# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/81 "2009-06-14T19:42:44Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The composer Alexander Borodin was a chemist, who only composed music in his off-hours. Borodin was one of “The Five,” the leading lights of Russian classical music in their day. Only ONE of them (Balakirev) was a full-time musician. Rimsky-Korsakov was a career naval officer, while Cesar Cui and Moussorgsky were both Army officers. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/82 "2009-06-14T21:03:23Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > [Mayim Bialik](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayim_Bialik) (TV’s Blossom) has done a ton of work in academia. **She has 3 bachelor’s degrees** and a PhD in neuroscience. However, according to her Wikipedia page she is on the waning side of waxing and waning between study and acting. According to that wiki page, she has **a** bachelor’s degree. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/83 "2009-06-14T22:35:26Z")
Jack Lord, best known for his role on _Hawaii Five-O_, was a talented painter and had a degree in Fine Art from NYU. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > [Mayim Bialik](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayim_Bialik) (TV’s Blossom) has done a ton of work in academia. She has 3 bachelor’s degrees and a PhD in neuroscience. > [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](#): > > According to that wiki page, she has **a** bachelor’s degree. > 😉 It says she has a bachelor’s degree in three fields: neuroscience, Hebrew, and Jewish studies. I take this to mean she had a triple major, although it may be that she was a single or double major and had a minor in the other areas. It’s never been clear to me what the correct way is to refer to someone who graduated from college with multiple majors. I was a double major myself and don’t feel this is at all the same thing as having two separate Bachelor’s degrees (it’s not like I had to meet all the non-major credit requirements twice), but I have seen it described that way before. ETA: Looking at the UCLA web site, it appears that “Hebrew and Jewish Studies” is a minor offered there, so I’d suspect that Ms. Bialik majored in neuroscience with a minor in Hebrew and Jewish Studies and that the Wikipedia article is just poorly punctuated. But Hebrew and Jewish Studies are both offered as separate majors too, so she may have majored in all three. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/84 "2009-06-14T23:35:08Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Jack Lord, best known for his role on _Hawaii Five-O_, was a talented painter and had a degree in Fine Art from NYU. Anthony Quinn was also a critically acclaimed artist ([some of his work](http://www.artbrokerage.com/art/quinn/)). Redd Foxx never pursued painting but some of his cartoons and sketches were[pretty good](http://www.reddfoxx.com/art_work.htm). Among the still living so is [Tony Curtis](https://www.tonycurtis.com/artgallery.html). [Christopher Jones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Jones_(actor)) quit acting (actually some critics suggested he never began acting) after his lead role in _Ryan’s Daughter_ to become a full time artist. He returned for one role in 1996 and was courted by Tarantino for _Pulp Fiction_ but decided he didn’t really want to play a hillbilly rapist (Tarantino wanted him for Zed). ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/85 "2009-06-15T04:33:22Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > You’re not even doing good at JOAD without a coach. Olympic hopefuls have coaches. You’re right, of course. I should have said that the others didn’t have full time coaches. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/86 "2009-06-15T05:35:32Z")
Blues Musician [Fred McDowell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_McDowell) used to have a good job pumping gas up at Stuckey’s on the road up to Memphis. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/87 "2009-06-15T11:22:57Z")
Moshe Dayan, the one eyed Israeli general (and inturn hero and villian of the Sinai, depending on the wars) had a passion for archeology digs and pilfering stuff from them; got buried once I think. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/88 "2009-06-15T11:54:28Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Interesting list, thanks! > > However, does _owning cool stuff_ equate to an ambition that’s out of character? Is it out of character for someone who is rich to own expensive, collectible things? Having said that, I am impressed with their taste in those things. 🙂 Just seeing this. I hear you. I can’t say that I know if they aspire to being pro guitar players in any strict sense - but I do know they go out of their way to engage the players they come into contact with…and Sutherland did something - a reality series? a documentary? - where he was involved in managing and trying to help break a band. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/89 "2009-06-15T18:25:19Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > It’s never been clear to me what the correct way is to refer to someone who graduated from college with multiple majors. I was a double major myself and don’t feel this is at all the same thing as having two separate Bachelor’s degrees (it’s not like I had to meet all the non-major credit requirements twice), but I have seen it described that way before. I do have 2 BAs, one with a double major. A double major is absolutely not the same as having two degrees, and anybody who implies (or says) that they have two degrees when it was a double major is flat-out misrepresenting their educational background. As to your last point–I actually didn’t have to meet the “non-major credit requirements twice.” I suppose it depends on the school. At the time, Rutgers’ policy for a second undergraduate degree was that you had to do all the major requirements, take 3 electives, and fill in any gaps in other standard required coursework and/or prerequisites that you might not have had the first time around. Regardless, it is an entirely separate BA. Anyway, usually say something like “My first BA was a double-major in Industrial Management and German from Carnegie Mellon. My second was in American Studies from Rutgers.” (By that point, my listener is wishing he hadn’t asked.) Having 2 BAs (or BSs or whatever) is quite unusual, and if I heard someone say that they had 2, I’d definitely ask for more info to make sure they didn’t really do a double-major. A big exception would be that some schools do offer dual-degree programs, where you do actually get 2 undergraduate degrees at once. (Penn’s Management & Technology program is an example.) So the actress in question could indeed have 2 or even 3 undergraduate degrees. I wouldn’t take Wikipedia’s word on this one, because many people don’t know that you can even have more than one. