When the word Accounting comes into mind, we all have a particular definition that describes it as a profession that requires precision, attention to detail, and a knack for numbers. It’s no wonder that many famous people have pursued accounting as a career path. Some of the most surprising names on the list will blow your mind: who studied accounting before pursuing their respective careers as musicians, actors, and writers.
Mick Jagger
Rolling Stones need no introduction, so Mick Jagger the famous English singer, songwriter, actor, and dancer. The American pop industry is growing with “Moves Like Jagger” and making strides in the entertainment industry.
Mick Jagger has been full of surprises; the famous singer, born in Dartford, England, having the full name “Sir Michael Philip Jagger”, wanted to pursue his career in Accounting. Imagine the debits and credits, IRS tax filings, and the CPA named Mick Jagger.
Before he hit the Hall of Fame, the famous Mick Jagger was a student of Finance and Accounting at the London School of Economics. His life’s calling for a career in music and his love for groovy numbers made him abandon his studies to focus his career on music.
Janet Jackson
Talking about the Music Industry, how can anyone forget Janet Jackson, one of the best American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer of her time. Who succeeded in influencing people by addressing social issues with her music and public persona.
She is known for her chart-topping hits and electrifying performances, which run in the family. Janet Jackson belonged to the Jackson family and shared a great relationship with our very own favorite, Michael Jackson. Janet Jackson was Michael Jackson’s sister and the tenth youngest member of the Jackson family.
Janet made her name in Pop and R&B music when she debuted at the MGM Grand. She is one of the most successful and influential pop icons of all time.
But even only a few of her fans know that Janet Jackson initially chose education over stardom. Janet studied accounting and had plans to become an accountant. She has been quoted saying,
“If I wasn’t a singer, I’d probably be an accountant.”
It is believed that Janet’s accounting background may have helped her manage her finances and make informed decisions throughout her career. While Janet’s accounting career never took off, her music career certainly did. She has produced a string of platinum-selling albums and won five Grammys. Her music has inspired and entertained millions of people worldwide.
John Grisham
Now this well-known celebrity will peak the interest of any readers who are into reading books and novels. Taking third place in our list is John Grisham, the famous author of the novel “The Firm.”
Why do most of the protagonists of John Grisham’s novels were accountants?
Grisham was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and initially, he planned to become a tax lawyer. He studied accounting at Mississippi State University, which served as the foundation for his incredible career as a writer. Grisham initially worked as a lawyer before he started writing.
His career took an impressive turn as his legal background helped create a career in writing. He was well known for crafting gripping plots and realistic characters in his novels.
Although Grisham’s career is not directly related to accounting, his accounting background may have helped him manage his finances and also in crafting his novels. In fact, his knowledge of accounting plays a crucial role in the plot of The Firm. The protagonist, Mitch McDeere, is himself an accountant and a tax lawyer, and the book portrays the inner workings of the law firm and the tax law cases that the characters handle.
Bob Newhart
One of the most unexpected names that has been added to this list. Filled with humor and laughs, he is a man who people will most probably believe has nothing to do with a profession like accounting Bob Newhart.
Bob Newhart has won several awards throughout his illustrious career in entertainment. He has won three Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. He was also honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2002.
He is an American comedian and actor born in Illinois. He began his career in comedy by performing routines in small clubs in Chicago. Bob Newhart achieved his stardom when his first album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” was released in 1960 and soon became the first comedy album to reach number one on the Billboard charts.
After his record-breaking success, Bob Newhart went on to star in several successful television shows and movies, including “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Elf.” But before choosing his career as a comedian, Newhart studied management and accounting at Loyola University in Chicago. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he worked as an accountant for about two years before shifting to work as a copywriter.
His accounting penchant has been equally humorous as his career in comedy. His accounting career could have been more-lived and undistinguished. According to his admission, he was a terrible accountant and developed a penchant for adjusting petty cash imbalances with his own money.
Arthur Blank
Arthur Morris Blank was born on September 27, 1942, in Queens, New YorkCity is a well-known American businessman, philanthropist, and sports team owner. It is said that Blanks’s current net worth is $1.3 billion, making him one of the wealthiest ex-accountant celebs in history.
Graduating from the Babson Institute in 1963, Blank worked as a senior accountant at Arthur Young and Company in his early days. Later, he joined the Daylin Corporation, where he rose to become president of Elliott’s Drug Stores/Stripe Discount Stores, a division of Daylin.
In 1978, Blank co-founded The Home Depot with Bernard Marcus. Today, Blank is the Chairman of AMB Group LLC, the parent company of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. In March 2020, Arthur Blank’s foundation pledged to donate almost $5.4 million to support the coronavirus pandemic response in Georgia and Montana.
Walter Diemer
Everyone loves Bubble gum, and very few people will disagree, right? Meet Walter E. Diemer, an American accountant who, in 1928, invented the Bubble gum.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Walter Diemer was working as an accountant at Fleer in 1926 when the company president sought to cut costs by making their gum base. Although an accountant by profession, Diemer developed a taste for experimenting with gum recipes in his spare time.
In doing so, he accidentally stumbled upon a unique recipe that was less sticky, would not stick to the face, and yet stretched more easily and edible. Diemer saw the possibilities and, using a saltwater taffy wrapping machine, wrapped one hundred pieces of his creation to test market in a local mom-and-pop candy store.
Priced at one penny a piece, the gum sold out in one day. Fleer began marketing the new gum as “Dubble Bubble,” and Diemer himself taught salesmen how to blow bubbles as a selling point for the gum, helping them demonstrate how Dubble Bubble differed from all other chewing gums. At the time, he had only pink food coloring in the factory, so he produced pink-colored gum. Little did he know it would become the reason why most bubble gum is pink today.
The sales of Dubble Bubble surpassed $1.5 million U.S. dollars in the first year. However, Diemer did not patent his invention, and competition soon arose as bubble gum became a popular and inexpensive treat, especially during the Great Depression.
