Matt Damon attended Harvard but dropped out just shy of graduating. Damon's first role in a film came around the same time with a one-line part in 1988's Mystic Pizza.

Before James Dean (Jimmy) became one of the biggest legends of all time, he was a parking attendant at CBS. He also was a stunt tester for the show "Beat the Clock."

DeGeneres had several odd jobs including painter, oyster shucker, vacuum saleswoman and paralegal.

Michael Dell (founder of Dell Computers) washed dishes at a Chinese restaurant for $2.30 per hour.

Before his debute role as Glen Lantz in A Nightmare On Elm Street, Depp worked as an over-the-phone pen salesman.

Danny DeVito was a formally trained hair stylist before his break on Taxi.

Before Cameron Diaz made her acting debut in "The Mask," she toured the world as a model including contracts with Calvin Klein and Levi's, and a 1990 cover appearance for Seventeen magazine.

Leonardo DiCaprio's road to fame included an appearance on the TV show Romper Room at age five and a 2-year stint on Growing Pains in the early 1990's as the homeless boy Luke Brower.

Vin Diesel said in an interview that he worked as a bouncer for 9 years in New York. In his teens, he also performed in a breakdancing instructional video.

Walt Disney drove an ambulance for the Red Cross during World War I.

Before finding fame in Law & Order, Vincent D'Onofrio appeared as "Thor" the mechanic in 1987's Adventures in Babysitting.

Michael Douglas once worked as a gas station attendant.

David Duchnovy holds an undergrad degree from Princeton and a master's degree from Yale.

Hilary Duff began her career by starring in commercials with her sister. She was also cast in the pilot for NBC sitcom "Daddio" in 2000.

Michael Clarke Duncan was once a ditch digger with Peoples Gas Company in Chicago. He later worked as a bodyguard for a number of celebrities. Duncan is also said to have considered a job with the LAPD.

Beginning at age 3, Kirsten Dunst appeared in dozens of TV commercials before becoming famous. At age 7, she also appeared as "George Bush's Granddaughter" on Saturday Night Live.

As an up and coming actor, Robert Duvall spent several months working as a post office clerk.