Here's another huge acting name who made it to the top by accident! Joe Pesci's first love was music, and he was initially far more interested in playing guitar and singing than he was in turning up to auditions. He even had a great friend in the business in the shape of Frankie Valli, who could probably have given him a leg up. In the end, though, the acting bug caught him, and movie history is all the better for it.
It's impossible to imagine Pesci playing anything other than a Sicilian tough guy, and that's all thanks to his other big-name friend, Robert De Niro. De Niro saw him acting in 'The Death Collector,' and recommended him for a part to Martin Scorsese. After that, he was on the train to the big time. In fact, the only thing that isn't 'big time' about him is his height - he's 5 foot 4. Pesci believes that the fact he has 'angry short guy syndrome' actually makes it easier for him to play menacing characters on screen.