There are several tried-and-true pathways to becoming a famous celebrity. There are the singers, the dancers, the actors, and the triple threats who can do all three. Add in models, athletes, and social media influencers, and that makes up the bulk of the celebrity landscape. While the talents that make someone a good dancer, actor, or singer are nothing to sneeze at it, sometimes those talents can overshadow some other more interesting and weirder talents that celebrities might have.
While it might not seem surprising that it turns out that Angelina Jolie is skilled at knife throwing (that seems somehow very on-brand for the Mr. & Mrs. Smith star, right?), it is really interesting to do a deep dive into the other celebrity hidden talents. It seems that while some of our favorite TV stars, athletes, and singers were busy getting famous, they were also busy learning how to knit, trying to bowl the perfect game, getting their PhDs, and even flying commercial airplanes!
Apparently, when people are famous they have not only talent to spare, but also the time and money to devote to getting really, really good at things that are definitely not their day jobs.
Geena Davis
Geena Davis is a lot of things. She's an actor, an activist, the founder of an institute designed to find gender bias in Hollywood, and a huge supporter of Title IX and women's sports. She's also a crazy good archer, a sport she didn't pick up until she was 40 but that she still nearly qualified to go to the Olympics in for the 2000 archery team.
Justin Bieber
He can sing. He can dance. Justin Bieber seems to have survived becoming super famous very young and has settled into adult life with a wife and a steady career. Somewhere along the way, he also became very, very good at solving Rubik's Cubes, even completing some in about 2 minutes on live television. The guy has the pipes and a steady hand, apparently.
Lucy Liu
Actress Lucy Liu is know for kicking butt in Charlie's Angels and for solving mysteries on the TV show Elementary. But most fans don't realize that she's actually an accomplished painter whose work has been featured in gallery shows all over the world.
Mike Rowe
Most people know Mike Rowe from his hit Discovery Channel show Dirty Jobs. On that show, he's done lots of hard jobs, including cleaning out and installing pipes of all kinds. He's on this list for a different kind of pipes, though — his voice! Mike is a former professional opera singer who used to sing for the Baltimore Opera before hitting it big in reality TV.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie has played an action hero more than once and she might just be a bit of an action hero in real life, too. Not only is she a pilot and an advocate for human rights, but Angelina is also a skilled knife thrower, a hobby she picked up while filming the Tomb Raider movies.
Joni Mitchell
Iconic singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell is also a talented visual artist, in addition to having released 19 albums. She's not only done the artwork for her own album covers (most famously on Both Sides Now), but she's also released a book of her artwork and sold some pieces for thousands of dollars.
Diane Keaton
Actress Diane Keaton has several hidden talents. She's a skilled writer who has published three memoirs and she has her own wine line. But her most impressive talent, other than acting, might be home design and decorating. She's been flipping luxury properties for years and has had several examples of her design work featured in books and publications including Architectural Digest.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga once made headlines for wearing a dress made of meat, but it turns out that she probably could have made a delicious meal out of that unforgettable fashion moment. Gaga is a talented cook who likes to tap into her Italian roots and apparently has some real skills when it comes to homemade pasta. Maybe there is a cookbook in her future?
Chris Paul
Basketball superstar Chris Paul, who currently plays for the Phoenix Suns, has had a long and successful NBA career. But when that career is done, he might just have another kind of competition to pursue. Paul is known as the most passionate bowler in the NBA and even hosts his own annual bowling tournament.
Steve Martin
Steve Martin, currently starring in the absolutely delightful Only Murders in the Building on Hulu, is also a man of multiple talents. In addition to acting and stand-up comedy, he's written several books and has earned critical acclaim for his talent on the banjo, even winning several Grammy awards for bluegrass music.
Brian May
Brian May, the lead guitarist and cofounder of the rock band Queen, has had quite a life. In addition to performing hit after hit alongside Freddy Mercury, he's earned a PhD in astrophysics, worked on projects with NASA, and even cowritten a book about the origins of the universe — all while continuing to tour and make music with Queen.
Mayim Bialik
While we are on the subject of celebrities with some serious hidden brain talents, let's talk about Mayim Bialik. She's had a long TV career, but she also took a break and spent some time to earn a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007, before returning to acting.
John Travolta
While there are plenty of celebrities who can fly (Angelina Jolie, Harrison Ford, and Tim McGraw for starters), few are as accomplished as John Travolta. The Grease star is not only qualified to be a commercial pilot, he also owns a fleet of planes and has private runways at some of his homes.
Julia Roberts
Being an actress can entail long days on movie and TV sets, and apparently Julia Roberts likes to spend that time keeping her hands busy with all kinds of knitting projects. While she's never sold any of her creations online, we can only imagine how popular a Julia Roberts scarf or hat could be.
Kaley Cuoco
Actress Kaley Cuoco has been busy with her successful TV career, but when she's not starring in shows like The Flight Attendant, she's probably in a horse stable. She's a major horse girl! The sunny star owns more than 20 horses and has competed in a variety of equestrian competitions since she began seriously riding as a teenager.
Neil Patrick Harris
With some celebrities, it kind of feels like they have so many talents (hidden and otherwise) that it just isn't fair. Neil Patrick Harris is for sure on that list. He's acted in TV shows and movies. He's starred on Broadway, so he can sing and dance. He's published several books and he is a seriously accomplished magician and illusionist. Um, Neil? Can you save some talent for the rest of us?
