# Surprising Career Arcs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 2, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958 "2012-07-02T02:08:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/41 "2012-07-02T23:53:32Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Leslie Nielsen. Up until _Airplane_, his roles were mainly dramatic. After that, he was known for comedy. Tom Hanks, going the opposite direction, to the point _EW_ said,“We miss the funny Tom Hanks.” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/42 "2012-07-03T00:13:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Okay, is this a whoosh? John Hurt played the Elephant Man and he’s had an active career both before and after that movie. Well, theElephant Man DID have a part in that movie **From Hell** , under the pseudonym Anthony Parker ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/43 "2012-07-03T00:25:47Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Cite? Acting in a Shakespeare play does not make one “a Shakespearean actor” in the sense that Patrick Stewart is: he was a member of the [Royal Shakespeare Company](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_actors_in_Royal_Shakespeare_Company_productions). William Shatner was trained as a Shakespearean actor and appeared in dozens of plays in Stratford, Ontario in the early 50’s. He wrote an autobiography and talks about his career (well, duh) extensively. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/44 "2012-07-03T00:34:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Vince Vaughn - Played bad guys early in his career and now plays lead roles in comedies. What is he a villain in? I thought he was from Swingers. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/45 "2012-07-03T00:40:06Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Before that, Cranston was a voice actor. I remember being surprised to find out that he’d done the English dubbing of [The Wings of Honneamise](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wings_of_Honneamise), which was back in 1995. (Surprised, because the English dub fell flat and yet Cranston appears to be a great actor, now.) He still is a voice actor. He is in Madagascar 3. With a Russian accent. > [@AK84](#): > > Shatner was a Shakespearean actor. As was Avery Brooks. Avery Brooks has always focused more on the stage and teaching. He is a tenured professor at Rutgers University. Peter Berg. Went from TV actor to almost exclusively a film director including big budge films like Hancock and Battleship. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/46 "2012-07-03T01:47:42Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Heh. > > Another great role for Karas – Jim Garner’s gay bodyguard in _Victor/Victoria_. You beat me to it. The scene where he outed himself to his boss Garner is a classic. _“You’ve made me so happy!”_ ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/47 "2012-07-03T01:52:29Z")
Tom Hanks from _[Bosom Buddies](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080202/)_, a show with a goofy premise that turned out to be kind of good, to the superstar he is now (or was recently). John Travolta, who got his start in _[Welcome Back, Kotter](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072582/)_, and went on to superstardom, too. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/48 "2012-07-03T02:06:44Z")
I think Sonny and Cher are the poster children for surprising career arcs, he was a truck driver who eventually gets into the music biz like he wants. He does percussion, back up vocals and a gofer for Phil Spector, and brings along the 16 year old he is screwing (Cher). When the Spector “Wall of Sound” loses favor, Sonny and Cher use some elements but have some big hits such as “I Got You Babe”. They even manage to star in an episode of “Man from UNCLE” (also the Sonny penned song “Laugh at Me” becomes of staple of Mott the Hoople.Ian Hunter, the 1970s definition of cool). When their careers fade in the late 1960s as a film they make is a disaster and psychedelic fans don’t like their “no drugs/un hip image”, they retreat into Las Vegas, build a stage act and after a few years get a TV show (one episode featured both Michael Jackson and Ronald Reagan, neither of whom brought their monkeys). After several years, they break up. Sonny fades quickly from show business, his few records and a TV show flop. He gets into the restaurant business, has a feud with local politicians and decides to run for mayor of Palm Springs. He wins, later tries to get the nomination for Republican senate candidate, loses but becomes a genuine U S congressmen. Unfortunately hitting a tree while skiing kills him. Cher has more success in music and TV, although less in marriage as her wedded bliss to Greg Allman lasts 8 days. Eventually she moves into movies, has a good career in the 1980s and even wins an Oscar (plus is the most memorable things about one Oscar broadcast with an outrageous dress she wore).One woman who works at a cash register at my local grocery store was raving about Cher’s concert last year. On a lesser extent, gavin MacLeod played a few not very bright hoods on some “Untouchables” episodes. Strictly supporting characters too. After a couple of years on “McHale’s Navy” where his only line each week is a mournful “What are we going to do, Skip”? He manages to get a role on one of the best, and most popular sitcoms of the 1970s “Mary Tyler Moore”. He then gets a job as the captain of “The Love Boat”, which if people had any taste would not have gotten out of drydock but instead lasts for 9 years. ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/49 "2012-07-03T02:34:24Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Before that, Cranston was a voice actor. I remember being surprised to find out that he’d done the English dubbing of [The Wings of Honneamise](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wings_of_Honneamise), which was back in 1995. (Surprised, because the English dub fell flat and yet Cranston appears to be a great actor, now.) He was also pretty good as Buzz Aldrin in the miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon”. He looked seriously crushed when he found out he wasn’t going to be first on the Moon. One small tweak I would have made, though, would have been to add a scene where he gets a bee in the space capsule with him. ETA: Hugh Laurie. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/50 "2012-07-03T02:42:29Z")
Bill Murray, from SNL to film comedies, then to dramas and Oscar nominations. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/51 "2012-07-03T02:46:02Z")
emcee2k - Hugh Laurie is a great example of someone withmost recently a surprising career arc. Great comedic actor often as an idiotic twit; great dramatic actor as a genius. Hope his fans on this board know he’s doing a (musical) concert tour now. Has an appearance coming up in Milwaukee. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/52 "2012-07-03T02:51:18Z")
