Many African celebrities did not begin their careers doing what made them famous. Some worked behind the scenes in film, others entered entertainment through radio or modelling, while some trained for completely different professions.

Here are 10 African celebrities whose early careers or professional paths looked very different from the work that eventually made them internationally known.

1. Idris Elba — DJ

British actor Idris Elba, whose father was from Sierra Leone and mother was from Ghana, became internationally known for roles including Stringer Bell in The Wire and John Luther in Luther.

Before his acting career became established, Elba worked as a DJ. He began helping his uncle with a wedding-DJ business as a teenager and later operated his own DJ company. He also worked various jobs while pursuing acting opportunities.

2. Charlize Theron — Ballet Dancer

South African-born Charlize Theron originally saw dance as her career path.

She trained in ballet and attended the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. A knee injury ended her hopes of pursuing professional ballet, after which she turned toward acting.

Before Hollywood fame, she had also worked as a model in Europe.

3. Lupita Nyong’o — Production Assistant

Before winning an Academy Award, Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o worked behind the camera.

While studying in the United States, she returned to Kenya and secured an unpaid production-assistant position on The Constant Gardener, which was filming in Nairobi in 2005.

She later studied at Yale School of Drama before becoming internationally known through 12 Years a Slave.

4. Djimon Hounsou — Fashion Model

Beninese actor Djimon Hounsou entered the public eye through modelling before becoming a major film actor.

After moving to France as a teenager, Hounsou eventually established himself as a model in Paris and worked with fashion designer Thierry Mugler.

He also appeared in music videos before moving to Los Angeles and pursuing acting. His later film career included Amistad, Gladiator and Blood Diamond.

5. Trevor Noah — Radio Presenter

South African comedian Trevor Noah had already built a career in local entertainment before becoming host of The Daily Show.

At 18, he appeared in the South African soap opera Isidingo. He later presented television programmes and hosted his own radio show, Noah’s Ark, on YFM.

His South African television and radio work came years before his international comedy career.

6. Nomzamo Mbatha — Accounting Student

South African actress and television personality Nomzamo Mbatha originally studied accounting.

Her academic path was far removed from the entertainment career that followed. She later became known through South African television and film before expanding her international profile.

Her story is an example of how some public figures enter entertainment after beginning in a conventional academic or professional field.

7. Wahu Kagwi — Mathematics Graduate

Kenyan singer Wahu Kagwi studied mathematics before becoming one of Kenya’s best-known musicians.

Her university education was not directly connected to the music career that followed. She later became known for songs and collaborations that established her place in Kenya’s entertainment industry.

8. Yvonne Chaka Chaka — Teacher Training

South African music star Yvonne Chaka Chaka entered entertainment at a young age, but her early life also included formal education and teacher-training ambitions.

Her music career eventually became much more prominent, turning her into one of the best-known voices in South African popular music.

9. Bonang Matheba — Television and Radio Presenter

South African media personality Bonang Matheba entered broadcasting while still very young.

Her early career was built around television and radio rather than the fashion, business and celebrity brand associated with her later public profile.

She became widely recognised through South African broadcasting before expanding into international media and business projects.

10. David Oyelowo — Theatre Actor

Nigerian-British actor David Oyelowo's early professional path was rooted in stage acting rather than Hollywood.

He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His theatre work preceded the international film roles that later brought him wider recognition.