There’s a well-worn cliché for how actors get discovered: They move to the big city with a suitcase full of dreams and a dollar in their pocket.

They pay their dues until landing that first big break, and for many, that break never comes. But there are some major exceptions to the rule. Yes, every now and then, fame knocks on someone’s door when they weren’t expecting company.

From factory work to carpentry, and bussing tables to driving strippers, the following stars never expected to work a red carpet. Let’s toast those ultra-rare actors who were plucked from their menial jobs and plunged right into the fame game. Who are they, and what unlikely path led these men and women to Tinseltown?

Waiter-slash-actors, take note.

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