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4* Creator/MahershalaAli, back when his name was Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, played NCAA Division I basketball at Saint Mary's College in the San Francisco Bay Area.
5* Creator/MichaelJAnderson, best known as the Man from Another Place in ''Series/TwinPeaks'', also was a programmer for UsefulNotes/{{NASA}}.
6* Creator/JulieAndrews also writes children's fantasy novels, and has been doing so for some time.
7* Creator/RowanAtkinson is an electrical engineer and a sports car connoisseur who even appeared on ''Series/TopGear''.
8* While mostly known for her work in anime dubs and video games, Creator/CheramiLeigh also had [[Series/NineOneOne a]] [[Series/NCISLosAngeles few]] [[Series/FridayNightLights roles]] [[Series/WalkerTexasRanger in]] [[Series/TheDeepEnd live]] [[Film/NotCool action works from time to time.]]
9* Major Attaway, the Genie in the Broadway version of ''{{WesternAnimation/Aladdin}}'', actually did some anime voice acting before heading to Broadway. Notable roles include [[Manga/OnePiece Mad Monk Urouge]] and [[Manga/FairyTail White Knight Arcadios]].
10* Creator/RichardAyoade -- Moss from ''Series/TheITCrowd'', Dean Learner from ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace'' -- also directed [[http://www.listal.com/list/videos-directed-richard-ayoade quite a few music videos.]]
11* Fans of ''Film/{{Borat}}'' may be surprised to see Creator/SachaBaronCohen playing supporting roles in stylized period pieces like ''Theatre/SweeneyTodd'', ''Film/{{Les Miserables|2012}}'', ''Film/TheTrialOfTheChicago7'' (Oscar nomination for Supporting Actor) or even ''Film/{{Hugo}}'' (albeit typically in roles that still allow for a certain amount of comic relief). And then there's the miniseries Series/TheSpy, based on the real story of Israeli spy Eli Cohen, with Sacha Baron Cohen in the titular role - no comic relief whatsoever, ultimately a tragic fate, and wholly unlike most of his other roles.
12* John Beradino, who played Dr. Steve Hardy on ''Series/GeneralHospital'' from the show's 1963 debut to his death in 1996, previously played shortstop and outfield for several UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball teams, even winning a World Series in the process, with the Cleveland Indians in 1948.
13* Creator/MayimBialik, whose first big splash was as the title character in ''Series/{{Blossom}}'', temporarily left acting and obtained a [=PhD=] in neuroscience. When she returned to acting with a role on ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', her character Amy Farrah Fowler was also a neuroscientist.
14* Anime dub voice actor J. David Brimmer is also a Broadway fight choreographer.
15* Dan Blocker, who played "Hoss" Cartwright on ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'', also founded the Bonanza Steakhouse chain, which later ended up as a division of Ponderosa Steakhouse.
16* The late Creator/MaddieBlaustein, best known for being the original voice of Meowth in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', Yugi's grandfather in ''Anime/YuGiOh'', and Jillas in the third season of ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'', among several other voice roles was also a comics creator, being a writer for several titles including many from Creator/MilestoneComics and additionally an editor for several Marvel titles including ''ComicBook/WebOfSpiderMan'' early in its run.
17* Tyler Bunch is known for his puppetry, most notably playing Treelo and Pop from ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'', Grampu from ''Series/{{Oobi}}'', and Elmo's dad from ''Series/SesameStreet''. However, he also did voiceover for ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', under the pseudonym of H.D. Quinn. Among his most notable roles in the show include Hawlucha, Lysandre, and Incineroar (who he also voiced in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'').
18* Steve Burns, the original host of ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues,'' is also an indie rocker. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuSX53L66iU Here he is covering a]] Music/TheyMightBeGiants song.
19* Creator/TedCassidy, pre-[[Series/TheAddamsFamily Lurch]], was a DJ on WFAA radio in Dallas, and was working the day of the assassination of UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy, helping to give updates.
20* Ardwight Chamberlain was known as the actor who played Ambassador Kosh in ''Series/Babylon5'', but before that he was also one of the GagDub writers for ''Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats''.
21* Creator/JackieChan is known worldwide for his action movies, combining martial arts with slapstick choreography. While some fans outside of southeast Asia know he's also a director and producer, very few know that he's also an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6IYt2qMj1A accomplished singer.]] In fact, he did his own singing when he voiced Shang in the Chinese dub of ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}''! (Fans outside of China got to hear him sing during the Closing Ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.)
22* Creator/CharlieChaplin is certainly known best for his classic Mutual shorts and films like ''Film/TheGreatDictator'' and ''Film/CityLights''. Perhaps that's why so many are surprised by his [[BlackComedy very dark comedy]] ''Film/MonsieurVerdoux'', which is about a [[TheBluebeard Bluebeard]]. No {{slapstick}}, no [[AllLoveIsUnrequited bittersweet limerence]], no {{parody}}, just humour centered around a man who robs his many wives of their money, and collects the rest when he kills them. Another way of looking at this film: Did you know Creator/OrsonWelles wrote a Chaplin movie?
23** Chaplin also composed the tune that became the song "Smile" as part of the soundtrack for one of his movies.
24* Creator/CamClarke is a prolific voice actor of cartoons and video games. But he's also a singer, and in 1999 released the album ''Inside Out'', a collection of {{Cover Version}}s of love songs sung from a StraightGay man's prospective.
25* Creator/MishaCollins is known for being an actor, but he also did a stint in politics, set up [=TheRandomAct=] charity, published poems, worked as a carpenter and woodworker, and worked in construction.
26* Creator/IanJamesCorlett is best known as a cartoon (and early in his career, anime) voice actor but he also has a fair number of writer/producer credits on cartoons, most of which are obscure outside Canada. Among these include three episodes of the ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'' animated series.
27* Canadian voice actress Creator/AlysonCourt, best remembered for her role as Loonette on ''Series/TheBigComfyCouch'', provided the English names of the Robot Masters for ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'', giving them a Music/GunsNRoses theme. She was also the Motion Capture Director for ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak''...and part time motion-capture actress, despite being pregnant with her son at the time. She also hosted the Creator/{{CBC}} block ''Series/GetSetForLife'' and, as a child, played a small role in ''Film/SesameStreetPresentsFollowThatBird''.
28* Creator/BryanCranston voiced some of the monsters in ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers''. The producers homaged him by giving his surname to the Blue Ranger, Billy, and Cranston would eventually return the break he was given by voicing Zordon in ''Film/PowerRangers2017''.
29* Creator/MichaelCrawford, who originated the title role in Creator/AndrewLloydWebber's ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' and went on to a successful recording and concert career, was first famous as a light comedy actor, with appearances in several of Richard Lester's films (''Film/TheKnackandHowToGetIt'', ''Theatre/AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum'', etc.) and a popular [=BBC=] sitcom (''Series/SomeMothersDoAveEm''). He also played Cornelius in the movie of ''Film/HelloDolly'', and it's two of his musical numbers that figure prominently in ''WesternAnimation/WallE''.
30* Creator/ElizabethDaily is not only a prolific voice actor, but also a singer. She contributed two songs to the soundtrack of ''Film/Scarface1983'': "Shake it Up" and "I'm Hot Tonight".
31* Creator/JimDale is most known for his roles in ''Film/PetesDragon1977'' and ''Series/PushingDaisies'', as well as his award-winning performances as narrator of the U.S. ''Literature/HarryPotter'' audio books. But many don't know he was also a lyricist and pop singer early in his career, penning the Oscar-nominated title song from ''Film/GeorgyGirl'' and having several songs top the UK Singles Chart in the late 50s.
32* Porn star Dani Daniels is also an artist in the pointillism style under the name [[https://www.kiraleeart.com/ Kira Lee]] (link safe for work).
