33. Mark Harmon
NCIS star Mark Harmon loved something else more than fighting crime on screen when he was growing up, starting as lead quarterback for the UCLA Bruins football team over the span of 24 months. With a father who played professionally, it makes sense that this would have seemed like the obvious way to go for his career.
Mark Harmon
The universe had other plans, however. After leading the team to a 17-5 record and helping them to beat past national champions, he decided that he wanted to explore some of his other goals. The acting was next on the list, and now we get to see him fight crime week after week in one of the highest-rated shows on TV.
34. John Goodman
With one of the most distinguishable voices and some incredible facial expressions to boot, John Goodman may never have hit our screens if he pursued a career in football as planned. Having dabbled with theatre in high school, he decided to focus on football and by the start of the 1970’s he had earned a scholarship to Missouri State. An unforeseen injury would, however, change the course of his path for good.
John Goodman
After getting injured, John decided that he still wanted to pursue theater and by 1975 he was in New York chasing after “the dream”. Having struggled to get by as most actors do, he was glad to say goodbye to the odd jobs and voice-over work in the late eighties, when he landed a role on ABC’s soon to be massive hit Roseanne. It would be a life-changing role, winning him a Golden Globe for his acting, and adding to his status as TV royalty.
