There are a lot of actresses and actors who have played nurses or a nursing assistant at one point in their careers. Then there are the celebrities who have actually been one.
We found a number of celebrities who either were nurses or had been studying to be one. Although we’re glad they pursued their other careers—as the entertainment world would be different without them—it’s fun to think that they could have been working side-by-side nurses in health care facilities today.
Here are just some of the ones we found:
- Tina Turner
Before she became a singer (and an amazing one at that!), Tina Turner was planning to become a nurse and even worked as a nurse’s aide in a local hospital. Can you imagine someone else singing her version of Proud Mary while shaking that spangled dress? No, neither can we.
- Bonnie Hunt
While she’s known as an actress, producer, director, and voiceover artist, Bonnie Hunt began her career path as a nurse. Although she really wanted to act, her father told her that she should become a nurse. Having been a candy striper in high school, Hunt listened to him. After graduating from nursing school, she worked for five years at Northwestern University Hospital and spent her nights performing at Second City improv troupe. Finally, she moved to Los Angeles and landed her first role as a waitress in the Barry Levinson movie Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. Since then, she’s starred in movies such as Cheaper by the Dozen, had her own TV show, and entered the voiceover realm. She’ll once again provide the voice for Dolly in the next Toy Story movie, Toy Story 4. In the past, she voiced characters in A Bug’s Life and Monsters, Inc, among many others.
- Adrian Holmes
You may know Adrian Holmes as Lt. Frank Pike in the TV series Arrow, as Nick Barron in the series 19-2, or in many other roles he’s played on TV or in movies. But did you know that he started out as a nurse?
Nursing was a big part of his life while growing up because his mom worked as a nurse, and his parents ran a nursing home. Although acting called to him, Holmes earned his RN. Funny thing is that just after he graduated from nursing school, his acting career began to take off.
- Naomi Judd
Before she began performing with her daughter Wynonna to become one of country music’s biggest duos, Naomi Judd worked as a nurse. When Wynonna and Judd’s other daughter, actress and activist Ashley were growing up, Naomi supported their family by working as a nurse in the ICU.
While she stopped performing with her daughter more than five years ago, Judd still gives talks about hepatitis C, and she published her memoir River of Time, in which she discusses her battle with depression.
- A Day in the Life: Spinal Cord/Multi Trauma Unit Nurse - April 1, 2024
- Nurse’s Side Gig: TruCare Foot Health - March 14, 2024
- A Day in the Life: Psychiatric Nurse - February 5, 2024