33* Creator/PatrickDempsey, of ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' fame, is a race car driver in his spare time, having competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona among other events. In''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'', [[ActorAllusion his character is]] a collector, restorer and racer of vintage racing cars.
34* Jerry Doyle (Michael Garabaldi on ''Series/BabylonFive'') was a stockbroker and corporate jet pilot. After his acting career began, he became a radio talk show host.
35* Ja'Net [=DuBois=], of ''Series/GoodTimes'' fame, also composed and sang the theme from ''Series/TheJeffersons''.
36* While he was starting out as an actor, Creator/MichaelClarkeDuncan worked as a bodyguard for celebrities like Creator/WillSmith, Creator/JamieFoxx, Music/LLCoolJ, and Music/TheNotoriousBIG. Duncan quit working as a bodyguard after B.I.G.'s death in 1997 and moved full-time to acting.
37* Creator/AdrianEdmondson, best known for causing trails of destruction in ''Series/TheYoungOnes'' and ''Series/{{Bottom}}'' is also a well-known video director (for The Pogues among others) and musician with The Bad Shepherds.
38* Creator/BobEinstein, who used his 6' 4" frame to great comedic effect as [[Series/SuperDave Super Dave Osborne]], played basketball at Beverly Hills High School and Chapman University.
39* Creator/CarrieFisher was best known for playing Princess Leia in the Franchise/StarWars films. She also wrote novels, nonfiction, plays, and screenplays, and was one of the most sought-after script doctors in Hollywood, punching up the scripts for ''Film/{{Hook}}'', ''Film/SisterAct'', ''Film/TheWeddingSinger'', and the Star Wars prequels, among others.
40* Fannie Flagg, actress and regular ''Series/MatchGame'' panelist, wrote the novel ''Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe'', which would later become the film ''Film/FriedGreenTomatoes''. She was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay.
41* Creator/ClarkGable served during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII as a squadron commander, though he was only able to fly a few missions before his employers at MGM pulled strings to have him rotated stateside due to an incident where a piece of flak narrowly missed hitting him in the head (Gable was ''the'' A-list actor at the time). After it became clear that he was not going to be sent back into combat, he requested and received a discharge based on his being too old to serve in combat (he was 41 when the US entered the war). As it happens, his discharge papers were signed by Captain UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan. Which was probably just as well, as UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler [[AbhorrentAdmirer was a huge fan]], and offered a bounty to anyone who could [[BringHimToMe bring Gable to him alive.]]
42* Creator/HollyGauthierFrankel, the voice of ''WesternAnimation/SagwaTheChineseSiameseCat'', was a burlesque performer for a while.
43* Creator/JeffGoldblum first found fame as an actor, but as a teen he was a good enough jazz pianist to find work performing in nightclubs in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Over the years his piano skills were occasionally worked into his movie and TV roles; by TheNew10s he had a weekly gig at the Rockwell club in Los Angeles performing with his band The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra when he wasn't busy with acting work. They released their first album of standards in 2018 and it sold so well that their ''second'' album arrived the following year.
44* Creator/ClarkGregg is best known as an actor, but also wrote ''Film/WhatLiesBeneath''.
45* Creator/DanaiGurira, best known for playing Michonne on ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'' and Okoye from ''Film/BlackPanther2018'', is also an acclaimed playwright whose work has been performed on Broadway.
46* Creator/NataliaGuseva played [[Literature/AliceGirlFromTheFuture Alisa]] in ''Series/GuestFromTheFuture'', and is a biochemist.
47* Creator/MarkHamill is best known as Luke Skywalker from ''Franchise/StarWars''. He has done a ''lot'' more voice work, most famously as ComicBook/TheJoker in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', but he also appeared in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' (as Fire Lord Ozai) and the English dub of ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'', as well as ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' (as the Shape Shifter). He also cameoed in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' as himself, ''and'' played the southern DrillSergeantNasty who trains Homer in the same episode.
48* Creator/MarkHarmon, the son of Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon, had a decent UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootball career of his own, as the starting quarterback for the UCLA Bruins in 1972 and 1973. He also coauthored the nonfiction book ''Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor''.
49* Creator/PhilHartman was a renowned graphic designer who came up with the Music/CrosbyStillsAndNash logo and designed album covers for bands like Poco and REO Speedwagon. He also co-wrote the screenplay to ''Pee-Wee's Big Adventure'', having worked with Creator/PaulReubens in the Groundlings comedy troupe.
50* Veteran character actor Wings Hauser pursued a singing career in The70s under the name Wings Livinryte, releasing [[OneBookAuthor one album]] on Creator/RCARecords, which included a CoverVersion of Music/RandyNewman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On".
51* Several decades before appearing in twenty-three of the ''Film/CarryOn'' films, British actor Creator/CharlesHawtrey was a famous boy soprano, and his early acting career includes the now lost 1934 film ''Murder at Monte Carlo'' starring a then-little-known Australian actor called Creator/ErrolFlynn ([[http://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/2014/11/01/stills-from-errols-lost-film-murder-at-monte-carlo-1934/ a publicity still featuring Flynn and Hawtrey]] is among the few pieces of evidence that the film existed).
52* Everyone loves how Creator/DavidHayter, [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Solid Snake]] himself, is a successful screenwriter who wrote the screenplay for the first two ''[[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]]'' films. He also did a draft of ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'' and ended up being one of the credited screenwriters for that too.
53* David Hemmings, the star of Antonioni's ''Film/{{Blowup}}'', began as a boy soprano and originated the role of Miles in Britten's opera version of ''Literature/TheTurnOfTheScrew''. Later in his career, he directed films and many episodes of television shows.
54* Creator/AudreyHepburn lived in the Netherlands as a teenager during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, where she supported [[LaResistance the Dutch Resistance]] as a courier and raising funds for them by performing ballet. Later in life she worked extensively with UNICEF.
55* Creator/BridgetHoffman, a voice actress known for voicing roles like [[Anime/DigimonTamers Jeri Katou]] and [[VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} KOS-MOS]], is actually the woman used in promotional material for ''[[Film/TheEvilDead1981 The Evil Dead]]''--most notably shown the movies's iconic poster.
56* Creator/JohnIngle, who played Edward Quartermaine on ''Series/GeneralHospital'' for almost two decades (TheCharacterDiedWithHim), along with memorable appearances in things like ''Film/TrueStories'' and ''[[Series/TheOfficeUs The Office]]'' (as Dunder-Mifflin co-founder Robert Dunder), was a drama teacher at Hollywood High School and Beverly Hills High School before turning to acting full-time, with a long list of famous students, including Creator/AlbertBrooks, Creator/NicolasCage, Creator/RichardDreyfuss, Creator/BarbaraHershey, Creator/JulieKavner, Creator/SwoosieKurtz and Creator/DavidSchwimmer.
57* [[CatchPhrase Little known fact]], [[Series/TheMaskedSinger look it up,]] Creator/KenJeong is a licensed medical doctor. He began performing in theater and comedy while a medical student in North Carolina, and worked at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in Los Angeles while also doing stand-up at local clubs. He gave up the practice in 2006 after his role (as a doctor, no less) in ''Film/KnockedUp'', but still maintains his medical license. He absolutely never mentions this.
58* Mickey Jones, the go-to character actor for big, menacing biker/redneck-types (such as the mechanic in ''Film/NationalLampoonsVacation'') was a drummer in the 60s and 70s, working with Johnny Rivers, Music/KennyRogers and most famously Music/BobDylan on his chaotic 1966 European tour.
59* Sam Jones, best known for his portrayal of Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}, these days has his own private security firm, which provides bodyguard services for traveling in high-risk regions around the world. He served in the Marines before his acting career, which probably helps.