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/90 "2009-06-15T18:31:38Z")
My brother-in-law has 2 bachelors degrees. He got his first one, and then when his wife was getting her masters, he figured out that it made financial sense somehow to go back and get another (something to do with deferment of loans, I think, but I’m not 100% sure.) He did not have to meet all the general requirements twice. He just did what was required for the major of the 2nd bachelors. How is this different from a double major? I’m not saying it’s not different, I’m just asking how it’s different. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/91 "2009-06-15T19:12:10Z")
Bob Newhart was an accountant and advertising copywriter before becoming a comedian and actor. American composer Charles Ives was a very successful insurance executive throughout his life. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/92 "2009-06-15T19:51:03Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > American composer Charles Ives was a very successful insurance executive throughout his life. As was poet Wallace Stevens. And poet William Carlos Williams was a physician by trade, I believe… ---
**Author:** ![cedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cedman)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/93 "2009-06-15T22:45:52Z")
The country music star, Alan Jackson, was a Certified Diesel Mechanic before his music career took off and still keeps his certification up because, “you don’t know long that music thing is gonna last.” ---
**Author:** ![ThePylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@ThePylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThePylon)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/94 "2009-06-15T23:26:30Z")
Ken Dryden won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe his rookie year, won another cup 2 years later, held out a year over his contract and finished his law degree, went on to win 4 more cups, then quit hockey at 32 (young for a goalie) to practice law… and is now a Minister of Parliament. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/95 "2009-07-04T05:35:05Z")
Napoleon I of France considered applying to join the Royal Navy. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/96 "2009-07-04T15:35:41Z")
Guitarist [**Joe Walsh**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Walsh) is a bit of an irony. He has always had a reputation as a crazy/goofy/hard-partying kind-a-guy, which some say was earned for the most part. But not many people know that Joe holds an “Extra Class” amateur radio license (WB6ACU). You have to pass three technical-oriented exams to become one, and they are _ **not** _ easy to pass. Suffice to say, Joe has another side to him… an intellectual, studious, introverted, geeky side. Here’s an article: [http://danandsherree.com/upload/wb6acu.pdf](http://danandsherree.com/upload/wb6acu.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/97 "2009-07-04T17:01:14Z")
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Skunk Baxter yet, the former Doobie Bros./Steely Dan guitarist who went on to [chair a Congressional Advisory Board on missile defense](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_Baxter#Defense_consulting_career). ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/98 "2009-07-04T17:07:07Z")
Nina Hartley is a Registered Nurse. Tera Patrick has an AAS in nursing and a BS in biology. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/99 "2009-07-04T17:46:10Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > My brother-in-law has 2 bachelors degrees. He got his first one, and then when his wife was getting her masters, he figured out that it made financial sense somehow to go back and get another (something to do with deferment of loans, I think, but I’m not 100% sure.) He did not have to meet all the general requirements twice. He just did what was required for the major of the 2nd bachelors. How is this different from a double major? I’m not saying it’s not different, I’m just asking how it’s different. I’d be interested in knowing this too. Maybe someone should start a GQ thread? ---
**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:** [July 4, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488/100 "2009-07-04T17:58:11Z")
> [@Shecky](#): > > …Leonard Nimoy does photography and has been exhibited in a few famous galleries. Don’t forget his [music career](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC73PHdQX04). > [@WordMan](#): > > Martial Arts actor \*\*Steven Seagal \*\*is obsessed with vintage electric guitars - he owns many, including the original main three Flying V’s used by Blues legend Albert King… Seagal does more than own guitars, he has a couple [albums](http://www.amazon.com/Mojo-Priest-Steven-Seagal-Thunderbox/dp/B000FDEUHG/ref=pd_sim_m_1) out and tours. A friend went to a show in San Francisco, initially as a joke, but said it was respectable. According to Wikipedia, [Arnold Scwarzenegger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Swartzenegger#Business_career) was a millionaire well before his movie career took off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-character-ambitions-for-famous-people/499488.md?page=6)