Celebrities you never knew got their start as models, from Angelina Jolie's 'terrible' experience to A-listers who started as pageant queens

Unless you're a royal or a Kardashian, no one is really born famous - and fame isn't a guarantee for many.

Which is why even some of the biggest celebrities held surprising jobs before they struck their lucky breaks.

However, other stars have always found themselves surrounded by glamour and showbiz. Instead of trying out a 9-5, these Oscar winners, legendary singers and other icons got their start modelling.

Celebrities who got their start as a model

Angelina Jolie

While this one shouldn't come as a surprise, what with her porcelain skin, pouty lips and razor sharp cheekbones, it is still a shock to discover that acting wasn't the first thing Angelina Jolie tried out.

The Oscar-winning superstar's brief dalliance with modelling and her love for acting collided with one of her earlier roles, playing the real-life supermodel Gia Carangi, who passed away due to AIDS complications in 1986.

Angelina has spoke about how playing the real-life model brought back memories of her modelling days - and they weren't all happy. "I was told I had all these problems I needed to fix," she said of her experience, per Fandomwire.

"I was told to lose weight, and I was thin already. They actually put me in a room in a bathing suit and measured every part of me. I felt terrible."

Whitney Houston

Of course, with a voice like hers, Whitney Houston was only ever destined to be in front of a microphone, but the iconic pop diva actually caught some of her first glamorous successes in front of the camera.

After reportedly being scouted around 1980, Whitney signed with Click Models before moving to the well-known to Wilhelmina Models agency. During her time modelling, she appeared in magazines including Cosmopolitan and Glamour.

However, the modelling life couldn't compare to singing for her. She told Essence magazine that it felt "too fussy for me. You stand there in front of the camera and just grin." She would later sign with Clive Davis in 1983, beginning her legendary music career.

Demi Moore

Demi Moore's Hollywood career is legendary - from starring in 80s classics as a youngster to becoming more in demand than ever with her Oscar nominated performance in 2024's The Substance.

Whether she's breaking hearts in Ghost or being the ultimate action star in Charlie's Angels, Demi actually got her break through modelling, signing with the prestigious Elite agency who boast the likes of Cindy Crawford and Gisele Bundchen as their alumni.

It was while modelling that Demi began exploring acting, thanks in part to being inspired by her neighbour at the time, the German actress Nastassja Kinski. Some of her earliest gigs included a role in the long-running soap, General Hospital, joining in 1981.

Andie MacDowell

Andie MacDowell didn't just use modelling as a foray into other ventures - in fact, it was the exposure she got from her massive modelling campaigns that saw her scouted for film roles.

Andie's modelling in the 1980s included huge campaigns for the likes of Calvin Klein and YSL. It's widely reported that her TV commercial for Calvin Klein appealed to casting agents and led to her film debut in 1984's Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. While not exactly a classic, it led to further ventures into acting, and her major breakthrough came with 1989's Sex, Lies, and Videotape.

Subsequent roles included Four Weddings and a Funeral and Groundhog Day and in 2018, she even made a triumphant return to the runway aged 60, walking in the L'Oréal Paris Le Défilé show.

Anya Taylor-Joy

With her striking looks and incredible screen presence, Anya Taylor-Joy's acting career felt destined to be. However, if it wasn't for a modelling scout, it might never have come to be.

Anya told Sunday Times Style Magazine the amusing story of how she was scouted while walking her dog by Harrods in London. Noticing a car trailing her, Anya almost bolted, thinking there was an element of danger. As she revealed, "I picked up my dog and started to run" but then heard a voice say "'If you stop, you won’t regret it… please, there’s someone in this car who would really like to meet you.'"

While that still sounds creepy, it was someone who worked for the agency, Storm (who had previously signed the likes of Kate Moss). Anya signed with them, and continued to pursue acting.

She landed her breakthrough role in the 2015 horror film The Witch.

Cameron Diaz

With her big blue eyes and blonde hair, Cameron Diaz is the All-American girl, so it's not surprising that she got her start modelling from the age of 16.

She was scouted by the Elite modelling agency, and her work included covers for Seventeen magazine and adverts for brands including Calvin Klein and Levi.

Cameron's acting career was directly influenced by her modelling because it was her agent who suggested she try out for a role in a little film called The Mask. The rest, as they say, is history.

Uma Thurman

Before Anna Wintour famously started replacing fashion models with famous faces on the cover of Vogue, a future actress already had a few magazine covers on her resume.

Kill Bill star Uma Thurman already had British Vogue covers and a healthy modelling career under her belt, getting her start with Click Models from the age of 15, before she transitioned into acting with her debut role in 1987's Kiss Daddy Goodnight.

Later roles which cemented her status as a Hollywood legend included 1995's Pulp Fiction—for which she was nominated for the Oscar—and Kill Bill.