60* Creator/MontyPython alum Terry Jones was a noted history enthusiast. He's hosted a compelling three-part documentary series called ''The Crusades'', about, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Crusades]]. Like his compatriot Palin, his sense of humor makes the subject matter more entertaining. At one point he compares the original cult of Assassins to the ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' sketch "Kamikaze Highlanders". He also attempted to stage an interview with a goose, supposedly the direct descendant of a divinely inspired goose that served as the mascot for a crusader band. The really sad part is, that divinely inspired goose actually existed. Amusingly, he voices the audio tour at Doune Castle in Scotland, where much of ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' was filmed (due to budget constraints, the castle stands in for ''every single castle in the film'' besides Castle Aaaaaargh and Camelot), and has optional fun facts for Python fans in each room.
61* Brad Kane, most famous as the singing voice of ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', is now a writer and producer and co-wrote and co-produced several episodes of ''Series/{{Fringe}}''.
62* Creator/BorisKarloff started out as a stage-trained character in silent movies, then graduated to playing Literature/FuManchu, Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'s monster, the Mummy, and associated mad scientists and crazy people in horror films. He was also the voice actor for the narration ''and'' the Grinch in the animated ''WesternAnimation/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas''. He also played the titular police detective, specializing in the LockedRoomMystery, in the 1950s TV series ''Colonel March of Scotland Yard''.
63* Voice actor Creator/KiyoshiKobayashi, best known as the voice of Daisuke Jigen in ''Manga/LupinIII'', did some camera work for Creator/TMSEntertainment in the late '80s, most notably for ''Anime/{{Akira}}''.
64* Creator/JeffKober, specialist in playing psychotic villains, has an unexpected side gig as a meditation instructor. He's a musician, photographer and painter as well.
65* Steven Kynman, a UK-based voice actor known for his roles in ''WesternAnimation/FiremanSam'' and ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'', is also a puppeteer, who even played some extras in ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland''.
66* Creator/HedyLamarr (no, not [[Film/BlazingSaddles Hedley]]) was best known as Creator/{{MGM}}'s biggest star. She also had a patent for frequency-hopping spread spectrum, which would eventually lay the groundwork for communications technology that's currently used in Wi-Fi networks. Nowadays it's started to flip the other way and she's increasingly noted for being an inventor who incidentally also made a few movies.
67* Creator/MartinLandau started out as a staff cartoonist for the ''New York Daily News'' before he moved into acting.
68* Creator/HughLaurie, an actor known for his roles on ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'', ''Series/{{House}}'', and ''Series/JeevesAndWooster'', also wrote ''Literature/TheGunSeller'', a novel which parodies the spy genre, and has released two music albums. He both wrote for and appeared in ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie''. Granted, this is likely to happen regardless of how you get to know him. Fans of ''Series/{{House}}'' may be surprised to find out about his earlier comedy work (or even the fact that he's actually British), while fans who got to know his hilarious performances and strange characters in ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'' and ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' will likely be surprised to learn he played the lead in an American medical drama. Not to mention that in his uni days, he represented [[UsefulNotes/{{Oxbridge}} Cambridge]] in rowing, making their first eight for the 1980 Boat Race (which Oxford won).
69* Creator/ChristopherLee: Most prolific actor, opera aficionado, expert fencer, [[{{Omniglot}} master of languages]] who would often dub himself, occult buff, former WWII commando, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvKRbi2ovDY sometime Heavy Metal singer]].
70* Creator/JasonLee was a prominent professional skateboarder before becoming a full-time actor. Lee is heralded as one of the greatest street skaters of all time, influential for his ability of free-flowing combo strings, and is credited with at least codifying, if not outright inventing, the 360 kickflip.[[note]]Rodney Mullen is typically regarded as the original inventor, years prior to Lee, but Mullen himself gives full credit to Lee for it[[/note]] He was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2019.
71* Actor Sheldon Leonard is most familiar to modern audiences as Nick the bartender from ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' ("Out you two pixies go, through the door, or out the window!"). Later, he became a prominent TV producer, in which capacity he helped create ''Series/TheAndyGriffithShow'' among other classic sitcoms. (Oh, and he was the namesake for two main characters on ''Series/TheBigBangTheory''.)
72* Chad Letts, voice of Hiro in ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'', actually went on to become a prolific voice-over artist for commercials. Depending on how you look at it, ''Hiro'' might be the example of "he also did", but to this day he keeps it in his portfolio. He made his return to video game voice acting for ''[[VideoGame/SummonNight Summon Night 6]]''.
73* Creator/ShariLewis of Lamb Chop fame co-wrote the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "The Lights of Zetar".
74* Many people don't realize that actress Creator/LindsayLohan has her own fashion company called 6126; she also has a brand of tanning lotion called [=Seven9ine=].
75* Creator/DolphLundgren is a trained chemical engineer. And he [[ScienceCocktail does actually put it to good use]].
76* Creator/LeeMajors is well-known as Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan and--[[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff if you happen to live in Germany]]--Series/TheFallGuy. What only few people know is that he also sang the theme song for the latter show which technically makes him a country singer.
77* Creator/{{Mako}} is best known for his voice acting turns as [[WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack Aku]], [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Uncle Iroh]], and [[WesternAnimation/{{TMNT}} Master Splinter]] but he was also known as being quite the actor in front of the camera, having been nominated for an Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1966 for ''The Sand Pebbles''. He also starred in the original production of ''Theatre/PacificOvertures''.
78* Creator/SteveMartin, the Wild and Crazy Guy? He's also an accomplished banjo player who's performed with Earl Scruggs. He also wrote the serious novella ''Literature/{{Shopgirl}}'', which he starred in the movie adaptation of. He also did writing on the thriller ''Traitor'' starring Don Cheadle, and also pens editorial pieces for ''The New Yorker'', many of which were collected in the book ''Pure Drivel''.
79* Herbert "Zeppo" Marx of the Creator/MarxBrothers invented a type of watch with a built-in heart rate monitor, as well as a new kind of heating pad. His engineering company also popularized the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marman_Clamp Marman Clamp]], which is still widely used for aerospace applications.
80* Creator/DavidMcCallum, most famous as Illya Kuryakin on ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'' and "Ducky" Mallard on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', is also an accomplished composer and orchestral conductor (following in the footsteps of his father - cf. the Music section), having released four albums for Creator/CapitolRecords between 1966 and 1968. One of his works, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12jUJZC5ARo "The Edge"]], is one of the most sampled pieces of music in hip-hop to date.
81* Creator/ScottMcCord -- the voice of such characters as Owen, Trent, Jacques and Brody in ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' and Dan Kuso in ''[[Anime/{{Bakugan}} Bakugan Battle Brawlers]]'' -- has a prolific career on stage in both New York and Toronto, and is also an accomplished bluesman, having released two albums and having been nominated for a Maple Blues Award in 2010.
82* Creator/GatesMcFadden -- Doctor Crusher from ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' -- was also a choreographer for the Jim Henson Workshop, working on such films as ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' and ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}''. For the latter, she was credited with her first name as Cheryl [=McFadden=].
83* Screen and voice actress Creator/DanicaMcKellar has also written six books about mathematics. As a math major at UCLA, she cowrote a research paper with her professor and another student. The theorem they developed is called the Chayes–[=McKellar=]–Winn theorem.
84* Creator/MarinMiller, best known for their work in anime dubbing, has 20 years of singing experience in opera, musical theater, worship and pop rock. They were an ensemble leader for several years in the Golden State Pops Orchestra, the California Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera. They also performed as a costumed theme park character/scare actor for half a decade and was one of only two people assigned female at birth to portray Franchise/{{Shrek}} at Universal Studios Hollywood.
