13 People Who Made Mid-Life Career Changes And Became Famous
![13 People Who Made Mid-Life Career Changes And Became Famous](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/2/800792_320x180.jpg)
Despite what our parents tell us, we here at Cracked really believe it's never too late. No matter where you are or what you're doing, there's always an opportunity to get things back on track or just start over in a new direction.
The reality is that sometimes you hit your thirties, forties, fifties, or even sixties and realize you don't care for your current career. There's plenty of people who still manage to switch things up and find something that they ACTUALLY enjoy.
We found more than a dozen people who not only made mid-career changes, but actually became pretty famous in the process.
For example, did you know the actor how plays Phyllis in the Office was 54 years old when she landed the role? Before that, she worked in the back office in the casting department.
These 13 people realized they wanted something different, took a risk, and it paid off. Scroll down for more!
![Phyllis Smith was a casting associate Before she was cast on The Office, Smith was a NFL cheerleader, a burlesque dancer, and in the casting department for 19 years. She was 54 years old when she landed her big break. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/0/800790.jpg)
Source: Slate
![Bob Ross spent 20 years in the Air Force While in the military, he took took painting classes at a U.S.O. club. He was 41 years old when the first episode of The Joy of Painting was filmed. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/8/9/800789.jpg)
Source: New York Times
![Alan Rickman started out as a graphic designer After graduating with a degree in design, Rickman and friends started a graphic design company that went under after three years. That's when he decided to pursue acting full-time, returning to school for acting. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/8/8/800788.jpg)
Source: Design Observer
![Kathryn Joosten was a psychiatric nurse Kathryn Joosten was an ard-winning actor on Desperate and The West Wing but didn't start acting until she did community theater at 42 years old. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/1/800791.jpg)
Source: New York Times
![Ray Kroc helped McDonald's take over the world Kroc worked as a piano player, a paper cup salesman and a Multimixer salesman. He was impressed by the McDonald Brothers' small but effective operations and created a franchise agreement with them when he was 53 years old. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/8/3/800783.jpg)
Source: McDonald's
![John Grisham published his first book at 34 People often say write what you know. And Grisham started his career as an attorney, which gave him plenty of material for his legal thrillers. He gave up practicing law after his second book, the bestseller The Firm, when he was 36. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/5/1/800751.jpg)
Source: Academy of Achievement
![Colonel Sanders became easily bored at jobs Before selling fried chicken, Sanders was a farmer, streetcar conductor, soldier, railroad fireman, lawyer, insurance salesman, steamboat operator, secretary, lighting manufacturer, hotel owner. Sanders didn't start to create his empire until he was 65 years old. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/4/800694.jpg)
Source: The Verge
![Meghan Markle retired from acting to join royalty In a story we're probably all familiar with, Markle's tempid career in acting ended at 36 in a high-profile marriage that might just change the course of British royalty forever. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/3/800693.jpg)
![Vera Wang was an ice skater and fashion editor Vera Wang was a national competing ice skater who went on to work at Vogue as one of the youngest editors. She started her incredibly successful bridal wear line at 40 years old. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/2/800692.jpg)
Source: People
![Shel Silverstein never wanted to write children's books Shel Silverstein's first children's book was published when he was 33. He had prior careers as a songwriter, playwright, and comic artist, often featured in Playboy. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/1/800691.jpg)
Source: New York Times
![Martha Stewart was a model and stockbroker Stewart was a successful stockbroker who quit to become a homemaker. It wasn't until she was 33 that she started a career as a caterer, which would lead to a cookbook and eventually becoming a TV personality. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/8/9/800689.jpg)
Source: Irish Times
![Phyllis Diller started comedy at 37 After working as a homemaker, Diller wrote ads for a radio station. She quit her job to be a stand-up, before she had ever been on a stage. She would go on to have an incredibly successful 50 year career. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/5/5/800655.jpg)
Source: New York Times
![Ken Jeong was a doctor Jeong worked worked 90-hour weeks during his medical residency but still managed to make time for stand-up. He quit his job at Kaiser Permanente after he filmed Knocked Up. He was 38 years old. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/5/0/800650.jpg)
Source: Hollywood Reporter