Celebrities tend to be an eclectic bunch of people. For many celebrities, their quirks and zany personalities helped them become famous in the first place. But, there are some quirky things about celebrities that you won’t believe. This list goes over bizarre trivia about famous people that will leave you dumbfounded. Some of these weird but true celebrity facts are from before they were even famous, while other things are just batsh*t insane capabilities they have that will totally surprise you. You’ll never believe what celebrity on this list is a trained sniper, or which celebrity on this list used to work as a pimp! These things you never knew about celebrities will blow you away — but hopefully knowing them will land you a spot on Jeopardy, or at least win you the local pub trivia. Vote up the things that shock you the most about these celebs!
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Famous sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer may teach you a trick or two about spicing up your love life, but did you know she could also probably blow your brains out from 400 yards away? She was sniper in the Israeli army during the early formation of the state. Also, she was apparently an excellent shot.
After Julia Roberts was born on October 28, 1967, family friends Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King picked up the tab. The Kings befriended Betty Lou and Walter Grady Roberts after their children enrolled in the acting school run by the Robertses in Georgia. Roberts explained: One day Coretta Scott King called my mother and asked if her kids could be part of the school because they were having a hard time finding a place that would accept her kids. And my mom was like: "Sure. Come on over." When asked why the Kings paid for her birth, Roberts said “obviously, because my parents couldn't pay for the hospital.”
Before Simon Cowell was up on his high horse judging others' talent, he was at the bottom of the entertainment totem pole, polishing set props. He got a job as a runner on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining at Elstree Studios in London. Apparently, he buffed Jack Nicholson’s axe for the famous “Here’s Johnny” scene.
James Lipton may possibly be one of the most refined men in show business, but the Inside the Actor’s Studio host didn’t start off that way. He actually managed a bunch of sex workers in Paris in the early ‘50s. Yes, that’s right, James Lipton was a pimp. He made a decent living at it, too.
Vangelis is the famous composer behind the scores for Chariots of Fire and the original Blade Runner, but did you know he cannot read a single line of music? He’s not the only musical genius who is musically illiterate: Pavarotti and Jimi Hendrix couldn’t read music either.
When Christopher Walken was 16 years old, he worked several odd jobs, one of which was as a lion tamer in a circus. Well, he was the assistant lion tamer to head tamer, Terrel Jacobs. “When he [Terrel Jacobs] would finish his act, there would be one lion left, and I used to go in and have this lion do tricks. It was a female lion named Sheba, and she was very sweet,” Walken said in an interview with Vanity Fair.
Equality and civil rights for African Americans were Martin Luther King Jr.’s main passions, but he was also a huge Star Trek fan. He was especially impressed by actress Nichelle Nichol’s role as Lt. Nyota Uhura on the show, a Black woman cast in a leader position. In 1966, Nichols wanted to quit the show to pursue a career on Broadway, but MLK convinced her to stay, which she did.
Nolan Gould plays the dumbest Dunphy sibling on Modern Family, but did you know that he is an actual genius in real life? He is a member of Mensa and has an IQ of 150, and he graduated from high school at the age of 13.
You don't think of the original Star Wars without thinking of the hunky Harrison Ford as Han Solo. But he almost didn’t get the role. He was working as a carpenter, installing a door for Francis Ford Coppola when George Lucas stopped by and was convinced to let Ford read some lines for the movie.
Pop star Ke$ha has never been known for her conventional ways. But in 2014, she set off even more unconventional alerts when she returned for a stint in rehab and thanked her fans for their support. That's a nice gesture, but she followed up the gratitude by asking them to send her unwanted samples of their teeth, because she reportedly had a pearly-white craft project in the works at rehab. Considering some of the lyrics of Ke$ha's hit songs, she more than likely received at least one ivory washed in a bottle of Jack.
Elvis Presley is known for many things: his dulcet voice; his sinful, gyrating pelvis; and his jet-black coiffed hair. One of those things on the list is totally fake, though — and it’s not his pelvis. No, Elvis was a natural blond. In his earlier days, he even admitted to coloring his hair with black shoe polish to achieve his signature look.
Comedian Rob Riggle could probably make you pee your pants laughing, but he could also make you pee your pants in fear. Before The Daily Show and 21 Jump Street, Riggle was in the US Marine Corps for over 20 years. He served in Liberia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan as he rose through the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel.
Did you know that NSYNC’s existence totally depended failed audition for the Backstreet Boys? Chris Kirkpatrick had tried out for the “edgy” member of the group, which ultimately went to AJ. But, infamous manager Lou Pearlman wasn’t done with Kirkpatrick yet. He asked him to find a bunch of guys for another group, and just like that, NSYNC was born.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi was very close to becoming a much more surreal film about space than how it officially turned out. David Lynch was very close to directing the Star Wars film — even going so far as to meet with George Lucas about the gig. If it had worked out, the film probably would’ve ended up looking more like Dune than the Return of the Jedi we know and love today.
Katy Perry has always been one to rock boundaries as much as she rocks out, and this little-known fact is no exception. Apparently, the singer collects locks of hair from her celeb pals. Then, she ties little bows on them and tucks them away in her purse, like little friendship/voodoo talismans. Reportedly she has at least Miley Cyrus's hair in her collection as well as that of her long-time nemesis, Taylor Swift. So it might not be a token of goodwill, after all.
Before Steve Buscemi’s beautiful face made us fall in love with him in Adam Sandler comedy classics and Coen brothers movies, he had a hot career as an NYC firefighter. He worked as a firefighter in NYC’s Little Italy for four years beginning in 1980. During 9/11, he once again strapped back into his gear and assisted the FDNY on the ground.
Although today she portrays a much different persona than her younger, darker years, it's still a stretch to think of Angelina Jolie as a funeral home director, which at one point in time was her occupation of choice. According to an interview with 60 Minutes, It sounds like this very strange, eccentric, dark thing to do but in fact I lost my grandfather and was very upset with his funeral. How somebody passes and how family deals with this passing and what death is should be addressed in a different way. If this whole acting thing didn't work out that was going to be my path.
Before Jerry Springer was hosting redneck fights and paternity test smackdowns on his talk show, he was a successful politician. He was so successful, in fact, that he served as mayor of Cincinnati in 1977. Then going by Gerald, Springer was elected mayor after resigning from the city council in the midst of a prostitution scandal.He was re-elected to the council by being frank about his role in the scandal, having paid two prostitutes with checks. Following his time as mayor, Springer sought the governor's office in 1982, but didn't receive the Democratic nomination. From there he went on to become a well-respected journalist and Emmy Award-winning news anchor. So, when did he become synonymous with fist fights on daytime TV? He started The Jerry Springer Show in 1993, and increasingly brought on the most scandalous guests he could find for the shock value and ratings. Still, he ended every episode with a moral lesson.
Bill Murray got arrested on his 20th birthday at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago with 10 pounds of marijuana that totaled about $20,000 in 1970. He was traveling back to school to continue his pre-med studies. However, after his arrest he decided to drop out before he was kicked out. But now we can be thankful he decided to go into comedy, though he may have made a great doctor.
Oh, Madonna. This figure of greatness launched a skincare line called MDNA Skin, and it includes a clay mask that somehow comes with a magnetic wand with which to remove it. The cost of this is $600, but that's less shocking than what Madonna herself actually does with the mask — she wears it on her butt. "Don't you want soft skin on your butt?" She reportedly responded when questioned by reporters.
