Danny Hajek
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The actor says he got his big break because of a college crush. When she went on an audition, he tagged along, inadvertently starting a career in cologne ads, soap operas — and hit TV shows.
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The comedian and Late, Late Show band leader beatboxes, imitates and impersonates with amazing accuracy. It was a phone call from Conan O'Brien that put Watts' one-man show into the spotlight.
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The comedian once worked in advertising — until he got caught dozing on the job. So, he took his savings and stepped on stage. Still, it was years before he hit his big break: a gig on the Late Show.
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He drove a garbage truck in LA and fibbed his way into Hollywood westerns. But Jonathan Goldsmith's big break was getting cast in Dos Equis beer commercials as "The Most Interesting Man in the World."
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The actress is best known for her role as Dr. Quinn, the physician on the American frontier. But her big break came years before, when she played 007's tarot-reading love interest in Live and Let Die.
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Susan Stamberg is an NPR "founding mother" and the first woman to anchor a national nightly news program. But her radio debut was not so glamorous: a fake weather report on a local radio station.
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Stephanie Izard is the chef behind Chicago's award-winning Girl and the Goat restaurant — and the first woman to win on Bravo's Top Chef. But her food career began in the land of unlimited salad.
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The Bronx native grew up in a blue-collar household; a life in show business seemed far from reality. He spent time in the Air Force and as a cop before he finally gave his childhood dream a chance.
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Jay Jackson plays the hilariously odd newscaster on NBC's Parks and Recreation. But before he was a fake anchor, Jackson spent 22 years as a real TV reporter — and he became an actor by accident.
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Back in 1987, Nancy Cartwright made a risky, last-minute decision during an audition: Instead of trying out for the part of mild-mannered Lisa Simpson, she went for the role of rebellious Bart.