Actors & Celebrities Who Were Bartenders in Real Life

Before they were serving punchlines, hit songs, and Oscar-worthy performances, some celebrities were just trying to remember who ordered the vodka soda.

Amy Poehler — Worked as a bartender and waitress at an Irish pub called The Ale House in Chicago.
 

Amy Schumer — Worked as a bartender at The Stanton Social, a popular restaurant on New York’s Lower East Side, before her comedy career took off.
 

Bill Murray — Bartended at Chicago’s The Underground during his early comedy years. He even made a surprise appearance behind the bar at SXSW in Austin, Texas, in 2010.
 

Brandon Routh — Worked as a bartender at Lucky Strike Lanes, a bowling alley in Hollywood, before landing his breakthrough role in Superman Returns.
 

Brendan Wayne — Was bartending at The Lobster restaurant in Los Angeles when he received an opportunity to audition for The Mandalorian. He got the role.
 

Bruce Willis — Bartended at three New York City bars in the 1980s before his acting career took off: Kamikaze, a high-energy nightclub; Café Central, a major nightlife destination for celebrities, artists, and actors; and Chelsea Central, a gritty nightclub for creatives, poets, and writers at the iconic Hotel Chelsea.Fellow actor John Goodman met Willis at Café Central and later called him New York's best bartender.  Willis was known for his charismatic style behind the bar and went by the nickname “Bruno.”​

Chris Pratt — Worked as a bartender at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Maui before his acting career became established.

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Cobie Smulders — Bartended at several places in Vancouver, British Columbia, including Earls Restaurants, Nevermind, and Urban Well, before her television and Marvel career took off​

Colman Domingo — Bartended for approximately five years at New York’s 55 Bar jazz club while performing in theater and other shows.

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Dave Grohl — Worked as a bartender in Virginia before becoming famous with Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. He has not publicly named the specific bar or establishment.

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Dave Matthews — Worked as a bartender at Miller’s Downtown, a historic pub and live music venue in Charlottesville, Virginia, before forming the Dave Matthews Band.

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Debbie Harry — Worked as a waitress and bartender at Max’s Kansas City in New York before Blondie became famous. Max's was a legendary restaurant, bar, and nightclub and a famous gathering spot for pop artists, musicians, poets, writers, and filmmakers, with Andy Warhol and his "Superstars" frequenting the venue.

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Ellen DeGeneres — Bartended in New Orleans but has not publicly named the specific establishment. New Orleans locals have said she worked at the location where Déjà Vu Restaurant & Bar now stands at 400 Dauphine Street in the French Quarter, when the space reportedly hosted comedy. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she also worked as a waitress at TGI Friday’s in Metairie.

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Ellen Pompeo — Bartended at SoHo Bar & Grill in New York and was reportedly approached there by a casting director in 1996.

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Gina Rodriguez — Worked as a bartender at a seafood restaurant in Marina del Rey, California, before her breakout role in Jane the Virgin. She has not publicly named the specific establishment.

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James Gandolfini — Before The Sopranos, he bartended at the Raccoon Lodge in downtown New York City, a no-frills dive bar with walls featuring duck decoys and a mounted moose head wearing construction hard hats. Wall Street bankers, local writers, ironworkers, and neighborhood residents sat side-by-side.

After graduating from Rutgers University, he also worked as a nightclub manager and bouncer in Manhattan before beginning his acting career.

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Jeremy Renner — Worked as a bartender in Los Angeles early in his acting career. He has not publicly named the specific establishment.

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John Goodman — Bartended and waited tables at numerous places in New York while pursuing theater and commercial work. He has not publicly named the specific establishments.

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Jon Hamm — Bartended at Cardwell’s in his hometown of St. Louis, where he served members of the St. Louis Blues hockey team, including Chris Pronger. After moving to Hollywood, he also tended bar at private parties hosted by Kelly Lynch and her producer husband, Mitch Glazer.

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Jon Stewart — Bartended at City Gardens, the legendary punk club in Trenton, New Jersey, before becoming a nationally known comedian and television host.

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Kelis — Bartended in the late 1990s while attending performing-arts school and developing her music career. She later trained professionally as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu. She has not publicly named the specific bar.

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Kiefer Sutherland — Bartended during the 1980s at Tom Bergin’s, the legendary Irish tavern on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, before his acting career accelerated. He and his then-fiancée Julia Roberts famously had their names placed on the pub’s iconic ceiling shamrocks.

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Lucy Liu — Worked as a bartender and restaurant hostess in New York City during the 1980s and early 1990s while attending New York University and pursuing acting. She has not publicly named the specific bar.

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Margot Robbie — Bartended on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. She has said she began working in hospitality at age 10, first polishing cutlery and washing dishes before eventually moving behind the bar at age 14. She has not publicly named the rural restaurant.

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Maria Bello — Bartended at Sing, a karaoke bar in New York’s West Village, while struggling to establish her acting career before ER and Coyote Ugly.

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Mark Cuban — Bartended at Elan nightclub located on Greenville Avenue in Dallas after moving to the city from Indiana in 1982 to pay rent.  He shared a three-bedroom apartment at $600 a month with five roommates: Greg Schipper, Mark Wisely (who shared the living room floor with Cuban in sleeping bags), Dave O'Brien, Mike Sterry, and Dave Carr.

This, of course, was before Cuban became an entrepreneur, Dallas Mavericks owner, Shark Tank investor, and billionaire.

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Mark Ruffalo — Bartended at Olive, Sean MacPherson's Small Bar, and Good Luck Bar in Los Angeles in the 1990s.

 

Meg White — Worked as a bartender at Memphis Smoke, a Detroit barbecue restaurant, before the success of The White Stripes.
 

Michael Fassbender — Bartended at the West End House, his family’s restaurant in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. He later worked as a bartender and bar manager at various London bars and nightclubs while trying to establish his acting career. He has not publicly named the specific bars or nightclubs.

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Michael Graziadei — Bartended at Saddle Ranch on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles before landing The Young and the Restless.

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Mila Kunis — Guest-bartended for fun at Bar None in New York’s East Village before becoming a major film star.

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Pauley Perrette — Bartended in New York City’s club scene during the 1990s while studying at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She has described tending bar wearing combat boots, a bra, and a white Mohawk. He has not publicly named the specific establishment.

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Rachel McAdams — Bartended at Real Sports Bar & Grill in Toronto before her The Notebook acting career took off.
 

Ronda Rousey — Worked as a bartender at the Redwood Bar & Grill in downtown Los Angeles after competing in the 2008 Olympic Games and before becoming a prominent mixed-martial-arts star and television personality.
 

Russell Crowe — Bartended in Australia before his international acting career took off. He has not publicly named the specific establishment.
 

Sandra Bullock — Worked as a bartender, waitress, and hostess at Canastel’s, a popular restaurant at 19th Street and Park Avenue South in Manhattan, while studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse Theatre. During the late 1980s, she worked there alongside future star Jennifer Coolidge, who was a cocktail waitress.

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Sarah Colonna — Bartended at Mirabelle on Sunset in Hollywood, a fine dining restaurant and celebrity hotspot before launching her full-time career in comedy and acting.

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Stanley Tucci — Bartended at Alfredo’s, the Original of Rome, in Midtown Manhattan during the summer after his sophomore year of college, around 1980–81. His uncle, Oscar Tucci, had designed the restaurant’s interior, which helped him land the job.

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