● Some people work their whole lives just for a glimpse of fame, and some people stumble
into the limelight completely by accident.
What does it take to catapult someone to worldwide recognition?
Could you end up a celebrity by chance some day?
Here are the ways people accidentally became famous.
15 - David Boreanaz ● The 90s hit TV show Buffy the Vampire
Slayer had some of the most memorable romantic storylines, like Buffy’s three seasons with
Angel, a vampire who had a soul.
The part needed a devilishly handsome actor, so the casting director remembered a cute
guy she saw walking his dog around her neighbourhood.
Boreanaz was called to audition and cast immediately, based on the effect he had on the women of
the studio.
He has enjoyed success on TV ever since.
14 - Ken Bone ● The 2016 Presidential race between Trump
and Clinton had many memorable moments, some of which we’d rather forget.
Audiences watching a bitter presidential debate in October were treated to the sight of middle-aged
power-plant operator Ken Bone, asking an innocent question about the energy industry.
America fell in love, paying much more attention to this mustachioed character in an adorable
red sweater than to the debate.
Hundreds of thousands began following and discussing Mr Bone in the weeks that followed.
13 - Olajumoke Orisaguna ● When UK rap artist Tinie Tempah was in
Nigeria on a photoshoot, his photographer noticed a woman who appeared in one of the
shots with bread balanced perfectly on her head.
The woman was so beautiful that he was determined to find her and when he did, an impromptu
photoshoot led to Olajumoke getting a modelling contract, and being able to quit her job as
a bread seller and put her two children through higher education.
12 - Charlize Theron ● Years ago, the oscar-winning actress was
an eighteen-year-old, struggling to find acting work with her strong South African accent.
One day on Hollywood boulevard, she was trying to cash a cheque but she ended up in a loud
shouting match with the bank manager, who refused her request.
Fortunately for Ms Theron, a casting agent who was waiting in line overheard and was
impressed by her flair for the dramatic, and helped her land her first role.
11 - Jamie Oliver ● This East-London chef owns a business
empire of over £200 million, and has cookbooks translated into over 40 different languages,
but he was first noticed during the filming of a British documentary in 1997.
Viewers of the Channel 4 show Christmas at the River Cafe noticed an entertaining and
cheeky junior chef who worked well in front of cameras.
So well, that producers quickly offered him his own show.
10 - Thamsanqa Jantjie ● When beloved South African President Nelson
Mandela died, dignitaries and world leaders all flew in to Johannesburg to attend his
funeral, which was televised and broadcast around the world.
Jantjie, a sign language interpreter, was hired to sign the speeches and eulogies for
deaf viewers.
Except he appeared to be inventing the hand gestures, having no knowledge or qualifications
for the job.
He became a comic figure on the internet for his attempt to improvise an entire language
on camera.
9 - Johnny Depp ● As a poor and struggling rock musician,
a young Depp was introduced to his wife’s ex-boyfriend, Nicolas Cage, who encouraged
him to get into acting.
After only seeing small roles as an extra, it was at an audition for the new Wes Craven
movie that Depp struck success.
The director’s 13-year old daughter was watching the auditions for A Nightmare on
Elm Street, and her reaction to the heartthrob secured him the part,
8 - The Kingsmen ● In 1963, the then unknown garage band
The Kingsmen paid fifty dollars to record a single take of their cover of ‘Louie Louie’,
a common blues song.
Despite forgetting most of the lyrics, getting the rhythm wrong and standing too far from
mic, the song became a hit across the States for the Kingsmen.
This may have been due to controversy that the lyrics were obscene and sexual, something
the FBI had a hard time proving, as no one can hear what they’re singing.
7 - Danny Trejo ● This grizzled actor is memorable for playing
tough guys, and this is partly due to his experience of serving time in and out of prison
in LA.
Upon release, Trejo got sober and became a drug counsellor for troubled teens.
While helping a teenager on the set of the 1985 movie Runaway Train, Trejo was offered
a role as an extra in a prison scene, an easy role for an ex-con, which started his Hollywood
career.
6 - Guy Goma ● While waiting to go for his job interview
at the BBC headquarters in London, Guy Goma was instead pushed into a news studio, mistaken
for a technology editor and asked questions about a financial legal battle he knew very
little about on live tv.
Amazingly, Goma answered the questions as best he could, and the viewers loved him for
it, a man making the best of a terrifying situation.
5 - Mel Gibson ● After getting into a pretty bad fight
at a bar the night before, a young Mel Gibson drove his mate to the audition for the dystopian
Australian action movie Mad Max.
The casting director saw Gibson’s banged-up face and told him he should come back in three
weeks to audition as a villain.
When he returned, his handsome face had healed, and the title role of Mad Max was given to
him then and there.
4 - Rosa Parks ● The famous civil rights protester is often
depicted as a tired old lady who just wanted place to sit on a bus.
In reality, Rosa Parks was advocating for black rights long before 1955.
But on that fateful day, she was ordered to make room for white passengers, even though
she was already in the coloured section.
Her refusal to give in to the driver, and her subsequent arrest became a landmark case
in the history of racial oppression in America.
3 - Justin Bieber ● While flicking through YouTube, music
businessman Scooter Braun stumbled across videos of a twelve-year-old Canadian kid singing
R&B songs recorded by his mum.
The kid turned out to be Justin Bieber, and within a few months he had been introduced
to Usher, who became a mentor, and was signed to Def Jam Records.
I think it’s safe to say that Bieber is one of YouTube’s biggest success stories.
2 - Harrison Ford ● Not making too much money from acting,
young actor Harrison Ford had turned to carpentry to make ends meet.
He was fitting a portico entrance on Francis Ford Coppola’s house when George Lucas,
a friend of Coppola’s, came by the property.
The two had worked together on a previous movie, but the chance encounter reminded Lucas
that Ford would be perfect for the ruggedly good-looking smuggler Han Solo in his new
movie, Star Wars.
1 - Cheng Guorong ● In 2009, 34-year-old Cheng was homeless
on the streets of a Chinese city, rummaging through the trash for food and clothing.
But a photographer, who spotted his stylish flair and chiseled facial features, posted
photos online that built up a fanbase, earning Cheng the nickname ‘Brother Sharp: China’s
sexiest tramp’.
Cheng still struggles with his mental health after so long on the streets, but his fame
gave him the chance to reunite with his family.