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Before these celebrities became famous in Hollywood movies, TV shows, sports, business, or government, they had regular jobs just like you and me. Click the links below to see what your favorite stars did before they were famous.

Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul was once a chearleader for the Los Angeles Lakers. As a nineteen year old, she was selected from more than 700 other applicants.
Amy Adams
Oscar-nominated actress Amy Adams worked at Hooters for two months after high school.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck's road to fame included a Burger King commercial, a scene as Basketball Player #10 in 1992's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a 1984 PBS series "Voyage of the Mimi."
Christina Aguilera
In 1990, Christina Aguilera appeared on Star Search but did not win. Her break came in 1993 when she joined Disney's variety show The New Mickey Mouse Club (along with Britney Spears & Justin Timberlake).
As a child, Christina Aguilera sang The Star-Spangled Banner at Pittsburgh sporting events including the Penguins, Steelers and Pirates.
Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken worked as a YMCA counselor in North Carolina before American Idol propelled him to pop stardom.
Jessica Alba
At age thirteen, Jessica Alba starred in two 1994 commercials - one for Nintendo and one for J.C. Penney.
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright (Bill Clinton's Secretary of State) once worked at Jocelyn's Department Store in Denver selling bras.
Jason Alexander
In 1986, Jason Alexander (George from Seinfeld) starred in an upbeat commercial for McDonald's McDLT sandwich.
Tim Allen
In the late '70s, Tim Allen spent two years in prison for dealing cocaine before turning his life around. Then in 1985, Tim Allen played a mechanic in a commercial for which he was paid $200.
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley was a contestant on two game shows: Match Game in 1979 and Password Plus in 1980.
Tori Amos
Before Tori Amos was a famous musician, she starred in a 1985 commercial for Kellogg's Just Right cereal.
Pamela Anderson
Before Playboy, Tool Time, or Baywatch, Pamela Anderson was in Labatt's commercials.
Pamela Anderson's first job was as a fitness instructor in Vancouver.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston was both a telemarketer and waitress before hitting it big.
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate's acting career actually began fifteen years before her fame in "Married with Children." She appeared with her mother Nancy Priddy in a 1972 TV commercial for Playtex when she was only a few months old.
Ashanti
Ashanti once said in an MTV interview that before she started singing, she worked at a daycare.
Dan Aykroyd
Dan Akroyd was a mail sorter for Canada's national postal service. As a teenager, he had intended to become a Catholic priest.


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