# Surprising second occupations of performers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507 "2021-12-04T17:32:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/1 "2021-12-04T17:32:02Z")
I was surprised to find out that Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden is a licensed transport pilot who flew as captain for a charter airline company. He is also a published author, a competitive fencer, and has started a school for airline maintenance mechanics. Queen guitarist Brian May holds a Ph. D. in astrophysics and was chancellor of Johns Moore University in Liverpool. Mayim Bialik of _Blossom_ and _The Big Bang Theory_ has a Ph. D. in neuroscience. David Lee Roth of Van Halen is a licensed EMT in New York City who has ridden on more than 200 calls. Which other high - profile entertainers are accomplished in other fields of study? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/2 "2021-12-04T17:47:39Z")
Actress Danica McKellar (who was in _The Wonder Years_ as a teenager, and now appears in many Hallmark Channel films) has a degree in mathematics, and has written several books about math for adolescents, particularly for adolescent girls, to make math more interesting and accessible to them. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/3 "2021-12-04T18:15:29Z")
It sort of works the other way these days: Jimmy Dean was a very successful country singer and host of a network TV show before making sausages. Younger people aren’t familiar with his entertainment background. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/4 "2021-12-04T18:16:15Z")
Steve Buscemi is/was a firefighter who worked ground zero on and after 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/5 "2021-12-04T18:16:19Z")
I read that seventies rocker Steve Miller was a farmer. And speaking of jet airliners, I’ve read that John Travolta is licensed to fly them. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/6 "2021-12-04T18:29:29Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Queen guitarist Brian May holds a Ph. D. in astrophysics and was chancellor of Johns Moore University in Liverpool. Queen is an interesting case, because all four of the members pursued non-musical fields in college, and they all earned degrees. - May earned a bachelor’s degree in physics in 1968, and had begun work on his PhD in the early '70s, but didn’t finish his degree at that time, leaving his studies when Queen became successful. He returned to his doctorate work in 2006, and received his PhD in 2008. - John Deacon earned a bachelor’s degree in electronics. Though I don’t think he worked much in that field, he did hand-make the “Deacy Amp,” which he and May frequently used, out of junk-picked parts. - Freddie Mercury earned a degree in art and design in 1969. Like Deacon, I don’t think that Freddie really worked much in that field, though he did use those skills to design Queen’s “heraldic” logo. - Roger Taylor initially went to college to study dentistry; he became bored with it, and switched majors, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/7 "2021-12-04T18:57:35Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > I read that seventies rocker Steve Miller was a farmer. > > And speaking of jet airliners, I’ve read that John Travolta is licensed to fly them. Not only licensed, I believe he actually owns one (or did at one time). Didn’t he have a 707 parked outside his mansion, much to the chagrin of his neighbors? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/8 "2021-12-04T18:58:24Z")
Tom Scholz, founder of the band Boston, holds an engineering degree from MIT. He worked at Polaroid, and on his own, he created the Rockman, a handheld electric guitar amplifier that outputs to a pair of headphones. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/9 "2021-12-04T19:41:56Z")
According to Travolta’s [Wikipedia entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Travolta#Flying), he owns four aircraft after donating the 707 in 2017. Dunno about the neighbors. And you thought the boat next door was an eyesore. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/10 "2021-12-04T20:14:54Z")
Roger Daltrey owns a modest little trout farm that’s open to the public, but Ian Anderson did salmon farming on a massive scale, saying at one point that “we had 11 fish farms, a smokehouse and two processing factories. At one point we were employing 400 people, mostly in the factories, and turning over GBP 12 million a year.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/11 "2021-12-04T20:44:14Z")
Paul Newman was an accomplished race car driver, and of course created Newman’s Own products. Walter Brennan was a rancher and owned a spread in Joseph, Oregon. He also owned a hotel there. Harrison Ford has been a private pilot for over 40 years. He’s made some serious errors in that endeavor that prompted an investigation into whether his license should be revoked. He was also a woodworker in a prior existence. Brigitte Bardot went from actress to animal rights activist. Francis Ford Coppola owns a winery in Oregon. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/12 "2021-12-04T20:46:32Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Harrison Ford has been a private pilot for over 40 years. A rescue pilot, no less. People have literally (well close enough) been rescued by Han Solo/Indiana Jones. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/13 "2021-12-04T20:47:02Z")
I didn’t know that. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/14 "2021-12-04T21:53:10Z")
Yeah, Harrison Ford is rated in both aircraft and helicopters. John Travolta is type-rated to fly the 747, and was a promotional Qantas airline captain for a bit, actually flying the 747. But Tom Cruise has to be the #1 hollywood pilot. He is rated in jets and helicopters, and did his own insane canyon flying in the last Mission Impossible. He owns and flies a P-51 Mustang for fun. R. Lee Ermey was an actual Marine drill instructor. He was hired as a technical advisor for ‘Full Metal Jacket’, but was so good at showing how to be a drill instructor that they just let him do the part and it kicked off a long movie career. Jackie Gleason was a professional pool player before acting. Nick Offerman is a talented woodworker, and owns a commercial woodshop. > **[Offerman Woodshop - Handmade Products & Custom Fine Furniture](https://offermanwoodshop.com/)** > > Founded by Nick Offerman, we are a Los Angeles based woodworking collective specialising in Custom Fine Furniture, Live-Edge Slabs, Canoes and bespoke projects. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/15 "2021-12-04T22:12:01Z")
Not much of a high-profile entertainer anymore, but Cherie Currie (of the Runaways) has a chainsaw wood-carving business. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/16 "2021-12-04T22:16:14Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > Dunno about the neighbors. And you thought the boat next door was an eyesore. 😀 Travolta and his neighbors all share the landing strip that runs between their houses, just up the street from me. And if he doesn’t stop landing his planes at Paddock Mall parking lot, there’ll be hell to pay. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/17 "2021-12-04T22:17:29Z")
American musician [Deniz Tek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deniz_Tek) formed seminal Aussie band [Radio Birdman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmH0OeDLGEE) while studying medicine at Sydney University. After he returned to the US he became a US Navy flight surgeon. As he recounts [here](https://www.abc.net.au/radio/perth/programs/breakfast/vf-radio-birdman-deniz-tek/12702270), his call sign, _Iceman_ , was appropriated by the producers of _Top Gun_. He now mixes his time between working as an emergency department doctor in both Hawaii and Australia, and touring with whichever band he is currently in. He and his wife own a coffee orchard in Hawaii and produce their own coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/18 "2021-12-04T22:24:20Z")
Adding to the entertainer pilots: Ventriloquist/comedian Jeff Dunham is rated in helicopters and has actually built four of them from kits. Michael Dorn (who might be better known as Worf from _Star Trek)_ flies jets. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/19 "2021-12-04T23:03:43Z")
John Travolta’s house was built with two jet bridges. He could taxi up to the side of the house, and people could embark and debark directly from the house. [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/83/0e/c4/830ec493b1c3450b419f0dbfe0e4eeda.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/83/0e/c4/830ec493b1c3450b419f0dbfe0e4eeda.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2021, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507/20 "2021-12-05T00:12:41Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > promotional Qantas airline captain for a bit, actually flying the 747. Promotional as in, dressed in the uniform and did photo shoots, he never flew for Qantas in any way. I believe he got the 747 type rating as a gift from Qantas in return for the donation of the ex-Qantas 707 that JT owned. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surprising-second-occupations-of-performers/955507.md?page=2)