Amanda Seyfried

Mamma Mia star Amanda Seyfried might have started acting as a youngster in US soap operas like As the World Turns and All My Children but she got the showbiz bug even earlier than that.

The Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning star began modelling around 11 years old, with some of her earlier work appearing on the cover of children's books. She'd eventually sign with the prestigious Wilhelmina Models, before switching to acting full-time, landing her debut film role in the iconic Mean Girls (2004).

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron's first foray into showbusiness started when she won a modelling competition and moved to Milan with her mother. What followed was a modelling career around Europe, before she moved to New York City where she pursued both dance and acting.

Her breakthrough role is often credited to the 1997 film The Devil's Advocate and she has since gone on to win the Oscar for her work in 2004's Monster, plus joining major franchises like the Fast and Furious and Mad Max.

Sofia Vergara

Looking at Sofia Vergara, with her classic pin-up glamour and bombshell looks, it's not surprising she was first scouted for work in modelling.

The Latin beauty was spotted on a beach in Colombia when she was just 17, and this led to a Pepsi commercial and national exposure. What followed was work across Spanish-language television shows before cracking America. Sofia has shared throwback modelling photos on her social media

Her major breakthrough came with 2009's Modern Family, for which she received four Emmy nominations, and received a further Emmy nomination for Netflix's Griselda.

Halle Berry

Oscar winner Halle Berry brings her wealth of experience in the pageant circuit to her commanding red carpet presence.

The actress started out competing in pageants, winning Miss Teen All-American in 1985 and Miss Ohio USA in 1986. She was also the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant in 1986 before competing in Miss World that same year.

When she eventually switched to acting, her first role wasn't too far from her own life experiences - her breakthrough role was in 1989's Living Dolls, a TV show about young women trying to make it as models.

Subsequent roles included Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, The Flintstones and the X-Men film series, but she would go on to make history when she became the first Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar for 2001's Monster's Ball.

Jamie Dornan

Before he was Christian Grey, Jamie Dornan was one of the most in-demand male models.

Reports suggest that, through his modelling work with the likes of Calvin Klein, Dior and Abercrombie & Fitch, Jamie was raking in over £10,000 a day.

Still, acting was what the Irish star yearned for, and he transitioned from modelling into roles in The Fall, Fifty Shades of Grey and Belfast.

Ironically, despite earning him a healthy living and a career, Jamie later revealed to Radio Times that he hates having his photograph taken. Which, indeed, feels like an important part of the job.

Jennifer Lawrence

Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence had a brief foray into modelling before pursuing her career in acting.

She was scouted as a teenager, and has talked about working with Abercrombie & Fitch. In classic JLaw style, she revealed the shoots didn't exactly go to plan.

While appearing on The Graham Norton Show, she revealed she took the shoot too seriously - but not in the way she should have. When talking about the football themed shoot, she revealed, "The other models are, like, playing football in a pretty way, but not me.. I’ve got a red face, covered in sweat, my nostrils are flaring."

Luckily, that same commitment to her acting has seen her lead the Hunger Games franchise and win an Oscar for The Silver Linings Playbook.

Marilyn Monroe

One of the most famous icons ever, Marilyn Monroe might never have become, well, Marilyn Monroe had it not been for a brief modelling career.

In 1944, before she had taken on the 'role' of Marilyn, Norma Jean was working at a factory during World War II when she was spotted by photographer David Conover.

Conover convinced her to take photos, and this led to pin-up popularity and a professional modelling career. As she transformed her style, taking on the platinum blonde and deep red lips, she transitioned this into a film contract with 20th Century Fox in 1946.

Channing Tatum

Before Channing Tatum was one of Hollywood's most in-demand leading men, he earned a reputation as one of the most in-demand male models. After getting his start in Miami, Channing's bigger break came when he signed with Ford Models in New York.

What followed was work with brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein, Pepsi and Emporio Armani.

He would later chase a career in acting, landing his breakthrough role in Step Up (2006).

Emma Roberts

Like her aunt, Julia Roberts, and her father, Eric Roberts, acting was always on the horizon for Wild Child star Emma Roberts.

And while she started acting young, including landing a role in Aquamarine when she was around 15, Emma actually modelled for the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch beforehand.

Olivia Wilde

Actress and director Olivia Wilde is another star who got an early start in showbiz through modelling.

The Don't Worry, Darling director's early modelling career included working with Abercrombie & Fitch and Revlon.

Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson's discovery and early modelling career is the kind of tale that feels made up for movies. As a teen, she was attending a football game in Canada. The beautiful blonde caught the eye of a cameraman who put her on the jumbotron while she was wearing a Labatt's beer shirt.

The crowd went wild for her (because, duh, she's Pamela Anderson) and this led to the beer company hiring her as a model, and Playboy soon followed.

Lauren Bacall

With a striking face, statuesque height and a sultry, low voice, Lauren Bacall was one of the most iconic screen stars of all time. And her acting career came about thanks to her modelling.

