7 Famous Entertainers Who Were Told They Had No Talent

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7 Famous Entertainers Who Were Told They Had No Talent

No matter who you are or how hard you work, there will always be someone ready to tell you that you'll never be good enough to truly achieve your dreams.

Whether they longed to be actors, dancers or singers, these famous entertainers had to face a lot of setbacks before they became who they are today. One thing they all have in common is that someone told these world-class entertainers that they had no talent.

Their success just goes to prove that you should never let a hater hold you back from your dreams!

7. Boy George

Before he became "Boy George," he was more commonly known as George O'Dowd. Young George told his career counselor that he wished to be a musician. The cruel adviser laughed in his face and convinced him to work in a factory instead.

Being young, he took the counselor's advice, toiling away in an apple packing factory. He didn't last more than five weeks, when he realized that there truly was only one calling for his life.

He would go on to top international music charts, win a Grammy and a Brit Award and found his own record label, More Protein.

6. Gary Oldman

What would the world be without Gary Oldman? No one could bring to life such diverse characters like Lee Harvey Oswald, Sid Vicious and Harry Potter character Sirius Black.

He almost didn't make it into show business after he failed his audition for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. The judges told him he couldn't act and that he should seek out another career.

Thankfully, he tried again and earned a bachelor's degree in theater arts from Britain's Rose Bruford College. He has gone on to win several awards including two BAFTA Awards and multiple Critics' choice awards.

5. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Before he became an actor, Schwarzenegger made his name in bodybuilding. But when he came to Hollywood with dreams of being an actor, most people laughed at him - they said it was a pipe dream:

His accent was too strange, his body was "overly developed," and English speakers couldn't pronounce his name.  

Arnold was ambitious though, and he refused to let the naysayers get him down. He would go on to star in the Terminator series that later exploded into a massively popular franchise, earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and go on to be elected Republican Governor of California.

Not bad for a guy with a 'weird accent.'

Turn the page to see who else made it despite being told they were terrible entertainers...

In the pursuit of a dream, there will always be bumps along the road. Some of those bumps will be people who try to discourage us from truly achieving our greatest desires.

There are many explanations for why haters love to hate, but the most important thing to remember is that you must carry on - no matter what they say.

If these celebrities hadn't stuck to their guns, the world would be missing some pretty great talent!

4. Burt Reynolds

Before starring in his breakthrough film, Deliverance, Reynolds was drafted by the Baltimore Colts. Unfortunately, before his career could even get off the ground, an accident on the field and another in a car ended his chances at football fame.

In the 1960s, Reynolds turned to his dreams of acting. His luck with acting appeared to be the same as it was with football though, because he was fired from a movie along with another famous actor.

When he asked why he lost the job, they simply told him he couldn't act. Thankfully, he was able to turn his luck around and even made a comeback in 1996 with his Golden Globe award-winning performance in Boogie Nights.

3. Clint Eastwood

At the same time that Burt Reynolds was canned for his 'bad' acting abilities, Clint Eastwood was fired because of his looks.

It wasn't that he was too handsome for the role, but quite the opposite! His protruding Adam's apple and chipped tooth were not Hollywood star material. Another flaw that directors pointed out was his slow drawl.

Little did they know that his slow drawl through gritted-teeth would become Clint Eastwood's signature mark as an actor. Not only would he go on to have a long, profitable career, but he would would also win five Academy Awards.

2. Fred Astaire

It's hard to believe that anyone with this much talent could be judged as lacking. During his first screen test, Astaire was judged as someone who: "Can't act. Can't sing. Balding. Can dance a little."

Such sparse praise and outright crushing criticism would have dealt a death-blow to a weaker man's career. But Astaire refused to back down. He spent his film career proving that callous executive wrong.

His would grow in his craft and become what is known as a triple-threat: singing, dancing, acting skills beyond compare.

At the height of Jazz Age, Astaire partnered up with Ginger Rogers and the pair charmed Hollywood with ten incredible movies including Top Hat and Shall We Dance.

The two-time Emmy winner received numerous other awards.

1.  Elvis Presley

Believe it or not, the King himself was a failure when it came to musical talent. In his eighth grad music class, he was given a below average grad of  C -  and told by his teacher that he "had no aptitude for singing."

Although he pushed forward with his dream, a failed audition for a local quartet and another for a local band brought harsh critique: he was told not to quit his day job because he was "never going to make it as a singer."

It wasn't until Sun Records producer, Sam Phillips, heard Presley performing with other musicians during a break in recording that someone finally recognized the talent within.

He would go on to earn 45 gold records, selling over a million copies each and, by the age of 30, become the highest-paid performer ever at the time.

[h/t Listverse / Express]