85* While it's fairly well-known that Creator/DudleyMoore was a classically-trained pianist and led his own {{Jazz}} trio for years alongside his comedy and acting, not many people are aware that one of his songs, the 1971 {{Jazz}}-{{Funk}}-{{Scatting}} piece "Song for Suzy", climbed up to #9 on the [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Australian pop chart]].
86* Creator/JulianneMoore wrote several successful books for children.
87* Stephanie Morgenstern, the voice of Sailor Venus in the Creator/DICEntertainment dub of ''Anime/SailorMoon'', co-created ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'' and ''Series/XCompany'' with her husband Mark Ellis.
88* Creator/RobMorrow, star of ''Series/NorthernExposure'' and ''Series/Numb3rs'', is also a singer and songwriter and co-wrote ''Doof's Evil Hideout Vacation Swap'' for the ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' season 4 episode "Live and Let Drive".
89* Creator/MartinMull first gained notice as a comedic singer-songwriter (sometimes described as being like a LighterAndSofter counterpart of Music/RandyNewman). He released 7 albums in The70s, and has had a couple of compilation albums of his work. Even before that, though, he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and has been a prolific painter as well.
90* Frankie Muniz of ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' fame is also a race car driver and the drummer for the band Kingsfoil.
91* George Nader (a.k.a. the guy from ''Film/RobotMonster'') wrote [[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2294631.Chrome a science fiction novel]].
92* Jerry Nelson, a puppeteer for Franchise/TheMuppets, was also a talented singer and songwriter who also played guitar and ukulele. He recorded an album called ''Truro Daydreams'', released in 2009. Also, before joining the Muppet team, he had a few minor/walk-on roles on TV shows in The50s and The60s like ''The Defenders'' (a speaking role) and ''Naked City'', as well as some commercials around that time ([[http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/nelson1.shtml "I think one was a roll-on deodorant"]], he claims). In addition, it has been theorized that he voiced Pete and Paganini for Creator/{{PBS}}'s P-Pals bumpers. While this can neither be confirmed nor denied, he ''did'' have a voice acting role on ''WesternAnimation/SheepInTheBigCity'', in 2002.
93* Creator/LeonardNimoy directed ''Film/ThreeMenAndABaby'' (the highest-grossing film of 1987) and ''The Good Mother'' (as well as the less-surprising ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock''). He also released five albums, directed music videos, acted in many non-Franchise/StarTrek-related roles, and (most notably) was a successful photographer.
94* Creator/NolanNorth is an videogame voice-acting superstar. He also played the dad to one of the main-characters in the teen drama-series ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars''.
95* Creator/ConanOBrien started out as a writer for ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
96* Before his breakout role in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', Creator/MasiOka was a CG animator for Industrial Light & Magic who worked on all three ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequels.
97* Creator/FrankOz is known as the voice of several {{Muppet}}s, including Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Grover, and [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda]]. (He was also the Hands of the Swedish Chef while Jim Henson did the head and voice.) However, he also directed ''Film/LittleShopOfHorrors'' (which, after all, uses puppetry to portray a major character), ''Film/TheStepfordWives2004'' remake, ''Film/DirtyRottenScoundrels'', and the original British version of ''Death at a Funeral''.
98* Creator/PauleyPerrette has earned a cult following for her role as PerkyGoth forensics expert Abby Sciuto on ''Series/{{NCIS}}''. Many people don't know that Perrette actually holds a master's degree in forensic science.
99* Karen Prell is another Muppet performer who has branched into this trope. She's best known as the voice of [[Series/FraggleRock Red Fraggle]], but she's also done computer animating gigs for Creator/{{Pixar}} and Creator/ValveSoftware.
100* Creator/VincentPrice is best known for his horror roles, but most of his early work was dramatic, and he also took a few voice acting roles, notably in ''WesternAnimation/TheThirteenGhostsOfScoobyDoo'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective''. He was also well-known as an art collector (he donated 90 pieces of art to a community college, making it the first community college to have such a collection), and as a noted gourmet cook (authoring several cookbooks, and once giving a demonstration on ''Series/TheTonightShow Starring Johnny Carson'' of how to poach a fish in the dishwasher). He also spoke several languages and was an opera-grade singer. During a segment on ''What's My Line?'' where the blindfolded regulars were supposed to guess his identity by listening to his voice and his answers to their questions, he ''sang all his answers in French'' to keep them from recognizing his distinctive voice. Furthermore, the monologue at the end of Music/MichaelJackson's "Thriller" was spoken by him, including the EvilLaugh.
101* Creator/JohnCReilly isn't just an Oscar-nominated actor. He also sings and plays guitar. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSj7aziI4BM Here he is singing with Becky Stark.]] He also did his own drumming in ''Film/StepBrothers''. Furthermore, he's one of the most versatile actors out there - it's almost hard to believe that the same guy who starred in comedies like ''Film/WalkHard'', ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' and the aforementioned ''Step Brothers'' is the same guy who starred in deep, dramatic movies like ''Film/WeNeedToTalkAboutKevin'' and ''Film/{{Magnolia}}''.
102* Ariana Richards, most famous as Lex in ''Franchise/JurassicPark'', is an accomplished professional oil painter.
103* Creator/MaximilianSchell, Oscar-winning actor, was an accomplished pianist in his spare time, playing with orchestras and composers like Leonard Bernstein.
104* John Schneider and Tom Wopat, the two leads of ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'', were both successful CountryMusic singers in The80s, with the former even having four #1 hits. Schneider also appeared in the ScreenToStageAdaptation of ''Film/GrandHotel'' in 1991.
105* Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger - the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'', ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'', ''Film/HerculesInNewYork'', the ''Film/KindergartenCop'' - was Governor of California. He also was a competitive bodybuilder.
106* Creator/MichaelShannon, famous for his roles in ''Literature/RevolutionaryRoad'', ''Film/ManOfSteel'' and ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'', performs in an indie band called Corporal. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbjiGztNpuE Here's video proof.]]
107* Creator/RobertShaw of ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' and ''Film/TheTakingOfPelhamOneTwoThree'' was not only an actor but an accomplished playwright, screenwriter and novelist. His best-known play, ''Film/TheManInTheGlassBooth'', was produced on Broadway starring Creator/DonaldPleasence and then Creator/LeonardNimoy in the title role, and also was made into a film starring Maximilian Schell.
108* Long before [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} transitioning]] and becoming an actor, Creator/BrianMichaelSmith became the first person assigned female at birth to score a varsity touchdown in the State of Michigan on September 17, 1999.
109* Lily Snowden-Fine, the original voice of WesternAnimation/PeppaPig, is also an accomplished, award-winning artist who has done pieces for Canada’s ''Globe and Mail'' and ''The New York Times''.
110* Carlo Pedersoli was a musician, an inventor and an Olympic swimmer. He also was Creator/BudSpencer.
111* Tyrone Savage (better known as the voice actor of [[Literature/{{Redwall}} Matthias, Warrior of Redwall]]) is also a theater director.
112* Creator/SylvesterStallone is more than a muscle-packed action film actor. Many of his films from The70s and The80s border on one-man shows: He wrote the script, produced them, directed them and played the lead role. He is also almost solely responsible for the ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'' sequel ''Film/StayingAlive'' for which his brother Frank provided half the soundtrack.
113* Voice actor Creator/StephenStanton was also a special effects artist on (amongst others) ''Film/LastActionHero'', ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' and ''Film/Armageddon1998''.
114* Many ''Franchise/StarTrek'' alumni have made the jump to the director's chair. Creator/JonathanFrakes has directed episodes of ''Series/BurnNotice'', ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', ''Series/PersonsUnknown'', ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' and ''Series/CovertAffairs'', as well as a couple of episodes of ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'' (including the sci-fi themed ep named, "The Final Frontier"); Robert [=McNeill=] has directed many episodes of ''Series/{{Chuck}}''; and Roxann Dawson has directed ''Series/TheCloser''. Dawson also has an incredibly prolific career as a TV Producer.
