Celebs who were professional dancers

Jennifer Lopez - The lovely Jennifer Lopez began as a backup dancer and worked her way into acting and singing slowly.

Patrick Swayze - 'Dirty Dancing' (1987) star Patrick Swayze spent a lot of time in dance studios. His mother ran a dance school.

Deborah Kerr - Deborah Kerr from 'The King and I' (1956) trained as a ballet dancer and at 17 made her professional dancing debut in London.

Mads Mikkelsen - Actor Mads Mikkelsen started as a gymnast and ballet dancer, but chose to hide it from his fellow classmates because he was embarrassed.

Natalie Portman - Natalie Portman studied dance until she was 13. Her dance background helped her become the lead in 'Black Swan' (2010).

Vin Diesel - Vin Diesel has kept his previous life as a break dance coach a bit of a secret, but it existed. He performed on the streets of New York as a young adult.

Penélope Cruz - The Queen of Spanish Cinema, Penélope Cruz was first a ballerina at Spain's National Conservatory before she turned her talents to acting.

Diane Kruger - Diane Kruger attended the Royal Ballet School and aspired to be a lifelong dancer. But she injured her knee and instead turned to modeling and acting.

Elisabeth Moss - Elisabeth Moss went to the School of American Ballet in New York. She has also produced a documentary called 'Ballet Now' (2018).

Catherine Zeta-Jones - Catherine Zeta-Jones was a national tap-dance champion as a child, which won her roles in London's West End.

Colin Farrell - Colin Farrell was a professional country line dancer, and also dabbled in Irish dancing as a kid.

Madonna - Madonna moved to New York first to become a professional dancer, but her singing triumphed.

Christian Bale - Christian Bale was the only boy in ballet class at the Royal Ballet School in London, apparently attracting many young ladies.

Charlize Theron - Charlize Theron trained as a ballerina in South Africa before she transitioned to the world of acting.

Mia Wasikowska - 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010) star Mia Wasikowska would have been a professional ballerina were it not for a bad ankle injury at the age of 14.

Neve Campbell - Neve Campbell attended the National Ballet School in Canada before hitting the big screen.

Jessica Brown-Findlay - 'Downton Abbey' actress Jessica Brown-Findlay began ballet at the early age of two. Sadly an ankle injury at 17 caused her to hang up her pumps.

Jennifer Garner - As shown by her 'Thriller' performance in '13 Going on 30' (2004), Jennifer Garner is a great dancer. It's no surprise, really, since she started when she was a kid.