“I’m not a doctor, I just play one on TV.” This is probably a very common joke made amongst actors. There seems to be no shortage of actors who portray doctors or medical personnel in all of the movies and television shows that are so popular.
It all seemed to take off with Grey’s Anatomy. From there, things quickly spun out of control and albeit, great shows like House, ER, and Children’s Hospital were born, but the list of medical related shows have not stopped there. Maybe it’s due to the fact that there is no shortage of drama in a medical atmosphere. People are always close to death, and emotions are constantly raging.
In any case, even though the shows are probably not even remotely accurate, it makes for great TV, and there are thousands of actors who can claim that they once played a doctor on TV. How many celebrities can actually claim the “Dr.” title away from the silver screen? Here are some celebrities who are involved in the healthcare industry in real life.
Phoebe Buffay…Errrr, Dr. Lisa Kudrow
Though there are many actors out there who work from a young age to become successful in the acting field, there are many out there that got a later break in life. Many of which had completely different plans for their lives, and fate seemed to have a different course for them.
Once such example is Lisa Kudrow, most famous for her role of Phoebe Buffay, in Friends. It’s funny to state that she was studying psychobiology at Vassar University before her life changed course.
She claims that she always wanted to be an actress, but when the world of biology was opened up to her, she became hooked and wanted to learn all that she could. Her father was a headache specialist, and after college, she started studying some with him until one day she decided that she just had to try acting while she was young and uninhibited.
Obviously, the gamble worked out just fine for her, and the world wouldn’t be the same if Lisa hadn’t played Phoebe…and Ursula for that matter.
The Gangster Leslie Chow
Perhaps a little less well known is actor Ken Jeong, most famous for his role in The Hangover movies as Leslie Chow. Jeong was born in Michigan to South Korean immigrants. He completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University and went on to get his medical degree at the University of North Carolina.
Ken Jeong continued to pursue medicine later in life until he decided he just had to pursue his love of comedy and acting. He was in New Orleans studying medicine when he won the “Big Easy Laff-Off,” and was encouraged to move to L.A. to chase his dreams.
Though little in life is ever easy, it’s especially impressive that these celebrities not only became successful actors, but also completed medical degrees. It goes to show that these celebrities knew the importance of education and making the right moves to cover their bases on all aspects of life.
Nothing is certain, and nothing is safe from the prying eyes of the world, but these celebrities learned how to achieve their dreams all the while protecting their own assets in the process. Hopefully other celebrities will take note, and if anything, learn that knowledge will enrich their lives more than money ever will.