115* [[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]]: In addition to being an accomplished movie star (famous in particular for ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife''), he was also a private pilot, which lead to him serving in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, rising to the rank of Colonel and serving as a Wing Commander by war's end. He went on to serve in the Reserves during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar and retired as a Brigadier General in 1968. In fact, more than a few celebrities who were eligible to serve during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII did so.
116* Creator/WandaSykes worked as a contracting specialist at the National Security Agency before she went into standup comedy.
117* While known for the voice of [[Manga/OnePiece Monkey D. Luffy]] nowadays, in Japan, Creator/MayumiTanaka had also been well known for her role in the ''[[Anime/MashinHeroWataruSeries Mashin Eiyūden Wataru]]'' franchise [[note]]best known in the U.S. for its incarnation as a Platform/TurboGrafx16 game, which was released as ''VideoGame/KeithCourageInAlphaZones'' in that territory[[/note]] as the title character.
118* Later in life, child actress Creator/ShirleyTemple became an ambassador to the UN, chief of protocol for the State Department, and Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.
119* Creator/LeaThompson has directed episodes of shows like ''Series/TheGoldbergs'', ''Series/YoungSheldon'', and ''Series/StarTrekPicard''.
120* Creator/JenniferTilly, she of the big-boobed bimbo roles, has also won a bracelet in the World Series of TabletopGame/{{Poker}}. In fact, this is a subgenre, as many actors are at least passable in poker (notably Gabe Kaplan, Dick Van Patten (whose son Vince calls the World Poker Tour), Mimi Rogers, and Lou Diamond Phillips, just to name a few).
121* Creator/StephenTobolowsky is also a writer and director, mainly writing plays and directing theatre, but he's directed some short films and one full-length feature (the 1988 comedy ''Two Idiots in Hollywood''), and helped Music/DavidByrne with the script for ''Film/TrueStories'' (though Byrne ended up rewriting it himself, but credited Tobolowsky to make the film look like less of a VanityProject). In his teen years back in The60s he was in a short-lived GarageRock band called A Cast of Thousands which also included a similarly-young Music/StevieRayVaughan on guitar.
122* Creator/DickVanDyke is well-known for his acting. He's also done 3D computer animation for years, even doing special effects for an episode of ''Series/DiagnosisMurder'' when there was no budget for a motorcycle crash.
123* Wrestling/JesseVentura, who appeared alongside Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger in ''Film/{{Predator}}'', is also a bodybuilder-turned-governor, also known for his time in ProfessionalWrestling.
124* It's fairly well-known that Creator/ChristopherWalken trained as a dancer before he focused full-time on acting. More obscure is that he worked as a lion tamer in a circus at one point, or that he had a busy career as a child actor on television in The50s (still billed as Ronnie Walken at that point in his career), or that among his early stage credits, he originated the role of King Philip in ''Theatre/TheLionInWinter'' on Broadway (Creator/TimothyDalton played the role in the movie).
125* Nancy Walker played Ida Morgenstern on ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' (and its spinoff ''Series/{{Rhoda}}''), and appeared in Bounty paper towel commercials. Much of her earlier career was in Broadway musicals, and it was perhaps for this reason that she was chosen to direct the infamous movie musical ''Film/CantStopTheMusic''.
126* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justine_Johnstone Justine Wanger]] (''née'' Johnstone) was a Ziegfeld Follies dancer and SilentMovie actress in the 1910s and TheRoaring20s. After she quit acting, she enrolled at Columbia University, where her research on plants impressed her instructor enough that she was invited to join the team that developed the modern intravenous slow-drip technique. Later on she became a noted pathologist and endocrinologist, investigating such varied topics as syphilis, hibernation, and artificial resuscitation.
127* Before going into acting, Michael Warren was a former college basketball star at UCLA who played for the school's national championship teams in 1967 and 1968; the latter of which saw him play alongside Creator/KareemAbdulJabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor; see the Athletes folder below), with the two later appearing together in ''Film/{{Airplane}}''.
128* Creator/JohnWayne was an uncredited producer for the Christmas featurette ''Film/SantaAndTheFairySnowQueen''.
129* Ty Webb, probably best known for his [[LargeHam hamtastic]] delivery as White Knight Leo in ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'', also had some bit roles in ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain'' and ''[[Anime/BattleAthletes Battle Athletes Victory]]''. Leo remains his only major role.
130* Creator/JohnnyWeissmuller is perhaps best known for his role in the ''Franchise/{{Tarzan}}'' film series. However, prior to that role, he had won five gold medals in swimming at the Olympic games.
131* Amusingly (since he played the multitalented RenaissanceMan [[Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension Buckaroo Banzai]]), Creator/PeterWeller is an accomplished {{Jazz}} trumpeter and also has a Ph.D. in art history, serving as an adjunct faculty member at Syracuse University at one point.
132* Creator/BobWest, the voice of [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney the Dinosaur]], is also an artist and graphic designer for film and television. Some of his credits include ''Series/TheMuppets2015'', ''Series/SingleParents'', ''Series/{{Speechless}}'', ''Series/{{Community}}'' and ''Series/{{Angel}}''.
133* In addition to voice acting (most famously, he was the original voice of Tigger in the Disney ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' adaptations), Paul Winchell was also a puppeteer, an acupuncturist, and an inventor -- his most famous inventions being the artificial heart and the blood plasma defroster.
134* Creator/HenryWinkler, best known for playing the Fonz from ''Series/HappyDays'', also wrote the ''Hank Zipzer'' series of children's books about a kid with dyslexia (which Winkler himself found out he had at 31).
135* Hillary Wolf, a child actress best known for playing one of the [=McAllister=] kids in the first two ''Film/HomeAlone'' movies, became an accomplished judoka, representing the US in Judo at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.
136* Ian Ziering, aka Steve Sanders from ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'', played Edison Trent from ''VideoGame/{{Freelancer}}''. Same goes for Creator/JohnRhysDavies, who played Gimli in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' and Tobias from said game.
137* Quite a few Texas-based voice actors also worked for Radio/RadioDisney, such as Dean Wendt, Creator/KaraEdwards, Creator/KyleHebert, Creator/SusanHuber and Creator/CheramiLeigh.
138* Magnus Roosmann of ''Series/YoungRoyals and ''Film/Evil2003'' is well known in Sweden for his various film, tv and theatre roles. What is much less known is that he voiced Metalseadramon and Puppetmon in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' - Roosman not typically doing voice work.
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142%% The entries in this folder are alphabetised by surname. Don't add an entry here at the end of the folder unless it's last alphabetically.
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145[[/folder]]
146
147[[folder:Directors & Producers]]
148* Eric Allard, special effects artist, associate producer of ''Film/ShortCircuit 2'' and second-unit director of ''Film/ClassOf1999'' is not only the one of the minds behind the now (in)famous ''Advertising/EnergizerBunny'' commercial campaign. But is responsible for contributing to several of Ride/UniversalStudios Florida's attractions, including the [[StuffBlowingUp firey climax]] of ''Jaws: The Ride'' and the Slime Geyser that stood outside [[Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} Nickelodeon Studios]] until its closure in 2005.
149* Creator/WoodyAllen plays the clarinet, and wrote several humorous essays and short stories.
150* Roger Allers, the director of the Disney [[EpicMovie epic]] ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'', also directed the zany animated comedy ''WesternAnimation/OpenSeason''.
