Although we know some of these actors from their famous roles, it's always interesting to note that they've got a rich, detailed backstory outside of what we see on TV and film.
Some of these really did baffle us, especially the one about Pierce Brosnan. Take a look!
9. James Cromwell has been arrested for supporting the Black Panthers
You might know him from 'LA Confidential', 'Babe' or any number of films where the great James Cromwell starred in. But did you know Cromwell was also a member of the Committee To Defend The (Black) Panthers? Cromwell was arrested in the late '60s, along with several others, who were demonstrating and agitating for the release of the leadership of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. He's been arrested numerous times in the past decade for protesting animal mistreatment and even went to jail over a protest involving a power plant in Calf
8. Sean Bean was on the board of Sheffield United Football Club
People may recognise Sean Bean as that guy who dies in everything - 'Game of Thrones', 'Equilibrium', 'GoldenEye' - but Sean Bean's first love is and always has been Sheffield United, FC. In fact, the actor has a tattoo on his arm that says '100% Blade', which is a reference to the football team's nickname. Bean served as a member of the board of Sheffield United from 2002 to 2007 and made significant financial contributions to the team as well.
7. Sarah Jessica Parker is related to one of the Salem Witches
She played witch Sarah Sanderson in 1993's Hallowe'en classic 'Hocus Pocus' so well that she must have gotten help from somewhere. Or did she? Sarah Jessica Parker discovered on her episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' that she is a direct descendant of Esther Elwell, one of several women hanged during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
6. Michael Keaton's real name is actually Michael Douglas and...
His son wrote Jason DeRulo's 'Talk Dirty', Olly Murs' 'Did You Miss Me', David Guetta's 'What I Did For Love' and Liam Payne's 'Familiar'. That's right - the son of Batman wrote a load of those really annoying songs you probably skip over on the radio on a regular basis.
5. Christopher Lee hunted Nazi war criminals in the final days of World War II
Although a number of actors of his era served in the armed forces during World War II, few could boast of having been an actual spy. Throughout the war, Lee served as an intelligence officer in the RAF and was, for a time, seconded to the Long Range Desert Group - the precursor to the SAS - and took part in dangerous commando missions on behalf of the Allied effort. Towards the end of the war, Lee was tasked with hunting down Nazi war criminals. "We were given dossiers of what they'd done and told to find them, interrogate them as much as we could and hand them over to the appropriate authority,"explained Lee. The best story, however, comes from the set of 'The Lord Of The Rings' with him explaining to Peter Jackson what someone stabbed in the back sounds like.
4. Pierce Brosnan is a fire-eater
Yes, the man who was Bond was a professional fire-eater / sword-eater in the early part of his career. The actor began his career as a street busker and was eventually picked up by a circus for a short stint. In 2001, Brosnan appeared on 'Muppets Tonight' and showcased some of his skills. However, the stunt didn't go according to plan as the prop-hand gave Brosnan some extra strength liquid which gave him blisters all over his mouth. As such, he doesn't do much of the fire-eating anymore.
3. Jennifer Anniston's godfather is...
Telly Savalas. Don't know who that is? Do you know who Kojak is? No? How old are you, exactly?
2. Javier Bardem was a professional rugby player for five minutes
Well, not five minutes - but Bardem did have a promising career as a rugby player for his native Spain. The Gran Canaria native originally played the position of flanker before moving to prop, however Bardem believed it wasn't the way forward for him. Bardem made the junior national team in Spain, but said that he was frequently targeted when playing as people recognised him from a role he had in 'Jamon Jamon'. As he explained in a BBC interview in 2002, "playing rugby in Spain is like being a bull fighter in Japan. I love rugby but you have to quit if you want to work as an actor, obviously. I did "Jamón, Jamón" and it was a great success and then I kept on playing and they were saying, "He is the guy from "Jamón, Jamón", let's go for him." I was like, "Don't give me the ball, don't give me the ball!"
1. Will Smith only did 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air' to pay off his taxes
It defined and made him into the man we know him as today, however Will Smith was facing bankruptcy and had a huge tax bill due. So, in order to shore up his finances and give himself some breathing room, Smith took a job on TV playing a young man born and raised in West Philadelphia. He got into one little fight and his mother became scared, so he moved with his Auntie and Uncle in Bel-Air. Sorry, force of habit.
