15 Celebrities Who Made Mid-Life Career Changes And Became Famous

Life is indeed is a matter of choices, and every single choice that you make makes you. Sometimes you hit your thirties, forties, fifties and still don’t realize what you were actually made for. It hit them late but these 15 celebrities made mid-life career choices that changed the path of their journey:

1. Before being a prominent character on The Office, Phyllis Smith was a casting associate. She was an NFL cheerleader, a burlesque dancer, and worked in the casting department for about 19 years. At 54, she landed her big break.

2. Bob Ross served for over 20 years in the US Air Force. He was also a part of the military where he took painting classes at a U.S.O club. His career trajectory took a spike at 41 when he filmed the first episode of The Joy of Painting.

3. Alan Rickman kickstarted his career as a graphic designer. A graduate with a degree in design, Rickman and his friends ran a graphic design company for 3 years. He decided to pursue acting full-time and went to an acting school.

4. Kathryn Joosten was initially a psychiatric nurse. An Emmy-award recipient for Desperate Housewives and The West Wing, Joosten joined community theater at the age 42 years old

5. Ray Kroc changed the path of McDonald’s success. Kroc was a 53-year-old salesman when he first met the McDonald Brothers. He got super impressed with their concept and purchased the fast-food giant in 1961.

6. John Grisham was 34 when he published his first book. He believed that one should write what they know. His career as an attorney gave him plenty of content for his legal thrillers which went on to become bestsellers. He quit practicing law at 36 after his second book became a hit.

7. Colonel Sanders knew that he wasn’t meant for jobs. Before he started selling fried chicken he switched professions between a farmer, streetcar conductor, soldier, railroad fireman, lawyer, insurance salesman, steamboat operator, secretary, lighting manufacturer, hotel owner. Sanders created his empire at the age of 65.

8. Meghan Markle quit acting at the age of 36. Her career took a whole turn when she joined the royalty and married Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.

9. Vera Wang was a national competing ice skater before becoming one of the highest-paid fashion designers. She went on to work with Vogue as one of their youngest editors and started her incredibly successful bridal wear line at the age of 40.

10. Shel Silverstein had no interest in writing children’s books. He wrote his first children’s book at the age of 33 prior to which he had career changes such as a songwriter, playwright, comic artist, and even featured in Playboy.

11. Martha Stewart was a successful stockbroker who quit her field to become a homemaker. She was 33 when she started her career as a caterer which led her to write a cookbook and become a TV personality.

13. Phyllis Diller started comedy when she was 37. In her early years, Diller used to write ads for a radio station. She then took the stage and went on to have an incredibly successful 50 year career

14. Ken Jeong was a practicing doctor before he joined Hollywood. He worked 90-hours a week during his medical residency but still managed to make time for stand-up. Jeong quit his job when he was 38 at Kaiser Permanente after filming Knocked Up.

15. Aubrey Drake Graham aka Drizzy Drake started out with a different career. He was initially an actor. From 2001 to 2008, Drake struggled on-screen before finally dropping his first mixtape and transitioning to music full-time.