Rod Stewart, grave digger
The youngest of five children and was born in Highgate, North London to parents who owned a newsagents shop there. Rod Stewart had trials with the football clubs Celtic, and Brentford (based in West London). He then worked as a grave digger. He soon switched to a career in music joining folk singer Wizz Jones in the early 1960s as a street singer travelling around Europe; this resulted in his being deported from Spain for vagrancy.
Hitler, postcard painter As a child
Adolf Hitler attended a monastery school and harbored dreams of becoming a priest, but he dropped out after his father’s death in 1903. By then, Hitler had a new career in mind: professional artist. And though the Führer’s precise but emotionless landscapes showed moderate promise, he was rejected twice from Vienna’s Academy of Fine Arts. Bitter, poor, and lonely, young Adolf moved between boardinghouses and hostels, earning a meager living painting postcards. Oddly enough, he might have been just another failed artist had it not been for World War I. Turning in his paintbrush for a pistol, Hitler volunteered as a runner for the German army.
Sylvester Stalone, lion cage cleaner
Always the tough guy, was once employed as a lion cage cleaner. At fifteen, his classmates voted him the one “most likely to end up in the electric chair.” In the 1960s, Stallone attended the University of Miami for three years. He came within a few credit hours of graduation, before he decided to drop out and pursue an acting career.
Michael Dell, diswasher
Founder and chairman of Dell Computer Corp., was a dishwasher at a Chinese restaurant earning $2.30 an hour. He is grateful for his early experience: “The best part was the wisdom of the restaurant owner, which I could capture if I came to work a little early. He took great pride in his work and cared about every customer who came through his door.”
Jim Carrey , janitor
Before he had people in stitches, this funny guy worked as a janitor mopping floors at a tire factory. He took the job at age 15 after his father became unemployed. Carrey also had a another job as a security guard. The comedian credits his early lessons in strife and toil for instilling his love of comedy: He visited local comedy clubs to relieve stress.
Clint Eastwood, gas-station attendant
This ruggedly handsome actor, director and businessman started out as a pool boy. He later worked as a gas-station attendant and a firefighter. Eastwood also played ragtime piano at a bar in Oakland, Calif.
Jennifer Aniston, waitress
Aniston's beginnings entailed far worse than donning too few pieces of flair: She was both a telemarketer and a waitress before hitting it big as Rachel on "Friends."
Jennifer Lopez, Legal Assistant
Long before Jennifer Lopez sang, danced and acted her way to superstardom, she briefly traded in her velour tracksuit for a suit of the pin-striped variety while working at a law office.
Mariah Carey, hat checker
This beauty-school dropout turned music diva was fired from her job as a hat checker. Today, she's one of the most successful female vocalists of all time and boasts the most No. 1 singles for a solo artist in the United States.
Oprah Winfrey, young reporter
Was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, to a Baptist family. Her parents were unmarried teenagers. Winfrey’s grandmother taught her to read before the age of three and took her to the local church, where she was nicknamed “The Preacher” for her ability to recite Bible verses. Winfrey was self-helping her way to the top long before the world ever heard of Dr. Phil. Arriving at a radio station to collect a watch she had won through a promotional contest, a 16-year-old Winfrey read for producers and secured herself a spot as an on-air reporter earning $100 per week.
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