What you do professionally isn’t always an indication of your goals in life. You could theoretically be a hilarious person and not know it, because you’re too busy pursuing another passion. Or, in some instances, that passion could be the thing that finally leads you to your destiny as a comedian. Here are a few famous comics who originally had other career paths in mind.
4. Bill Hader
Making movies was what Bill Hader really wanted to do when he moved to Los Angeles from Oklahoma in 1999. For years, he found himself working as a production assistant, doing little that was particularly creative. He couldn’t get into film school because his grades were bad, so he decided to take classes at the Second City instead. It was there that he discovered his gift for sketch comedy, and before long, he landed a spot on Saturday Night Live, joining the cast in 2005.
3. Gallagher
Being an entertainer was not something Gallagher set out to do. Believe it or not, before taking the stage, he was a chemist. Gallagher graduated from college with a degree in chemical engineering in 1970 and worked at a manufacturing plant before becoming a road manager for Jim Stafford. Coming up with jokes for Stafford made him want to give show business a try, and by the time he was 30, he was opening for Kenny Rogers—with no stage experience whatsoever.
2. Lewis Black
Lewis Black got his start in the entertainment world by trying to make it as a playwright. Things didn’t go too well, and he finally gave it up after a couple of decades of having his manuscripts consistently rejected. At the age of 40, Black tried his hand at stand-up comedy, and the rest is history. Less than a decade after switching things up, he became a regular on The Daily Show, where he continues to make appearances to this day.
1. Ricky Gervais
Before creating hit comedy shows like The Office and Extras, Ricky Gervais had his heart set on becoming a pop star. He formed a new wave group called Seona Dancing in the 1980s, and in his words, it was a “miserable failure.” The experience eventually led him to radio, where he met his future co-writer Stephen Merchant. The pair would go on to create the original UK version of The Office in 2001.
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