know of any? Here are some other late bloomers: > **[Give me hope, give me some 'late achiever' stories!](https://ask.metafilter.com/40502/Give-me-hope-give-me-some-late-achiever-stories)** > > I'm almost 31 and though I have had some achievements in life they're not spectacular. Most of the time when I see a biog in the paper the 'achiever' was already doing well from a very early age.... ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/16 "2014-03-29T14:47:10Z")
Leslie Nielsen was hardly well known as a (dramatic) actor until he did Airplane. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/17 "2014-03-29T15:39:05Z")
Lee Strasberg can’t really be called a late bloomer. His legacy will always mostly be as a teacher and director of the Actors Studio. But his screen acting all came in the last 8 years of his life. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/18 "2014-03-29T15:44:10Z")
Nielsen shows how fuzzy the definition of “late bloomer” is. He started acting at 22. He had a reasonably good career after that point. It wasn’t until he was 54 though that he was cast in the sort of role that he really fit best, and afterwards his roles were mostly the same sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/19 "2014-03-29T16:28:44Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Ted Nugent took over a decade to catch on. He started performing in 1958 I’d take that with a grain of salt. Exactly what “performing” was he doing at the age of nine? ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801/20 "2014-03-31T10:58:57Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > [Papa John Creach](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_John_Creach). Was a journeyman musician for most of his life, then, by chance, joined Hot Tuna at age 53 and because a minor rock star. Didn’t Madonna sing a song about him? **Elliott Carter** started composing in his 20s but only found his own style with his Cello Sonata (age 40). One of the pieces that established him as a major composer was his _Double Concerto for piano, harpsichord and 2 chamber orchestras_ (age 53). He wrote his first (and only) opera at 89 🆒. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott\_Carter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Carter) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-well-known-people-who-bounced-around-for-years-until-they-found-just-the-right-fit/684801.md?page=2)