Do you ever wonder what some of your favorite entertainers did before they became celebrities? Many of them went to law school, and some practiced law. Here are a few of them.
Gemma Chan
Actress Gemma Chan was born and raised in London, England. The Eternals and Crazy Rich Asians actor studied law at Worcester College, Oxford, subsequently landing a plum training contract at the London law firm Slaughter and May. But rather than take it, Chan enrolled at the Drama Centre London, where she was spotted by the film producer Damian Jones. “On the whole, it is quite a different part of the brain: Law is very analytical, and acting is more instinctive and emotionally driven,” she told Modern Luxury Magazine in 2019. “But, it does come in handy with learning lines―and reading my own contract.”
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor and film producer. He studied law at the University of Glasgow and served as the law society’s president. He took a position as a trainee lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Edinburgh. After completing his legal studies with high honors, Gerard Butler moved to London and began his acting career. He later followed his dream in Hollywood.
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli is an Italian tenor and he plays several instruments. He was visually impaired from birth and at the age of 12, a football accident caused a brain hemorrhage that left Bocelli completely blind. Bocelli’s parents encouraged him to study law while he was attending the University of Pisa. Bocelli made extra money before graduating from the University by playing in neighborhood piano bars. He worked for one year as a lawyer before he turned to music—a passion of Bocelli’s since he was a child. “Probably it is better for many clients that I changed my direction!” he joked in a 2015 interview. “But I was happy to study [law] and I was a good student, I finished my studies. And everything that you learn is useful in life.”
Jerry Springer
Gerald Norman Springer is a British-American journalist, actor, producer, former Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, and broadcaster. He is also a former lawyer. Springer received a political science degree from Tulane University in 1965. After receiving his J.D. from Northwestern University in 1968, Springer became a partner at the Cincinnati law firm Grinker, Studman & Springer and worked there from 1973 to 1985. Between September 30, 1991, and July 26, 2018, he was the host of the tabloid talk show Jerry Springer. In 2015, he launched the Jerry Springer Podcast.
John Grisham
If you’ve read A Time to Kill and The Firm, among others, you know the name John Grisham. Grisham graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law with a J.D. in 1981, and practiced law for about ten years.
Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera studied law at Brooklyn Law School and graduated in 1969. He then went on to work at the National Lawyers Guild and Community Action for Legal Services in New York. His efforts representing Puerto Rican activists in East Harlem eventually opened the door to his first reporter role at WABC-TV. Rivera then pursued a career in journalism. He achieved notoriety with The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults.
Ozzie Nelson
Oswald George Nelson was an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter, musician, composer, conductor, and bandleader. He created and starred in the radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet with his wife Harriet and their two kids, David and Ricky Nelson. In 1930, Ozzie Nelson graduated from Rutgers with a law degree. Practicing law was not a good career choice during the Great Depression, and Nelson decided to work in the entertainment industry. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was a popular television show running from 1952 to 1966.
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