> [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > emcee2k - Hugh Laurie is a great example of someone withmost recently a surprising career arc. Great comedic actor often as an idiotic twit; great dramatic actor as a genius. Hope his fans on this board know he’s doing a (musical) concert tour now. Has an appearance coming up in Milwaukee. And a successful author. I read his book **The Gun Seller** and quite enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/53 "2012-07-03T06:22:05Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > What is he a villain in? I thought he was from Swingers. Vince Vaughn was an extremely good villain in [Clay Pigeons](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118863/), with Joaquin Phoenix and Janeane Garofalo. It’s a good movie too IMO. And of course he was Norman Bates in the remake of Psycho (which I’ve never seen). ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/54 "2012-07-03T06:59:20Z")
Liam Neeson’s new side career as grizzled action badass is an eyebrow-raiser. Who knew he’d be so suited to the task? ---
**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:** [July 3, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/55 "2012-07-03T07:26:09Z")
I’ve always been fascinated with Kris Kristofferson’s path - Rhodes scholar, helicopter pilot, taught for a while at West Point, then decided that he wanted to pursue his dream, and moved to Nashville where he worked at Colombia Records as a janitor. One day he rented a copter and landed it unannounced on Johnny Cash’s property to hand deliver a tape of his music. Within a decade he’d be a bona fide movie star. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2012, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/56 "2012-07-03T08:46:41Z")
Let’s get Kris Kristofferson’s career straight. He didn’t teach at West Point. After five years in the army, he was offered the chance to teach at West Point if he stayed in the military, but instead he quit and moved to Nashville: > **[Kris Kristofferson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris_Kristofferson)** > > Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is an American retired country singer, songwriter, and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night", all of which were hits for other artists. > In 1985, Kristofferson joined fellow country artists Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash in the country music supergroup The Highwaymen, which was a key creative force in the outlaw count... So his history was approximately like this: Moved around a lot as a child because his father was in the Air Force. Honor student and athlete at Pomona College. Rhodes Scholar, where he began singing and writing songs on the side. Five years in the army, where he learned to fly helicopters. Moved to Nashville, where he did various jobs while trying to make it as a singer and songwriter, including working as a janitor, a firefighter, a bartender, and a helicopter pilot for an oil company to transport their workers to and from oil platforms (and, incidentally, consumed a lot of drugs and alcohol around this time). Finally made enough as a singer and songwriter to give up those jobs. Began acting, sometimes spending more time on that than on singing. One new thing I just learned by reading the Wikipedia entry was that his family disowned him when he quit the army. They expected him to go to law school and enter politics eventually. They never got used to him being a singer/songwriter/actor. Here’s another good article about him: > **[The last outlaw](https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/the-last-outlaw-20050807-ge0mxc.html)** ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/57 "2012-07-03T09:14:00Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Liam Neeson’s new side career as grizzled action badass is an eyebrow-raiser. Who knew he’d be so suited to the task? [Some folks are NOT surprised!](http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/liam-neeson-youre-fucked.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/58 "2012-07-03T09:55:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Okay, is this a whoosh? John Hurt played the Elephant Man and he’s had an active career both before and after that movie. Yep, or rather just a one-liner I remember. Maybe I should’ve added a smilie but I thought as I was using a character’s name it wasn’t required. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/59 "2012-07-03T19:50:17Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Let’s get Kris Kristofferson’s career straight. Much appreciated, **Wendell**. His is one unique, amazing story, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958/60 "2012-07-03T19:56:03Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](#): > > Much appreciated, **Wendell**. His is one unique, amazing story, for sure. > [@](#): > > So his history was approximately like this: > > Moved around a lot as a child because his father was in the Air Force. > Honor student and athlete at Pomona College. > Rhodes Scholar, where he began singing and writing songs on the side. > Five years in the army, where he learned to fly helicopters. > Moved to Nashville, where he did various jobs while trying to make it as a singer and songwriter, including working as a janitor, a firefighter, a bartender, and a helicopter pilot for an oil company to transport their workers to and from oil platforms (and, incidentally, consumed a lot of drugs and alcohol around this time). > Finally made enough as a singer and songwriter to give up those jobs. > Began acting, sometimes spending more time on that than on singing. > > One new thing I just learned by reading the Wikipedia entry was that his family disowned him when he quit the army. They expected him to go to law school and enter politics eventually. They never got used to him being a singer/songwriter/actor. Here’s another good article about him: So he was **The Soldier who Fell from Grace with his Family** , then? > **[The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sailor_Who_Fell_from_Grace_with_the_Sea_(film))** > > The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea is a 1976 British drama film starring Kris Kristofferson and Sarah Miles, directed by Lewis John Carlino. It was adapted from the 1963 novel The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by the Japanese writer Yukio Mishima. The novel is set in Japan but the story's location was changed to the English town of Dartmouth, Devon, where it was also filmed. > Jonathan Osborne, the 14-year-old son of widow Anne Osborne, has become involved with a group of boys... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-career-arcs/626958.md?page=4)