151* Creator/RobertAltman was a prolific industrial film and TV director before finally establishing himself in feature films. He also occasionally dabbled in writing song lyrics. He wrote the lyrics for "Black Sheep", which hit #1 on the country charts in 1983 for John Anderson.
152* Creator/RalphBakshi is known for directing DerangedAnimation set primarily on the streets of New York, like ''WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat'', ''WesternAnimation/HeavyTraffic'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Coonskin}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/HeyGoodLookin'' as well as the fantasy films ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings'', and ''WesternAnimation/FireAndIce'', and the fairly realistically grounded ''WesternAnimation/AmericanPop''. Before Bakshi did the films that made him famous, he was an animator and director at Terrytoons studio. He even created a show for them called ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyHeroes''.
153* Creator/ChuckBarris, most famous for creating ''Series/TheDatingGame'', producing ''Series/TheNewlywedGame'', and creating and hosting ''Series/TheGongShow'', also wrote the hit song "Palisades Park" for Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon. However, he probably ''wasn't'' a CIA agent as he claims in his book (later a movie) ''Literature/ConfessionsOfADangerousMind''.
154* Steve Barron, director of the film adaptations for both ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1990'' and ''Film/{{Coneheads}}'' originally served as an assistant cameraman for ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' and ''Film/ABridgeTooFar'' before directing several well-known '80s music videos including Music/DireStraits' "Money For Nothing", Music/{{Toto}}'s "Africa", Music/MichaelJackson's "Billie Jean" and Music/{{Aha}}'s "Take On Me". He was also an executive producer on ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot''.
155* Creator/NoahBaumbach, a director known for grounded dramedies like ''Film/TheSquidAndTheWhale'', ''Film/FrancesHa'' and ''Film/MarriageStory'', also cowrote the screenplay for the animated family film ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar3EuropesMostWanted''. To be fair, this was mainly to pay off his divorce from Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh.
156* Creator/MichaelBay got his start in Hollywood directing music videos. One of the more infamous is the BeastAndBeauty ConceptVideo for Music/MeatLoaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)," making this both the fakest-sounding fact and the only option upon re-watch, as it features early elements of what would become Bay's signature style. Namely, an obsession with sunsets, stuff blowing up and getting smashed, and chase scenes.
157* By way of his production company Brooksfilm, Creator/MelBrooks produced the movie ''Film/TheElephantMan'', as well as the remake ''Film/TheFly1986''[[note]]Creator/DavidCronenberg credits him for coming up with the latter film's signature line "Be afraid. Be very afraid."[[/note]]. He deliberately didn't use his name in the marketing of either film because he didn't want people to think they were comedies. He also produced the film adaptation of ''84 Charing Cross Road'', staring Creator/AnthonyHopkins and Creator/AnneBancroft.
158* Before becoming a director, Creator/TimBurton was an animator and worked on such films as the Creator/RalphBakshi ''Lord of the Rings'', ''Film/{{Tron}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' (though many of his contributions were cut), and ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheHound''. He was also a puppeteer for ''Film/TheMuppetMovie''.
159* Creator/JamesCameron is also a deep-sea explorer. In 2012, he became the third person to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean, and the first to accomplish the trip solo.
160* Creator/JohnCarpenter is an electronic musician. This also explains why his films tend to have an electronic score rather than an orchestral one: He has made the score himself.
161* Christopher Cerf, the co-creator & co-producer of ''Series/BetweenTheLions'', co-wrote ''The Experts Speak: The Definitive Compendium of Authoritative Misinformation'', an entire book revolving around the ItWillNeverCatchOn trope. He also co-founded ''Film/NationalLampoon'', was a composer-lyricist for ''Series/SesameStreet'', was a senior editor at Random House, and helped Creator/MarloThomas on a few of her ''Free to Be...'' specials.
162* Creator/BobClark started out directing horror movies, most notably ''Film/BlackChristmas1974''. Then he did ''Film/MurderByDecree'', a period piece about Franchise/SherlockHolmes fighting UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper. Then he made the first two entries in the teen comedy film series ''Film/{{Porkys}}''. Then he made the family comedy ''Film/AChristmasStory''. He mostly directed family-oriented flicks until his death.
163* Creator/LarryCohen is known for writing and directing low-budget independent horror and {{Blaxploitation}} movies, '''and''' scripting big-budget action-thrillers.
164* Besides all those horror films, Creator/WesCraven directed ''Film/MusicOfTheHeart''.
165* Creator/RyanCoogler, like Creator/MahershalaAli, was a student athlete at Saint Mary's College in California, playing on the football team as a wide receiver. After Saint Mary's dropped their football program, he transferred to Sacramento State.
166* Merian C. Cooper, the director of ''Film/KingKong1933'', lived a life that went so far beyond just movie-making that it can't be easily summarized (and explains many of the thematic elements in his most famous film). He worked as a reporter and explorer, and served as an aviator and officer in multiple wars. He was present on the USS ''Missouri'' when the Japanese surrender at the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII was signed, and that's just ''one'' of the fascinating details about his life.
167* Creator/RolandEmmerich, famous for his large-scale sci-fi disaster movies like ''Film/IndependenceDay'', ''Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow'' and ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'', also made ''Anonymous'', a historical mystery thriller about who actually wrote the plays attributed to William Shakespeare.
168* Will Finn, director of the ill-received ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange'', has contributed to numerous shows and films as a storyboard artist (including ''[[WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters Slimer! And The Real Ghostbusters]]'', ''WesternAnimation/HiHiPuffyAmiYumi'', ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge'' and ''WesternAnimation/RockDog'') and served as a supervising animator on ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' for Cogsworth and ''{{WesternAnimation/Aladdin}}'' for Iago.
169* Creator/MarcForster not only directed ''Film/MonstersBall'' and ''Film/FindingNeverland'' but ''Film/{{Stay}}'', ''Film/TheKiteRunner'', ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'', ''Film/MachineGunPreacher'' and ''Film/WorldWarZ'' as well.
170* Donald F. Glut is a screenwriter (children's television) and director (exploitation films), but is best known for having written the novelization of ''The Empire Strikes Back''. He does this apparently to support his amateur paleontology habit. He has written many books about dinosaurs, including the seven (so far) volumes of the award-winning reference series, ''Dinosaurs: An Encyclopedia'', which are NOT for the casual dinophile, being intended for folk who know the difference between the quadrate, squamosal, occipital and jugal.
171* Creator/SuzanneGoldish, an anime [=ADR=] director at the L.A-based recording studio Creator/{{Studiopolis}}, and best known for directing the English dubs of ''Anime/{{K}}'', ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'', and the Creator/VizMedia re-dub of ''Manga/SailorMoon'', as well as the modern reboot, ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'', was formerly a voice actress at the infamous Creator/FourKidsEntertainment, most notably, as Chris Thorndyke from ''Anime/SonicX''.
172* Creator/MarkGoodson, who was known for many hit game shows of television's past, like ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', ''Series/FamilyFeud'' and many others (many alongside his partner Bill Todman), also was behind a few non-game shows, like the 1959-61 ABC Western ''The Rebel'' w/Nick Adams as Johnny Yuma (Goodson made this one with his partner Todman).
173* H.B. "Toby" Halicki of ''Film/GoneInSixtySeconds1974'' fame made his crash-fest films borderline one-man shows. He was originally a scrapyard owner, so he supplied the vehicles used in his films himself. He wrote the scripts, he directed and produced the films, he played the main character, and he did all his stunts himself.
174* [[Creator/TheJamHandyOrganization Jamison "Jam" Handy]] was a producer of numerous industrial films and filmstrips. However, he got into that field after being a news reporter, and prior to that, he was a swimmer who helped introduce new swimming styles to America, and earned two Olympic medals.
