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1. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey has used her extraordinary popularity as a daytime television host to start a magazine, run an international book club, act, produce films and engage in a variety of philanthropic pursuits. She can also add 'professor' to her resume - Oprah taught the Dynamics of Management at Northwestern University's renowned Kellogg School of Management.
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2. Spike Lee
Film students at NYU and Columbia have the opportunity to take courses from acclaimed director Spike Lee. He's directed over 40 major movies, including 'Do the Right Thing,' 'Malcolm X,' 'The Kings of Comedy' and 'Inside Man.'
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3. Kal Penn
The actor who rocketed to stardom as the motivation-impaired Kumar in 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle' taught two courses in Asian American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Penn recently left the TV show 'House' to serve as the Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
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4. Andy Griffith
Comic actor Andy Griffith taught high school English in Goldsboro, NC for several years after graduating from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill. Griffith later became famous as the namesake sheriff in 'The Andy Griffith Show' and legendary country lawyer in the long-running 'Matlock' TV series.
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5. Billy Crystal
Actor and stand-up comedian Billy Crystal put in his time as a substitute junior high school teacher before he hit it big. Teaching in his native Long Island, Crystal's classes are rumored to have included the inevitably hilarious girl's gym. Crystal is best known for his roles in classic comedies such as 'When Harry Met Sally?,' 'City Slickers,' 'Analyze This' and 'Monsters, Inc.'
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6. Sylvester Stallone
Imagine having Rocky as your P.E. teacher! Actor Sylvester 'Sly' Stallone also taught gym while working his way through college. Odds are he was a lot more intimidating than Mr. Crystal. Stallone's action-packed filmography includes 'Rocky, ' 'Rambo,' 'Demolition Man' and 'The Specialist.'
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7. Mr. T.
If Sly couldn't get you into shape, how about Mr. T? Laurence Tureaud, better known as Mr. T, is another famous actor who started out teaching phys ed. Known for being a tough guy with a heart of gold, Mr. T became popular for his role in the television series 'The A Team,' and also starred opposite Sylvester Stallone in 'Rocky III.'
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8. Dennis Green
If you're ready to move up from gym to Sports Management, you can take classes from former Minnesota Vikings coach Dennis Green at San Diego State University. Green also coached the Arizona Cardinals during his NFL career, and currently coaches the California Redwoods in the UFL.
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9. Sting
British rock star Sting, born Gordon Sumner, taught soccer, music and English at a convent school. Being the only man on the faculty inspired some of his band The Police's sexiest hit songs, including 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' and 'Roxanne.' Sumner's nickname was inspired by a black and yellow sweater he wore once when playing music with the Phoenix Jazzmen. The bandleader told Sumner he looked like a bumblebee and thus 'Sting' was born.
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10. Gene Simmons
If you thought Sting teaching in a convent was scandalous, imagine the long tongue of Gene Simmons leading your sixth grade classroom! He taught middle school in Harlem before allegedly being fired for replacing the classics with Superman comics in an effort to get kids to read. Simmons was born Chaim Witz in Haifa, Israel, and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of eight. He achieved super-stardom as the bassist, vocalist and wildest stage performer for legendary rock band Kiss.
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11. Sheryl Crow
Rock/country star Sheryl Crow earned her degree in music education from the University of Missouri, after which she spent several years as an elementary music teacher in Fenton, a St. Louis suburb. Crow continued to play music on the side, writing advertising jingles and playing back-up on the road for stars like Michael Jackson. She began to emerge as a successful solo artist in the early 90s after scoring her first recording contract with A&M Records.
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12. Art Garfunkel
Half of the classic American folk rock group Simon and Garfunkel got started in teaching. After earning a master's in Mathematics from Columbia College, Art Garfunkel taught math at Litchfield Preparatory School in Connecticut. It was during his time teaching that Simon and Garfunkel soared to popularity with the hit 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.'
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13. Roberta Flack
American Jazz and R&B singer Roberta Flack was the one of the youngest students to ever enroll at Howard University: she matriculated on a full music scholarship at the tender age of 15. Flack graduated at 19 and was set to start her master's in music when her father's sudden death forced her to drop out and pursue a teaching career. She put in several years teaching public school and private music students in North Carolina and Maryland before her music career got back on track. Flack was 'discovered' by established jazz pianist Les McCann in 1968 while she was singing in for a children's library benefit. She is perhaps best known for her Grammy-award winning 1974 hit 'Killing Me Softly With His Song.'
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14. Kris Kristofferson
After receiving his first bachelor's degree from Pomona College, country music star Kris Kristofferson earned a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University. He graduated from Oxford with a degree in English Lit, and eventually followed his father's footsteps into the military. Kristofferson had a brief career as an English teacher at West Point before resigning his commission to move to Nashville to pursue his music career.
