Famous People Who Had A Religious Turning Point In Their Career

Born Robert Zimmerman, Jewish-raised rock icon Bob Dylan sparked outrage when he converted to Christianity in 1978 and later released gospel albums. Inspired by the Jews for Jesus movement, he once stated: Jesus did appear to me as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords… I believe every knee shall bow one day, and He did die on the cross for all mankind. For his fanbase, the artist betrayed his own message of not following leaders. They were bewildered when Dylan’s backup singer, Regina McCrary (a preacher’s daughter), opened one of his shows with a parable and performed gospel songs before Dylan and his band joined them on stage. An attendee named Jeff Friedman recalled thinking back then: After that third song, that’s when it occurred to me this was really gonna be different. You’re waiting. Is Just Like a Woman next? Maybe Ballad of a Thin Man? And one song after another, and it’s just all this new Christian material. There’s nothing else. In his next shows, Dylan started quoting “The Book of Revelations,” and his spiritual awakening inspired his session and tour drummer, Jim Keltner, to cut down on his self-destructive habits. The latter shared: The way he connected with the audience, the way he sang those words with such conviction and the strength of his voice. I was propelled by the power of the music, by the power of that band to change my life. Reflecting on that period, Dylan told the LA Times in 1983: It had to happen. When I get involved in something, I get totally involved. I don’t just play around on the fringes. Maybe Dylan’s Christian albums were just a necessary phase, because he would later perform on Jewish telethons and deny embracing a specific faith. As the artist told Newsweek in 1997: I don’t adhere to rabbis, preachers, Evangelists, all of that. I’ve learned more from the songs than I’ve learned from any of this kind of entity.

Stephen Baldwin - that’s Hailey Bieber’s dad, if you often confuse the Baldwin brothers - famously walked away from Hollywood after overcoming alcoholism and fully embracing Jesus. Speaking about his voluntary retirement, he stated: I probably could have pointed myself in the direction of becoming a big star, but that wasn’t me. I didn’t want to be Tom Cruise and have to make $100 million at the box office. I’d rather be a schmuck from Massapequa! It was Baldwin’s Brazilian housekeeper, Augusta, who claimed she had been sent by God to ensure he and his family would become dedicated born-again Christians. Baldwin later went on a spiritual tour with his ministry to distribute copies of the Skatechurch film he directed in 2004: Livin’ It. Despite Alec Baldwin’s belief that his brother made a huge career mistake, Stephen has no interest in returning to the spotlight. He said: I get a lot of DMs from people who tell me how my work has touched them, and that’s all that matters.

In November 2006, Rambo and Rocky star Sylvester Stallone spoke in a conference call moderated by Jud Wilhite, senior pastor of the Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. While promoting the release of Rocky Balboa, Stallone admitted that his character’s difficult journey and rebirth inspired him to reconnect with his Catholic faith. He shared that after years of navigating Hollywood’s destructive distractions, he ultimately found peace in renewing his Christian beliefs. I was presented with temptation, and I lost my way and made a lot of bad choices. I felt the character of Rocky sort of did that, too. He just didn’t have the right guidance. And then he was given an opportunity in the movie - like he was being chosen. Jesus was over him, and he was going to be the fella that would live through the example of Christ. He’s very forgiving - there’s no bitterness in him. He always turns the other cheek. Stallone then added that attending Mass more frequently helped reduce the stress of daily life.

Batman Begins star Katie Holmes was married to Tom Cruise, a world-famous Scientologist, from 2006 to 2012, and they share a daughter, Suri. Although she had spent years studying her husband’s faith, Holmes ultimately decided to leave it behind and return to her Catholic roots after the divorce. Per the Huffington Post, she joined NYC’s Church of St. Francis Xavier. When ABC News asked Cruise if the split was partly due to her desire to protect Suri from the controversial Scientology Church, he replied: Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes.

In the 2014 award-winning war film Fury, Jewish-born actor Shia LaBeouf portrayed a soft-spoken tank gunner named Boyd “Bible” Swan who frequently quoted Scripture. Inspired by his experience on set – as well as his discussions with co-star Brad Pitt and director David Ayer - he credited the role for sparking his spiritual awakening. He told Interview magazine: I became a Christian man, and not in a f***ing bull**** way - in a very real way. I could have just said the prayers that were on the page. But it was a real thing that really saved me. And you can’t identify unless you’re really going through it. It’s a full-blown exchange of heart, a surrender of control. And while there’s beauty to that, acting is all about control.

When he was an alcoholic teenager partaking in recreational drugs, Chris Pratt met a missionary named Henry who claimed that Jesus had sent him to lead him back to Christianity. It made a lifechanging impression on Pratt, who would open up about his faith years later, having welcomed four children. He stated: I want to raise my children with an understanding that their dad was unashamed of his faith in Jesus and with a profound understanding of the power of prayer, and the grace and the love and the joy that can come from a relationship with Jesus… You don't hear that a lot from people in entertainment, but it's who I am. Pratt has shared that his “heart softened” and his “faith hardened” every time he’s faced a personal trial, such as the premature birth of his son, Jack. Hoping to inspire others, her said: I want to be a light to people who've never seen light. I want to be a light to people who have seen light but turned away from it or been afraid of it.