175* Creator/HannaBarbera, best known for their kid-friendly cartoons such as ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', ''WesternAnimation/YogiBear'', ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'' and countless others, also produced the rather serious live-action telefilm ''Film/TheBeastsAreOnTheStreets''.
176* Brian Hegleland, screenwriter of bleak noir potboilers such as ''Film/LAConfidential'', ''Film/ConspiracyTheory'', ''Film/{{Payback}}'', ''Film/BloodWork'', ''Film/MysticRiver'', and ''Film/ManOnFire'', wrote and directed ''Film/AKnightsTale'', a wholly good-hearted, high-spirited romantic comedy medieval sports movie (heavy emphasis on the romance and comedy).
177* Creator/JimHenson, the creator of ''Franchise/TheMuppets'', did a surrealistic teleplay called ''Film/TheCube'' in the 1960s about a man trapped in a small cube who's visited by various strange people as he tries to find his way out. Henson also wrote a screenplay for a surrealist movie titled ''Tale of Sand'' (imagine a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' episode performed live by humans and you'd basically have this movie). It was never produced in his lifetime, but it was turned into a graphic novel posthumously, with art done by Ramon Perez.
178* Ishiro Honda directed both the classic film ''Film/{{Gojira}}'' and the unpopular ''[[Film/AllMonstersAttack Godzilla's Revenge]]''. He was also an assistant director to Creator/AkiraKurosawa.
179* Creator/JohnHughes is now primarily remembered for making some of the best-known teen films of the 1980s such as ''Film/SixteenCandles'', ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'', ''Film/WeirdScience'' and ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'', becoming something of a cultural icon for Gen Xers. And then he also wrote and produced the family film ''Film/HomeAlone1'' in 1990 (which ended up becoming his biggest commercial hit).
180* Former Disney CEO Bob Iger started out as a weatherman for a small-time TV station in Ithaca, NY. During his final month with the company, Iger served as guest weatherman for the early morning news on KABC in Los Angeles on December 9, 2021, and reportedly did an admirable job of it for someone who, by his own admission, hadn't done the weather for 48 years.
181* Creator/PeterJackson, director of gore comedies like ''Film/MeetTheFeebles'', ''Film/BadTaste'' and ''Film/{{Braindead}}'', as well as the live action ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy.
182* Creator/SpikeJonze, the director of ''Film/WhereTheWildThingsAre'' and ''Film/BeingJohnMalkovich''? He plays the dirty old lady in skits in the ''Series/{{Jackass}}'' movies.
183* Neil Jordan, director of Oscar winning dramas like ''Film/TheCryingGame'' and ''Film/InterviewWithTheVampire'', made the comedies ''Film/HighSpirits'' and ''We're No Angels'' in The80s.
184* Shusuke Kaneko directed not only the 90s ''Film/{{Gamera}}'' trilogy, but also the live-action ''Manga/DeathNote'' films and ''Film/GodzillaMothraKingGhidorahGiantMonstersAllOutAttack''.
185* David Kirschner is responsible for creating and producing several animated childhood classics; ''WesternAnimation/RosePetalPlace'', ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAForest'', ''WesternAnimation/ThePagemaster'', ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance''. And...he also produced the ''[[Film/ChildsPlay Chucky]]'' movies. It's like if Creator/DonBluth created ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet''!
186* Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, a duo of directors best known for the [[QuirkyWork wonderfully weird]] ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce'', have actually directed a number of high-profile music videos, including Music/LilJon's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMUDVMiITOU "Turn Down For What"]] and Music/{{Joywave}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqmwKi6KOSw "Tongues"]]. Most of these are [[SurrealMusicVideo about as absurd as you might expect from them]] -- the former stars Daniel Kwan crashing into and wrecking several apartments with his crotch, while the latter depicts a group of hunters trying to shoot clothes onto wild nudists.
187* Albert Lamorisse (director, producer, and writer of ''Film/TheRedBalloon'') invented the strategy board game ''TabletopGame/{{Risk}}'' during a family holiday in Holland in 1957.
188* Glen Larson, creator of ''Series/BattlestarGalactica1978'', ''Series/KnightRider'', ''Series/MagnumPI'' and many other shows, was also a member of the Four Preps, a vocal quartet which enjoyed some success in the late 1950s with hits such as "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", "Big Man" and "Down by the Station", all of which he co-wrote.
189* Fairly well known, but Ang Lee directed: ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'' and ''Film/BrokebackMountain'', ''Film/{{Hulk}}'' (the 2003 movie), ''Film/SenseAndSensibility'', ''Film/TheIceStorm'' and ''Film/RideWithTheDevil''.
190* Creator/ChuckLorre had a long music career before hitting it big as a TV producer with ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'' and ''Series/TheBigBangTheory''. He did lots of work on the NewWaveMusic scene in The80s as a musician, songwriter and producer (including writing [[Music/{{Blondie|Band}} Debbie Harry's]] solo hit "French Kissin' in the USA"), then switched to music work on animated shows, composing the memorable theme for ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'' and co-creating the Cats & Co. segments and characters on ''WesternAnimation/HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats''.
191* Creator/SidneyLumet is best known for directing gritty, realistic dramas such as ''Film/TwelveAngryMen'', ''Film/{{Serpico}}'', ''Film/DogDayAfternoon'' and ''Film/{{Network}}''. He also directed ''Film/TheWiz'', the film adaptation of the [[Theatre/TheWiz Broadway musical]]. Long before his directorial career he was a child actor.
192* Creator/DavidLynch is best known for directing MindScrew films like ''Film/{{Eraserhead}}'', ''Film/LostHighway'', ''Film/MulhollandDrive'' and ''Film/InlandEmpire''. Another one of his best-known films is ''Film/TheElephantMan'', which is for the most part a straight forward and extremely emotional drama. He also directed the contested adaptation, ''Film/Dune1984 '' and ''Film/TheStraightStory'', the latter of which is a G-rated Disney film. He has also done a number of shorts and directed a few documentaries. Oh, and he started as a painter. He's also done some rather bizarre web shorts, such as the crudely animated series ''WebAnimation/{{Dumbland}}'', which is... just... well... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_GeBUDcU5k just watch it]].
193* Creator/SethMacFarlane is also a jazz/swing singer. He has a particularly strong reputation for it in the UK, where he's not only toured but performed several times at the very prestigious BBC Proms and had his own TV and radio specials.
194* Before becoming a celebrated director, Creator/TerrenceMalick studied philosophy and published his own translation of one of the works of Martin Heidegger; after that he was a journalist, whose published works included an extensive obituary for UsefulNotes/CheGuevara in ''Magazine/TheNewYorker''. After entering Hollywood as a screenwriter but before becoming a director with ''Film/{{Badlands}}'', his work included a rewrite of the script for ''Film/DirtyHarry''.
195* Creator/SamMendes is known to film fans for directing such varied works as ''Film/AmericanBeauty'' and ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', but he was a big-name theatre director long before he turned his talents to film -- the revival of ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}'' in The90s that made Alan Cumming famous? That was his work. He ''still'' directs for the stage today, and as an example of his range, he went from ''Skyfall'' directly to the 2013 West End musical ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' and then to a new staging of ''Theatre/KingLear''!
196* Cult film director Russ Meyer was also a prolific photographer for ''Playboy'' and other girlie magazines.
197* ''Film/MadMax'' director George Miller was also responsible for producing ''Film/{{Babe}}'', its sequel, and later the ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet'' films. He's also a medical doctor.
198* Acclaimed auteur Alexander Payne, who wrote and directed films such as ''Film/{{Sideways}}'', ''Film/AboutSchmidt'', and ''Film/{{Election}}'', is also credited on the screenplays of ''Film/JurassicParkIII'' and ''Film/INowPronounceYouChuckAndLarry'', though little of his work on the latter film made it into the finished product.
