Hugh Jackman to Barack Obama: 10 celebs who you didn’t know were teachers before they became famous

10 celebs you didn’t know used to be teachers before they became famous

The nation is currently celebrating the Teachers Appreciation Week. While the worlds of academia and celebrities may appear vastly different, there are many stars who were teachers before finding fame. Here are ten such A-listers, including entertainers, politicians and writers, who worked as teachers before becoming household names.

1. Hugh Jackman

Before Hugh Jackman summoned a huge fandom through his portrayal of Wolverine, the Australian actor worked as a teacher - more precisely as an assistant housemaster at Uppingham School in 1987. The actor moved to England from Australia in his gap year after school where he used to work as a gym teacher apart from teaching drama and coaching sports. He told BBC in an interview, "An 18-year-old Aussie teaching English to a bunch of English kids. I thought, if that was my school fees, I'd be pretty annoyed." After working for a year, the 'Les Miserables' actor went back to Australia to further his education. 

2. Liam Neeson

Prior to attaining stardom as an action hero, Liam Neeson embarked on a path to enlighten students. However, an unsavory incident led him to switch careers. In an interview with ESPN, the 'Taken' star reflected on his teaching experience, saying, "There were always discipline problems, getting them to settle down before you can start to teach them. This particular kid did not want to settle down, he wanted to disrupt the whole class. So I went over to him and asked him to leave the classroom and stand outside. The next thing he pulled a knife on me. My reaction was to punch him, which I shouldn’t have done but I felt threatened," per Irish Central.

3. Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone, before deciding to coach Adonis Johnson in 'Creed', worked as a gym teacher and dorm bouncer. During his stint as a coach, Stallone realized his love for acting when he acted in 'Death of a Salesman'. He enlisted himself in a drama school and went on to become one of the most beloved actors of the world.

4. Barack Obama

Former President and Nobel Laureate Barack Obama has worked many odd jobs and teaching is one of them. Before becoming the Commander-in-Chief of the US, Obama taught constitutional law and race theory at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years. A celebrated orator, it's far to assume he inculcated his students with some diplomatic and political lessons too.  

5. Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal, known for legendary films like 'When Harry Met Sally', worked as a "per diem floater" teacher before finding his footing in acting. He shared his teaching experience with Oprah Winfrey saying, “I was a per diem floater in the same junior high school I went to,” before adding, “I sat in the office and made $42.50 a day, and whenever a teacher was absent, I’d substitute. I taught everything from English to auto shop.” He continued, “I’d be at the front of a class saying, ‘Listen, I don’t know anything about science, but these two guys walk into a bar…'” and explained, “I’d only been out of school for a few years. I couldn’t bring myself to call the teachers by their first names. I was like, “Ed, could you pass…? No, no, you’re Mr. Graff to me.” And the funniest part was being in the teachers’ lounge.”

6. Jon Hamm

Before taking up the iconic role of Don Draper in 'Mad Men', John Hamm worked as a teacher. During his stint as a teacher, 'The Office' star Ellie Kemper was a student of Hamm. During an interview with 'Today Show', the actor admitted, “I think teaching is one of the greatest professions on the planet, and I had the good fortune to do it for a year,” before adding, “I would definitely go back to it, and I might still.” 

7. Gene Simmons

Kiss band's Gene Simmons looked at the broader side of the spectrum when he decided to switch from his career as a sixth grade teacher in harlem. He told Lakeland Ledger, "The reason I quit after six months is that I discovered the real reason I became a teacher. It was because I wanted to get up on stage and have people notice me. I had to quit because the stage was too small. Forty people wasn’t enough. I wanted 40,000."

8. Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow's journey from being a teacher to rocker was smooth as she forayed into teaching music before finding stardom. After graduating from the University of Missouri in music, she took up the teaching job in the Rockwood School District in St Louis, per The List. Shortly after, she joined Michael Jackson's group as a singer and her career took off.

9. JK Rowling

The billionaire author of 'Harry Potter' trained as a teacher after her marriage broke down. Per Kent Teach, she was earning a living as a teacher in the schools of Edinburgh while working on her breakthrough book, 'Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone'.

10. Jesse Williams

'Grey's Anatomy' star Jesse Williams had a personal reason for choosing the teaching profession when he taught American studies, African studies and English for six years in Temple University of Philadelphia before graduating from the same institution. He told Essence, "I grew up in Chicago in an under-served community, over-crowded classrooms that sometimes had two grades in a classroom. Then I moved to a suburban area and had a healthy public school experience. I found this incredible chasm between two of the many Americas we have. I got a much better education and resources because of my zip code. I wanted to be part of the solution, so I started working in my community when I was at Temple University."