Actors Who Started Acting Later In Life And Totally Nailed It (2024)

Brendan Gleeson Was A Schoolteacher In Ireland Before Finally Deciding To Pursue Acting Full-Time In His Mid-30s

Brendan Gleeson worked for several years as a schoolteacher in Ireland. However, he always had one eye on the stage."I was teaching English and Irish at the secondary school level, and I actually enjoyed it, but in the summer of 1989, I was working at the Tivoli Theatre and the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, and I was making a little bit of money," said Gleeson, per Independent.ie.

In his mid-30s, Gleeson decided totruly pursue his passion for actingand give up his stable job as a teacher.

"It never crossed my mind I could be a movie star,” he tols the Irish Times. “I remember being asked when I was about three what I wanted to be, and I said, 'An actor.' You go through your teens, and you realize the world is slightly different to your dreams. I never put that down as something viable. I suppose everyone imagines themselves up on the silver screen at some point. I never worked towards that, though. I just liked the work.”

It took one year to score his first Irish film role in 1990'sThe Field. Then, the prolific character actorfound steady workin several mainstream acclaimed productions, includingBraveheart,Michael Collins,Gangs of New York,Cold Mountain,28 Days Later,Troy,A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Mission: Impossible 2.In 2005, hebecame an official part of the Harry Potter universe. The Dubliner playedAlastor "Mad-Eye" Moody in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

In 2009, Gleeson won an Emmy Award forOutstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his performance as Winston Churchill in Into the Storm.

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Veteran character actor Dennis Farina worked as a Chicago Police officer from 1967 to 1985. He had no desire to become an actor. "I was always a movie fan. As a kid, we would go to the neighborhood theater and watch Bogart movies and Cagney movies and stuff like that," Farina told the Los Angeles Times."I never thought I would be doing what I’m doing."

Then, the Windy City native ran into director Michael Mann through a mutual friend. "Michael is a Chicago guy, anyway,"Farina added. "He says he wants to talk to some real-life characters. I talked to him, and he asked me to do a part in the movie. I said, yes, sure."

Farina worked as a consultant and played the small role of Carl in Mann's 1981 crime drama,Thief. He subsequentlycaught the acting bug. Farina landed additional supporting parts in Miami Vice, Manhunter, and Hunter. However, he didn't stop working the police beat until he scored a more permanent gig.

Farina took center stage on Mann's NBC detective drama Crime Story in 1986, where he played a Chicago police detective. The late starultimately became one of the most prolific character actorsof his generation. He co-starred on both the small and big screen with impressive performances in Midnight Run, Get Shorty,Saving Private Ryan, and Law & Order.

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Danny Glover Worked In San Francisco's City Government Before Quitting To Become An Actor In His Early 30s

Danny Glover acted in college when he attended San Francisco State University in the 1960s. After graduation,he decided to work forthe city of San Francisco as an evaluations specialist and program manager.

The acting bug hit Glover in his late 20s. The future movie star honedhiscraft inthe Black Actors’ Workshop at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and on the New York City theater stage. Then, he set his sights on Hollywood.

His breakthrough role came in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-winning drama,The Color Purple. In 1987, Glover became a household name when he co-starred opposite Mel Gibson in the buddy action comedy Lethal Weapon, which turned into one of the most successful franchises of the 1980s and '90s. Glover also appeared in Predator 2 and Angels in the Outfield.

Besides his prolific acting career, Glover is a recognized humanitarian who has fought for a variety of activist issues. Those includeglobal human rights, the AIDS crisis in Africa, equal rights, social justice, and education. UNICEF named the actor a Goodwill Ambassador in 2004.

In Abilitymagazine, Glovertalked about how he made the transition from community development into acting:

I didn't think it was a difficult transition. Acting is a platform that can become a conveyer for ideas. Art is a way of understanding, of confronting issues and confronting your own feelings - all within that realm of the capacity it represents. It may have been a leap of faith for me, given not only my learning disability, but also the fact that I felt awkward. I felt all the things that someone that's 6'3" or 6'4" feels and with my own diminished expectations of who I could be [and] would feel. Whether it's art, acting, or theater that I've devoted myself to, I put more passion and more energy into it.

