From Freight To Fame: Celebrities Who Were Once Truckers

Not all famous people begin their lives in the starlight. Many start their careers doing something completely different to what they end up becoming famous for. Here is a list of some of the most famous celebs who used to do haulage work before Hollywood came knocking.

Sean Connery

Everyone’s favourite Bond, this iconic Scottish actor was never afraid of a bit of hard work. As well as working as a labourer, coffin pusher and lifeguard, Connery spent a period as a truck driver before hitting the big time. After making his break in films such as South Pacific, the future Bond would go on to become one of the most recognised figures in cinema. After all, where do you think Bond learnt to drive his Aston Martin so well?

Liam Neeson

This Northern Irish actor would become famous for his roles as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, as tragic hero Oskar Schindler and perhaps most famously as the world’s most protective and murderously skilled father Bryan Mills in Taken. Before all that, however, Neeson did some work as a fork-lift truck driver and haulier for the famous Guinness brewery.

Richard Pryor

I’m sure that many of us know a truck driver who thinks that they are the funniest person on the planet. In the case of Richard Pryor, this turned out to be true. After doing haulage work across Europe and the US, Pryor decided to become a stand-up comedian and tell his jokes to a bigger crowd than just those he met on the road.

Elvis Presley

“Stick to truck driving, you’ll never make it as a singer.” These are the words famously uttered to the king of rock at one of his earlier auditions. Presley would go on to become possibly the most famous musician of all time and would base a number of his songs on the things that he had seen while travelling around the country in his lorry. It seems that there is nothing like a bit of haulage work to build the appetite for rockin’ and rollin’.

Viggo Mortenson

Before he was slicing through orcs as the heir of Gondor in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mortenson was driving trucks in Denmark and working as a florist. Mortenson is now considered one of the most underrated actors of the nineties, as he did not receive critical recognition for his work until his Oscar nomination for his role in Captain Fantastic in 2016.

Haulage Work – One Path to Stardom

Haulage is an industry like no other for building character and collecting varied experiences. Driving through countries and continents, often on their own for large periods, lorry drivers have unparalleled access to the world and its many beauties. Whether it is singing, telling jokes or doing impressions, you or your truck-driving friends may be developing the abilities that could one day make you famous.

Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage work with available drivers. Over 5,000 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.