9. Ronald Reagan - From Hollywood B-Movies To President Of The United States
For a man whose acting career was highlighted by a movie in which he played opposite a monkey (Bedtime for Bonzo), Ronald Reagan sure ended up making good for himself. Reagan's professional life began in radio, his authoritative voice used to call American football games, before a screen test in 1937 began a career in Hollywood B-Movies (appearing in 19 movies within his first two years as an actor). Any chances of breaking through to leading man status, however, were curtailed with the onset of the Second World War in which Reagan served with the U.S. Army. His post-war return to acting led to few plaudits, but an array of titles such as the aforementioned Bedtime for Bonzo, and ultimately his career fizzled out with a final appearance in the 1964 movie The Killers acting as his swansong. Alas, Reagan's life in the public eye was to not end here - instead, using the communicative skills learned in his thespian and broadcasting sojourns, a career in politics came calling.
Running with ultra-conservative policies and appealing to nostalgic moralism, Reagan ended up with an astounding career third act beginning with a role as Governor of California and concluding with a two term stint as the most powerful man in the free world - as president of the United States of America.