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John Mahoney Of 'Frasier' Was The Editor Of A Medical Journal Before He Started Acting At Age 37

British-born John Mahoneycame to the United States at the age of 19. He didn't necessarily landinAmerica to be an actor, but he always had an interest in performing.

Mahoney walked down several career paths in his 20s and 30s. He worked as a hospital orderly, college teacher, and medical journal editor.

However, Mahoney could not find any real fulfillment with his day jobs. "There was this deep-seated frustration," Mahoney told the Chicago Tribune."I knew that the only place I had ever been really happy was on stage."

In his late 30s, he finally could no longer ignore his dream of beingan actor. He started serious training and eventually worked alongside talents like John Malkovich at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre. In 1986, Mahoney won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance inJohn Guare'sAmerican Playhouse: The House of Blue Leaves.

Mahoney also became an accomplished character actoron the big screen with supporting parts in films like Say Anything..., Moonstruck,and Eight Men Out.

At the age of 53,Mahoney landed the star-making role of Marty Crane in the television spinoff series,Frasier. Marty was the blue-collar police officer juxtaposed withhis two snobbish, uppity sons, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Niles (David Hyde Pierce). Mahoney worked on the successful Emmy Award-winning comedyfor 11 seasons.

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Ken Jeong Was A Doctor At Kaiser Before Breaking Out In 'Knocked Up' At The Age Of 39

Ken Jeong always had an interest in comedy. However, his early road took him to Duke University, and then medical school at the University of North Carolina.“It was a tough decision. My parents weren't well off by any means, and I wasn't on a scholarship, so I really felt like I owed it to myself and my family to stick with what I started, to just see what happens afterward," Jeong told LA Weekly.

However, the funnyman did not stop performing stand-up because he was a licensed physician. He moonlighted as a comic by night and practiced medicine by day.

Eventually, the Detroit-born star-in-waitingtook off for Los Angeles. Jeongcontinued to work asa stand-up comedian, actor, and doctor. He scored several small roles, including stints on Entourage, MADtv, and Two and a Half Men.Jeong later met mega comedy filmmaker, Judd Apatow. The writer-director was searching for an actor who had medical knowledge for his 2011 romantic comedy,Knocked Up.

The role proved to be a game-changer. Jeongcanthank his wife for pushing him towards his dream career. "My wife, Tran, encouraged me to quit my job as a doctor [of internal medicine] at 36 and pursue acting full-time," Jeong told Redbook in 2011. "I had just finished filmingKnocked Up, and it was life-changing. But I didn't have the courage to go for it until she persuaded me."

Fame, fortune, and belly laughs followed. Jeong became a household name with hilarious turns in The Hangover series andCommunity. Heeven created his very own semi-autobiographical television comedy series called Dr. Ken. Jeong used his own life's story for muchof the show's material.

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Billy Bob Thornton Paved Streets, Drove A Bulldozer, Worked At A Mental Health Facility, And More Before His First Movie Role In 1987 At Age 32

Billy Bob Thornton grew up in various places around Arkansas. During one stop, he and his extended family lived in a shack with no plumbing or electricity, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Young Thornton excelled as both a rock drummer and a baseball player.

After graduation, Thornton ran the gamut of menial labor jobs, including drill press operator, bulldozer, band roadie, sawmill worker, and road paver. Heeven played in a touring rock band.

In 1981, he went out to California to study acting. His first big-screen partdid not come until the age of 32, in the TV movie,The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains. Unfortunately for Thornton, his scenes did not make it past the cutting room floor.

Several bit roles followed over the next several years, but Thornton hoped for something more. He met Billy Wilder at a party. The acclaimed Old Hollywood writer-director gave Thornton the advice that would change his entire life: Write yourown screenplays.

Thornton eventually penned the script for Sling Blade. The movie would also be his first directing and major starring vehicle. Despite being an all-around novice, Thornton won the Academy Award in 1997 for best original screenplay and received a nod for best actor.

Big-time Hollywood gigs followed as Thornton became one of the most in-demand actors of the 1990s and early 2000s. He showed off both his dramatic and comedic range in leading and supporting roles inArmageddon, A Simple Plan, Monster's Ball,The Man Who Wasn't There, Friday Night Lights, Bad Santa, and Season 1 of the television anthology series,Fargo.

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