Before her film debut, she worked as a model, gracing the covers of Harper's Bazaar and working for various brands and catalogues. As legend has it, film director Howard Hawks' wife, Slim, spotted Lauren on the cover and thought she would be perfect for her husband's film.

He listened (wisely), and cast Lauren in 1944's To Have and Have Not - kickstarting not only her career but her legendary on (and off) screen partnership with Humphrey Bogart.

Mila Kunis

Actress Mila Kunis has been candid about the fact she started out young - younger than she technically should have. Indeed, the gifted actress told producers of That 70s Show that she was 17 when she landed the role of Jackie - but she was actually 14.

For Mila, working was old hat though, as she'd been modelling since the age of 10.

Taylor Swift

Before she became the global powerhouse that she is, selling out stadiums in seconds with her country-pop anthems, Taylor Swift briefly dabbled in a different kind of career.

At around 13 years old, Taylor modelled for Abercrombie & Fitch before her country career took off.

James Marsden

James Marsden is an actor who can do it all, whether it's singing and dancing in films like Hairspray to superhero blockbusters in X-Men.

Before his acting career reached the heights it did, James briefly modelled, even landing campaigns with the likes of Versace.

Leighton Meester

Before she was running the streets of Manhattan and setting trends as Gossip Girl queen Blair Waldorf, Leighton Meester had a successful early career modelling.

Signing with Wilhelmina Models, Leighton worked with high profile brands and photographers like Ralph Lauren and Sofia Coppola (before she transitioned into film directing).

Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson has been modelling since the age of 12.

"When I first started I was quite tall and looked like a girl, so I got lots of jobs because it was during that period where the androgynous look was cool," he told Closer magazine. "Then, I guess, I became too much of a guy, so I never got any more jobs. I had the most unsuccessful modelling career."

Fortunately, he hasn't suffered too much since then, having starred in the Twilight series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and The Batman.

Brad Pitt

He's long been hailed as one of the most handsome men alive, so it's probably not a surprise that Brad Pitt was working as a model before landing his breakthrough on the silver screen.

One of Brad's most notable earlier modelling jobs was a national advertising campaign for Levi's jeans in 1991, where he played a character freed from a Mexican jail.

Anjelica Huston

As the child of a Hollywood legend (Chinatown and The Maltese Falcon director John Huston) Anjelica Huston might have rejected the early thought of acting to find her own passion. Which could explain how she found her way into modelling throughout the 70s.

A favourite muse of designer Halston, Anjelica's modelling career also saw her work with major brands such as Zandra Rhodes, Armani, and Valentino.

She eventually pursued a career in acting, winning an Oscar for her role in Prizzi's Honor and starring in the likes of The Witches and The Addams Family films.

Jessica Lange

Jessica Lange is a living legend, having won two Academy Awards, three Emmy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award, to name a few.

But many might not know that before she got her break into acting, Jessica was pursuing a career in modelling. In fact, during the 1970s, Jessica shared an apartment in Paris with two other rising superstars - Jerry Hall and Grace Jones.

They lived together and worked as models, but Jessica would pivot to acting with her 1976 breakthrough role in King Kong.

Gal Gadot

Gal Gadot competed in pageants and was crowned Miss Israel in 2004, years before she would pivot to acting in the likes of 2009's Fast & Furious and 2017's Wonder Woman.

Grace Jones

There's truly nobody like Grace Jones, and the visionary actress and singer started out as a model. With her striking, androgynous looks, she was a successful model, living and working throughout cities including Paris and New York. But it was during the 1970s that she caught the zeitgeist and started experimenting with music, acting and dance.

She was a regular performer at the hallowed Studio 54 nightclub, and would release her debut album in 1977.

Kim Basinger

With her icy blonde locks and her Old Hollywood glamour, Kim Basinger has wowed in films like L.A. Confidential. Before she started acting, Kim was a successful model, earning a reported $1000 a day (which was a significant amount in the 1970s).

Geena Davis

Oscar winning actress Geena Davis was working as a model when she was offered her first film role, in 1982's Tootsie.

The statuesque actress and model worked for the likes of Ann Taylor and Victoria's Secret. However, it wasn't all glamour. She told NPR that her work basically involved her being a "living mannequin", revealing "Somebody saw me do that, and then he stopped to see what was now going to happen. But I just froze. I didn't know, but I had an uncanny ability to be still."

Sharon Stone

Before screen legend Sharon Stone sent pulses racing with thrillers like Basic Instinct, her career was much more demure. She worked as a pageant contestant and was in the running for Miss Pennsylvania before moving to New York.

Some of her gigs included being a Breck Girl - which was a well-known brand of shampoo in the US. But modelling wasn't to be her endgame, as she pivoted to acting and landed early roles in films like King Solomon's Mines (1985) and Total Recall (1990).