199* Oren Peli, notable for writing/producing/directing the smash hit ''Film/ParanormalActivity'' is also a video game programmer, having notably worked on the PC version of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' and the 2007 and 2008 editions of Sony's best-selling ''MLB The Show''. In the latter games, Peli has his own player named after him, as MLB players who are not part of the player's union cannot be represented in a MLBPA-licensed game, so the developers have fictional stand-ins using the names of various members of the programming team, Peli among them.
200* Brad Peyton, the director of such movies as ''Film/SanAndreas'', ''Film/Rampage2018'', ''[[Film/CatsAndDogs Cats & Dogs 2: Revenge of Kitty Galore]]'', and ''[[Literature/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth Journey 2: The Mysterious Island]]'', as well as the creator of ''Series/Daybreak2019'' and ''Series/Frontier2016'', also made two cartoons for his native Canada: ''WesternAnimation/WhatItsLikeBeingAlone'' and ''WesternAnimation/DrDimensionpants''.
201* Creator/MichaelPortillo was formerly a [[UsefulNotes/BritishPoliticalSystem Conservative Party]] politician known for [[AssumedWin unexpectedly losing his House of Commons seat]] in 1997 in what was dubbed the "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portillo_moment Portillo Moment]]". Afterwards, he flourished as the creator of many documentary series about his railway travels around the world, such as ''Series/GreatBritishRailwayJourneys'', ''Series/GreatContinentalRailwayJourneys'', and many others.
202* Creator/SamRaimi gets this from both directions. Either you know him as the director of the Creator/TobeyMaguire Spider-Man trilogy and are surprised to find out he's also a prolific b-horror director or you're a horror fan surprised to discover the Franchise/EvilDead guy also directed a bunch of big-budget Spider-Man movies.
203* Horror director Creator/GeorgeRomero once did a romantic comedy titled ''Film/TheresAlwaysVanilla'' and directed a few episodes of ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood''.
204* Alan Rudolph, a protégé of Creator/RobertAltman who went on to become one of the first big names in the modern indie film movement with sophisticated {{dramed|y}}ies like ''Film/ChooseMe'' and ''Film/TroubleInMind'', kicked off his directorial career with two ultra-obscure {{Horror}} movies (''Premonition'' and ''Terror Circus''), and before that was an assistant director on eleven episodes of ''Series/TheBradyBunch'', a show for which his father Oscar Rudolph was a frequent director.
205* Creator/RodSerling (''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'', ''Series/NightGallery'') wrote ''Film/RequiemForAHeavyweight'', which some have said was the point where televised drama [[GrowingTheBeard grew a beard]]. He also co-wrote the original ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968'' FilmOfTheBook, which, while easily falling within the niche people think of him as being in, is often neglected, possibly because he only co-wrote it. He was also a noted boxer and the host for the game show ''Liar's Club''.
206* Celine Song, best-known for writing and directing the Oscar-nominated film ''Film/PastLives'', also directed a live production of Creator/AntonChekhov's ''Theatre/TheSeagull'' on ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' of all things, which was livestreamed on Website/{{Twitch}}, and was a staff writer on the first season of ''Series/{{The Wheel of Time|2021}}''.
207* Creator/MNightShyamalan, (in)famous for films with supernatural slants and shocking plot twists, co-wrote the screenplay for the first ''Film/StuartLittle'' movie. He also made the relatively obscure [[Creator/MiramaxFilms Miramax]] film ''Wide Awake''. He also stated in a 2013 interview that he ghost-wrote ''Film/ShesAllThat''.
208* Creator/JMichaelStraczynski, producer/writer/director of ''Series/BabylonFive'' was also the screenwriter for ''Film/{{Changeling}}''. He was also the head writer for the first two seasons of ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' and the first season of ''Series/CaptainPowerAndTheSoldiersOfTheFuture''. Of course he's also done substantial work in comics, most notably on Spider-Man (see ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManJMichaelStraczynski'' and ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'') and [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], and he then moved to Franchise/{{Superman}} and Franchise/WonderWoman. Tropers who are deep into JMS lore (e.g. the dweeby fans) know that he got his start writing for ''Series/MurderSheWrote'' in the 8th season. He was brought in to liven things up a bit: Jessica became a part-time professor of criminology in New York, the show's tempo changed a bit, etc. If you pay attention, you can see his style stamped all over MSW.
209* Creator/QuentinTarantino directed episodes of ''Series/{{ER}}'' and a ''Series/{{CSI}}'' episode that featured direct dialogue references to his earlier films, and a character even [[BuriedAlive suffers the same fate]] as [[Film/KillBill The Bride]]. He's also an actor as has appeared several movies he's directed. He also co-starred in ''Film/FromDuskTillDawn'' with Creator/GeorgeClooney. Oh, and he also did uncredited work on the screenplay for ''Film/ItsPat''.
210* Peter Tewksbury, who did a bunch TV directing plus a handful of feature films, including two of Music/ElvisPresley's later films (''Film/StayAwayJoe'' and ''Film/TheTroubleWithGirls''), eventually retired from Hollywood and became a well-known cheesemaker and cheese expert in Vermont, under his birth name Henry Tewksbury ([[MiddleNameBasis Peter was his middle name]]).
211* Bob Thompson, former creative manager at Franchise/{{Lego}} who had co-developed ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' and produced its original three DirectToVideo movies, making sure they would be fun and not too violent for kids, also co-produced and developed the highly violent ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' animated movie ''WesternAnimation/{{Ultramarines}}''.
212* Creator/FrancoisTruffaut, the legendary French film director, played the French scientist Claude Lacombe in ''Film/CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind''. This was one of his few acting roles, and his ''only'' one in a movie he didn't direct.
213* The [[Franchise/TheMatrix Wachowskis]] created the ''Film/SpeedRacer'' film. Their screenplays for ''[[Music/StephenSondheim Assassins]]'' and ''Film/Bound1996'' would also count. According to ''The Art of Film/TheMatrix'', it was hard to get funding for the trilogy because everyone thought of them as "those [two] who did the movie with the lesbians" (''Bound'').
214* Creator/JayWolpert is best known as a co-producer of the early years of ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'' (the Barker version) and for creating [[Series/{{Whew}} a bunch]] [[Series/HitMan of weird]] [[Series/ShoppingSpree game shows]]; he's also a scriptwriter, having worked on ''Film/TheCountOfMonteCristo2002'' and ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl''.
215* Music/RobZombie's first professional job in the entertainment business was a set and prop designer for ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse''. He's also an [[HeavyMetal Industrial Metal]] musician and successful director of horror films.
216* ''Film/Ghost1990'' was directed by Jerry Zucker. Yes, as in Jerry Zucker of the ZAZ team that wrote and directed ''Film/{{Airplane}}'' The advertising for the third ''Film/TheNakedGun'' included the following tagline: "From the brother of the director of ''Film/{{Ghost|1990}}''". David Zucker also directed ''Film/TheNakedGun 2½'' which contains a spoof of the pottery scene in his brother's ''Film/Ghost1990''.
217* Edward Zwick, best known for Oscar-baiting historical epics such as ''Film/{{Glory}}'', ''Film/TheLastSamurai'' and ''Defiance'' as well as dramatic thrillers like ''Film/TheSiege'' and ''Film/BloodDiamond'', began his career directing the romantic comedy ''Film/AboutLastNight'', and returned to the genre with ''Film/LoveAndOtherDrugs''. He also produced television dramas with The Bedford Falls Company, which means he helped produce ''Series/{{thirtysomething}}'' and ''Series/MySoCalledLife'', among others.
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220%% The entries in this folder are alphabetised by surname. Don't add an entry here at the end of the folder unless it's last alphabetically.
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