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Talented Actors Who Never Took Acting Classes | Self Taught Actors

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Not everyone who becomes a great actor attends acting school. Charlize Theron intended to be a ballet dancer and was discovered arguing with a bank teller, which led to a movie job. After acting on the street to support his family, Joaquin Phoenix ended up in Hollywood. Because of their inherent skill, many more A-list performers like them became vital parts of Hollywood.

As a result, we wanted to honor the celebrities who have demonstrated that becoming a Hollywood superstar does not always necessitate taking acting school.

Ben Kingsley

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Kingsley made his acting debut at the age of 23 and went on to work on stage for the next 15 years. He even turned down a number of significant possibilities. His debut film, Fear Is The Key, was released in 1972, and he earned an Academy Award for his performance in Gandhi in 1982. He is entirely self-taught as an actor.

Channing Tatum

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Tatum worked as a construction worker, a dancer, a salesman, and a mortgage broker after graduating from college. He was spotted on the streets of Miami by a modeling agency and appeared in print commercials for a number of well-known brands. Then he progressively worked his way up through many advertisements and films, eventually becoming the celebrity that he is today.

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Charlize Theron

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When she was 16, Theron started modeling and then went on to study ballet dancing. She gave up everything after a series of knee injuries and relocated to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. She began arguing with a bank teller who refused to cash her out-of-state cheque in order to make ends meet. She was found by a Hollywood manager at the time, who helped her get into films.

Cameron Diaz

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A well-known photographer called Jeff Dunas once approached Diaz and inquired about her agent. Dunas gave her his business card and advised her to contact him once she had an agent when she claimed she didn’t have one. She started out as a model with Elite modeling agency and then moved on to modest parts. She received her big break with The Mask four years later.

Christian Bale

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Bale dropped out of school when he was 16 and began his career in advertisements, which led to his acting in films. He is best known for his role as Batman in the Dark Knight films, but he is also known for his method acting in any film he has worked on. He has the ability to make significant adjustments in himself in order to give his finest performance.

Henry Cavill

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When Cavill was in school, he loved working in the theater. At his boarding school, he worked as an extra in a play. When a casting party for the film The Count of Monte Cristo came up at his school, he won one of his earliest cinematic parts. Cavill made an impression on the group and was accepted.

Heath Ledger

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When he was 17, Ledger dropped out of school to pursue a career in acting. He and his best friend, Trever DiCarlo, travelled to Sydney to look for acting work. His first break came in the form of a modest role on the TV show Clowning Around. After 10 Things I Hate About You, he gradually became a well-known face, and then he made his best performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight. To be an actor, Ledger is the definitive proof that you don’t need any formal training.

Johnny Depp

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Depp relocated to California to pursue a career as a musician. He got his first job selling ink pens over the phone as a telemarketer. His friend Nicholas Cage connected him to his agency when he was working at this job. Depp later appeared in the film A Nightmare on Elm Street. He never went to acting school or had any official training.

Joaquin Phoenix

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Phoenix has worked as an actor, a producer, and a musician, to mention a few. To help support his family, he and his siblings used to perform on the streets. They were all discovered by an agent named Iris Burton, who landed them roles in advertisements and television shows. After his brother, River Phoenix, died, Joaquin took a break.

His comeback brought him a slew of hit films, for which he received an Oscar and a slew of other significant prizes, including best actor in The Joker.

Jennifer Lawrence

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Jennifer persuaded her parents to help her find an agent in New York City to help her launch her acting career. Her first break came on The Bill Engvall Show, a TBS comedy series. She gradually landed roles in films such as The Hunger Games, X-Men, and others.

Jim Carrey

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Jim Carrey grew up in a strange household. He had dreamed of leading a successful life since he was a teenager, when he lived in a van with his family. He dropped out of school at the age of 16 to help support his family, and he went on to audition for a variety of tiny jobs. He finally obtained a position on the television show In Living Color, where he excelled. Since then, he’s had considerably bigger jobs and has never paid for acting training.

Meg Ryan

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She began auditioning for commercials and TV programs while studying journalism in New York. She appeared in Burger King and AIM Toothpaste advertisements. She also dropped out of college a semester early to work in a feature picture as her acting career grew. She has never undergone any formal acting training.

Matthew McConaughey

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When McConaughey was a law student at the University of Texas, he came across Og Mandino’s book The Greatest Salesman in the World. This novel had a profound impact on him, and it was the catalyst for him to pursue acting. He got his start in acting by appearing in a number of commercials and student films. He happened to meet Richard Linklater one day, and he was later cast in the film Dazed and Confused. It’s no surprise that he cast McConaughey in this position.

Natalie Portman

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Portman began working at a local pizza business when she was 11 years old, where a Revlon agent persuaded her to pursue a modeling career. She, on the other hand, found modeling to be tedious and decided to pursue acting instead. She then enrolled in the Usdan Theatre Arts Camp, where she appeared in numerous performances. Portman did not require any formal training to become the outstanding actress that she is.

Russell Crowe

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Crowe rose to prominence after starring as Maximus in the Oscar-winning film Gladiator. Because of his familial connections, he got his first break. He also dropped out of school at the age of 16 to pursue a career as an actor. His dedication has landed him roles in films such as Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, and many others.

Tom Cruise

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Tom was a movie buff who once worked in a play that forever changed his life. He moved to New York to pursue a career as an actor, and six months later, he landed a role in the film Taps. He became one of the highest-paid performers in the world in 1990 and has always maintained a humble demeanor about it.

Which of the above-mentioned actors’ characters are your favorites? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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