Both Candace Cameron Bure and her brother, Kirk Cameron, have been very vocal about their Christian beliefs. Cameron, a teen heartthrob in the 1980s, became active in the Baptist Church at age 17 through his then-girlfriend. Cameron was an atheist before embracing Christianity. He started acting when he was 14 years old and, as he spent more time in Hollywood, wondered "if there was a heaven." In his mind, he didn't think he would "be going there because of my attitude and my self-centered, conceded, 'I'm all that, I'm the GOAT,' celebrity Mike Seaver guy." He prayed about his inner conflict and felt as though his life changed as a result. In the end, he found that: The same difficult challenges and influences of Hollywood that turn some people sour and make them narcissistic and bitter and joyless and afraid to not fit in is the same pressure that actually softened my heart and caused me to embrace gratitude and be thankful for the life that I have and want to use a platform and this Hollywood industry to advance the good. In other words, Cameron decided to use his notoriety to promote faith while simultaneously continuing his acting career.

Grease and Pulp fiction star John Travolta has endured many personal hardships including the deaths of loved ones, from his girlfriend, Diana Hyland, to his parents; his wife, Kelly Preston; and their 16-year-old son, Jett Travolta. Since 1975, Scientology has been a constant source of comfort, helping him navigate his grief. Travolta explained to ABC News why he turned from Catholicism to this particular church: Someone introduced it to me, and they were so certain and happy, and I wasn't used to people being certain and happy. I was used to people being insecure and unhappy. I took a course, and my life has never been the same. He also told Larry King: Life is tough. And you need something that really works and helps you actually, not promises to help you, then fail. And that's why I've always loved Scientology, because it offers help, and it works. Nonetheless, according to Lawrence Wright’s book, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, the actor is likely trapped because it was Scientology that made him famous and still controls his career.

Tom Cruise is probably the most famous advocate for the Church of Scientology in Hollywood. Born Catholic, he was introduced to Scientology at age 23 by his first wife, Someone to Watch Over Me star Mimi Rogers. In his book, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood & The Prison of Belief, Lawrence Wright claimed this Church helped Cruise advance his career and navigate his high-profile romances, including his split from Rogers and later divorce from Nicole Kidman. He wrote: The key moment in the relationship between Scientology and Cruise came in 1989. Cruise had become obsessed with a young actress named Nicole Kidman, but he needed help to make a clean break with Rogers. Marty Rathbun, a former higher-up in the church, helped Cruise get rid of her by explaining their split like it was a spiritual mission. The Church of Scientology denied those claims, writing in an email, “It is ludicrous and absurd to suggest our Church inserts itself into the romantic or matrimonial affairs of its parishioners.” As for Cruise, he has always gushed about his faith. He firmly stated in 2016: It’s something that has helped me incredibly in my life… Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am. So, it’s a beautiful religion. I’m incredibly proud.

In 2020, Dave Chappelle discussed turning to Islam at age 17 in the Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. Initially raised in the Unitarian Universalist faith, he revealed that his conversion was fueled by his interactions with a Muslim worker at the pizza place next to his home in Washington, DC. He explained: These things informed my decision that I wanted to have a meaningful life, a spiritual life. The actor and writer also shared that he had traveled to holy sites in Saudi Arabia that can only be visited by Muslims, such as the reportedly inexhaustible Well of Zamzam. He added: The thing that comforts me about it is the idea that all of this is from a singular source, that this source is ultimately kind.

Former Hollywood actor Dolores Hart is mostly known for two things: sharing an on-screen kiss with legend Elvis Presley in the 1957 film Loving You and cutting her career short to become a cloistered nun in the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut. Her decision came after she spent a retreat at the abbey and split from her fiancé Don Robinson. Now called Mother Dolores, she shared with Fox News in 2021: I think it's important for anyone to understand that it was a dramatic change. It wasn't something I planned on. I thought I would go through my time in Hollywood. However, this vocation showed me my life's purpose. Then I started to ask myself, 'What am I doing in Hollywood? Where is this going to take me?' The realization became clear and really, it's a gift. I was so lucky. God called me. Recalling her past spiritual discussions with Presley on set, Hart shared: We spent the time in between the scenes talking about the Bible. I never expected a fellow actor, in particular, to have that kind of genuine curiosity. He wasn't trying to set up anything. There were no flashbulbs around to take pictures of us. He did it because it was in his heart.

Julia Roberts didn’t just embark on a spiritual quest as Elizabeth Gilbert in the romantic drama film Eat, Pray, Love. She also experienced a similar awakening in her own life back then, shortly after seeing a photograph of late Indian guru Neem Karoli Baba AKA Maharaj-ji. Having grown up with a Catholic mother and a Baptist father, she eventually chose to embrace Hinduism. She stated: Hinduism was something I am very intrigued by and very interested in… And I was so drawn to the picture of this person, and I didn't know who he was or what he was about, but felt a very strong interest. Roberts also named her production company Red Om Films, after the Hindu sacred sound of the universe.