Try To Guess These Stars' Surprising Real-Life Jobs And Side Projects

Most of us know her as Abby Sciuto, a quirky forensic scientist on NCIS, but Pauley Perrette’s work life is just as eclectic as her character’s famous sense of style.

She's worked in a tour-boat kitchen in ankle-deep water, was the super of her apartment building, handed out fliers for a taco joint (while in roller skates and wearing a sandwich board, no less!), and is now a co-owner of Donna Bell's Bake Shop in NYC.

Watch NCIS on CBS.

Long before he was Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, Mark Harmon was demonstrating his trademark leadership as the starting quarterback for the UCLA Bruins football team.

In his two years at the helm, Harmon led the Bruins to a 17–5 record and orchestrated a stunning upset against the two-time defending national champion Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Watch NCIS on CBS.

It's no stretch for this star to play a genius on TV. Mayim Bialik, or Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, brings some real-world expertise to her role as a super-smart neuroscientist. She has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. Now that’s empirical evidence for art imitating life!

Bialik also created and runs Grok Nation, which "​presents issues in an accessible, relatable and unapologetically nerdy way."

Watch The Big Bang Theory on CBS.

Matthew Gray Gubler is a renaissance man if we've ever met one. The accomplished actor of Criminal Minds fame is also a successful painter, model, and director.

There's one more you probably couldn't have guessed: Gubler is an ordained minister and officiated a wedding for two of his best friends: former Criminal Minds co-star Paget Brewster and musician Steve Damstra.

Watch Criminal Minds on CBS.

He's tall, dark, handsome, and not afraid to get his hands dirty. Alex O’Loughlin makes it look easy on Hawaii Five-0, but there was a time before life was all sunshine and beaches. At one point, while living in his native Australia, O'Loughlin trained as a plumber's apprentice.

Watch Hawaii Five-0 on CBS.

Luis Guzmán is instantly recognizable for his many characters on the big and small screen, including Jesse Sallander on Code Black. He's not just a hero at Angeles Memorial Hospital. Before he was famous, Guzmán worked as a social worker at the Henry Street Settlement House in downtown Manhattan.

Watch Code Black on CBS.

When she's not making us crack up as Christy on Mom, Anna Faris is making us crack up with her popular podcast, Unqualified, which features "not-so-great relationship advice from completely unqualified Hollywood types."

Watch Mom on CBS.

You know her as Jen Short from Life In Pieces, but Zoe Lister-Jones is also entertaining audiences from behind the scenes. As a writer and director, she recently wrapped her latest movie, Band Aid, which happens to feature Colin Hanks (who also plays her on-screen husband in Life In Pieces, Greg Short).

Watch Life In Pieces on CBS.

She's thrived through 20 years of love and betrayal on The Young and the Restless, and now you can share in her glamorous vibe. Sharon Case took her talents off-screen, but still brought her reputation for aesthetics, when she created her celebrity-inspired jewelry line, Pomp.

Watch The Young and the Restless on CBS.

Any actors could call it a day after five Emmy award wins, two decades in the spotlight, and over 1,400 episodes on leading daytime dramas The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless. 

Luckily for her clients, Heather Tom has a creative streak off-screen, too. Together with husband James Achor, Tom owns and operates an interior design firm.

Watch The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless on CBS.

Eric Braeden’s undeniable air of a leading man comes from decades as a driving force behind The Young and the Restless. Before he moved to the U.S., Braeden excelled in another walk of life. His victories in the discus, shot put, and javelin at the German National Team Championships got him a scholarship to the University of Montana, and a ticket to the USA.

Watch The Young and the Restless on CBS.

She gracefully keeps things running around the house as Esther Valentine on The Young and the Restless, but in real life Kate Linder can do the same at 30,000 feet. While starring on TV, she's also kept her other job as a flight attendant for one of the world's largest airlines.

Watch The Young and the Restless on CBS.