Most celebrities are content to stay in their own chosen realm: actor, singer, comic, etc. But some of them have a mid-career crisis and completely switch directions, sometimes in bizarre and wonderful ways.
7. Ian McKellen...Nerd God?
For years Ian McKellen toiled away on stage, coming to be one of the most respected Shakespearean actors around. Even when he made it in to film it was usually for Shakespeare related works. Sure, once in awhile he would show up in a terrible film like Dark Man or Last Action Hero, but generally he stuck to his refined acting roots. Then, at the turn of the millennium, he apparently realized that he was wasting his talents on the few people that actually want go to see Shakespeare. Thus, at age 61, he kicked his career into high gear and in quick succession he signed on to play Magneto in X-Men and Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, cementing himself into two of the most successful movie trilogies ever and at the same time the hearts of nerds everywhere.
6. Creed Bratton...Wait He Was Really a Rock Star?
Creed Bratton is best known these days for his role on The Office, where he plays a slightly deranged and criminally inclined staff member. But back in the 60's and early 70's he was a member of the popular rock band The Grass Roots and continues making his own music today. So when he refers to his musical past on the show, a true revelation is made. Yes, as it turns out, Creed is playing a slightly deranged and criminally inclined version of himself. He makes mention of being a member of The Grass Roots early on in the show and displays his musical ability several times, including a karaoke performance over the song "Spinnin' and Reelin." Of course he doesn't need the screen, because that song is from one of his solo albums. In typical Creed fashion he even reveals that any debt he acquires is passed onto an account in the name of William Charles Schneider, his actual birth name. As if Creed wasn't awesome enough, these elements ensure him the title of greatest character on The Office.
5. Marky Mark...Oscar Contender?
So Mark Wahlberg, a.k.a. Marky Mark of the Funky Bunch, manages to land a role alongside Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Martin Sheen in The Departed. That alone sounds bizarre. But then out of that cast he's the one nominated for an Oscar? What is going on? A few years ago I would have ranked Anthony Anderson as more likely for the Oscar out of that movie's cast. How has a wannabe white rapper who actually thought it was cool to associate himself with a group called the Funky Bunch managed to climb the rungs of the Hollywood ladder so high? That would be like Vanilla Ice popping up with a tour de force performance in Babel.
4. Ben Stein...Worked For Nixon?
Before fulfilling the role of "boring authority figure" in Ferris Bueller and those awful Clear Eyes commercials and his other role of fairly annoying smart guy on tv programs like "Win Ben Stein's Money" and "America's Most Smartest Model," Ben Stein worked a job that allowed him to act smart and be boring: Presidential speech writer. He first started writing for Nixon, not exactly the best item on a resume for breaking into Hollywood. This led to Stein even being suspected as the real identity of the Watergate whistle blower Deep Throat. Later he went on to write for Gerald Ford and continues to spout his political beliefs whenever given the chance. After viewing the trailer for his new movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, an anti-evolution and pro-intelligence design propaganda fest where he sucks up to the religious right, maybe Deep Throat wasn't such a bad nickname after all.
3. Ron Jeremy...Horror Movie Staple?
Ron already had the record for most adult films ever made, clocking in at around 2,000, but that wasn't enough for him. He decided he wanted to become a legitimate actor and set forth to share his talents with an audience that might actually pay attention to his acting for once. The problem is, rarely anyone in Hollywood is looking to cast the next blockbuster with Ron Jeremy opposite Gwyneth Paltrow. So Ron had to settle into the middle ground: low budget horror films. From Hell's Highway to Slaughter Party and Curse of Pirate Death to Creepies, Ron has shown up in a plethora of horror films with production values perhaps even lower than his original line of work. His most memorable role as of yet has been Andre the Butcher, where he fills the title role and terrorizes a group of teens. Though considering the image of his grotesque body naked, maybe he was making horror movies for years before the career switch anyway.
2. Rick Moranis...Country Singer?
Rick Moranis began his career as a young comic on the Canadian sketch show SCTV, became a resident geek in movies like Ghostbusters, and later in life settled into a role as kid's movie king with the Honey I Shrunk the Kids franchise. Then he seemingly disappeared. That is until 2005 when he released his first creative work in the better part of a decade. And it was a country album? That's right, Moranis threw his hat into the ring of fire and re-invented himself as a country singer with The Agoraphobic Cowboy. Musical history is marked with many blemishes of actors who fancied themselves singers, but what makes Moranis's so unique is this: it's really good. From a song like "I Aint Goin Nowhere" (a parody of Cash's "I've Been Everywhere") to one about the futility of our political system called "Four More Beers," Moranis proves himself as the clear standout in the, albeit small, comedy-country genre, a fact that earned him a Grammy nomination in 2006. For my money there is no greater country song ever recorded than "Three Days Rest," an upbeat tune about impotence.
1. That Guy From Sugar Ray...Host of Extra?
Definitely the saddest career shift on the list, Mark McGrath enjoyed massive success at one point as the lead singer for the pop band Sugar Ray. They had radio hits, sold out tours and obscene amounts of money. Then, at some time early in the millennium, the nation collectively woke up and realized how terrible Sugar Ray was. For awhile he seemed to go the route of most fallen rock stars, playing the county fair circuit. But maybe by this point even Mark realized his music wasn't very good, so he found a career much more fitting: constantly upbeat co-host of the entertainment/celebrity watchdog program Extra. Instead of playing to packed arenas and having fans throw themselves at him he now gets to talk about Britney's kids and how well the stars of Grey's Anatomy get along as a second-rate Billy Bush. And the world is a better place for it.
