# Out of Character ambitions for famous people **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488 "2009-06-11T21:01:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/1 "2009-06-11T21:01:29Z")
Several famous people often wanted to be somethimng very different from what the achieved fame for. Sometimes it is or was something that would be surprising. examples are; Radovan Karadzic had a spell where he wanted to be an enviromentalist. Hitler; famously an artist. Can you think of any. It must have been something seriously contemplated not just a passing fancy. And it must be sufficiently different that you would never associate the two. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/2 "2009-06-11T21:55:51Z")
[Dick Van Dyke’s](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001813/bio) hobby is 3D computer animation. He sees an effect sequence in a film and tried to duplicate it. [Peter Weller](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000693/bio) teaches literature and fine arts classes at Syracuse University. He holds a master’s degree in Roman and Renaissance art and is working toward a Ph.D. In an interview, he says a lot of students think they’ll get an easy “A” from “Professor Robocop”, and he gets a lot dropping his class in the first week. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/3 "2009-06-11T22:04:04Z")
[Brian May](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_May) lead guitarist of Queen holds a PHD in…astrophysics! He has published two articles. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/4 "2009-06-11T22:40:53Z")
John Travolta seriously considered becoming a commercial airline pilot when his career was on the wane (pre-Pulp Fiction). He loves flying, he named his (recently deceased) son Jet. ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/5 "2009-06-11T22:44:44Z")
Fidel Castro wanted to be a professional baseball player. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/6 "2009-06-11T22:59:02Z")
Stricken! Misread OP. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/7 "2009-06-11T23:16:04Z")
John Malkovich is a master puppeteer. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/8 "2009-06-11T23:20:57Z")
Actors want to be rock stars. Rock stars want to be race car drivers. Race car drivers want to be pilots. Pilots always want to fly bigger, faster planes. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/9 "2009-06-11T23:25:36Z")
Mickey Rourke was one of the biggest leading men of the 80’s, but gave it up to be a professional boxer. He had a 6-0-2 record with 4 knockouts. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/10 "2009-06-11T23:26:48Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > [[Peter Weller](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000693/bio) teaches literature and fine arts classes at Syracuse University. He holds a master’s degree in Roman and Renaissance art and is working toward a Ph.D. In an interview, he says a lot of students think they’ll get an easy “A” from “Professor Robocop”, and he gets a lot dropping his class in the first week. He went to my undergrad. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/11 "2009-06-11T23:35:16Z")
Daniel Day Lewis makes shoes. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/12 "2009-06-11T23:42:41Z")
Geena Davis is an accomplished archer and made it to the finals for America’s Olympic team. Ed O’Niell (Al Bundy) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Rorion Gracie. Heath Ledger was a talented chess player; some friends claim (or perhaps exaggerate) that he intended to pursue the rank of grandmaster some day. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/13 "2009-06-11T23:49:09Z")
Reinhard Heydrich and Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickenson are/were both Olympic class fencers. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/14 "2009-06-11T23:55:04Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > John Malkovich is a master puppeteer. John Malkovich or “John Malkovich”? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/15 "2009-06-11T23:59:07Z")
So was General Patton, he placed fifth in the Modern Pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/16 "2009-06-11T23:59:09Z")
[Dexter Holland](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_Holland) from the Offspring was working on his PhD in molecular biology from USC, but quit to focus on the band. He managed to at least get a masters, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/17 "2009-06-12T00:48:39Z")
Not realistic, I know, but Joan Jett would have sacrificed it all to be the starting center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/18 "2009-06-12T01:14:32Z")
There’s no evidence that Fidel Castro seriously wanted to be a professional baseball player. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/19 "2009-06-12T01:18:55Z")
> [@Khan](#): > > [Dexter Holland](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_Holland) from the Offspring was working on his PhD in molecular biology from USC, but quit to focus on the band. He managed to at least get a masters, though. Similarly, [Greg Graffin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Graffin) of Bad Religion has a PhD in zoology, and teaches at UCLA. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/20 "2009-06-12T02:40:19Z")
Tammy Wynette famously maintained her cosmetology license throughout her musical career. Lyle Lovett was a journalist before he was a professional musician. Sting and Gene Simmons were both teachers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488.md?page=2)