Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr’s debut hit was called What’s My Name? The artist formerly known as Snoop Doggy Dogg (he later dropped the Doggy) shifted 30m records in his G-funk gangsta rap guise. Last year, after a trip to Jamaica, the prodigious weed smoker converted to Rastafarianism and announced that a high priest from the religion’s Nyabinghi branch had christened him Snoop Lion. 'I feel like I’ve always been Rastafari,' he drawled. 'I just didn’t have my third eye open.' His 12th album, released last week, was the cartoonish cod-reggae Reincarnated, with Snoop righteously claiming he’s the reincarnation of Bob Marley. Fo shizzle, ma nizzle Photograph: Robert Yager for the Guardian
Despite what Truman Capote said, America is a land of second acts. Witness the man Clive James called 'a condom full of walnuts'. Arnie went from heavily accented Austrian bodybuilder to Hollywood action hero. Not content with one reinvention, he then followed in the footsteps of his hero Ronald Reagan, becoming Republican governor of California. Not bad for the star of such cinematic classics as Junior, Twins and Kindergarten Cop. When the Governator’s second term ended, he returned to acting at the ripe old age of 65. Not that he’s in it for the cash, sagely noting: 'Money doesn’t make you happy. I now have $50m but I was just as happy when I had $48m.' Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar
Gerald Springer’s early ambitions were political – he went to law school, was an aide in Robert F Kennedy’s presidential campaign and, aged just 33, was elected mayor of Cincinnati. He lost a bid for governor in 1982 and instead became a TV news anchor, coining his catchphrase, 'Take care of yourself and each other.' In 1991, Springer’s eponymous show debuted, originally pitched as a political debate. To boost ratings, he took topics downmarket, often focusing on infidelity. Things frequently degenerated into on-air fisticuffs and this became the template for trashy, provocative talk shows. Bonus fact: Springer was born down in Highgate tube station when it was a second world war bomb shelter Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian
She started out as Vicky Adams, the Spice Girl who stood at the back with slightly bad skin, pointing, pouting and not singing much. All credit to Posh Spice, then, for turning herself into a fashion designer and style icon. The transformation began when she formed a power couple with footballer David Beckham and became tabloid royalty, residing in Beckingham Palace. The clothes horse made her catwalk debut at London fashion week in 2000 and designed a denim line for Rock & Republic. She now has her own acclaimed collection, ranges of sunglasses, bags and fragrances, and was crowned designer brand of the year at the 2011 British fashion awards. Zig-a-zig-ah Photograph: Rex Features
Twenty years ago, thrusting young music exec Sean Combs founded his own label, Bad Boy Records. It was a huge success but staying behind the scenes as a knob-twiddler wasn’t enough. Combs promptly reinvented himself as Puff Daddy, rapping on several tunes with his star signing, the Notorious BIG. After Biggie’s death in 1997, Combs struck out on his own, releasing a string of hits, changing his name to P Diddy, launching a clothing line called Sean John and turning his hand to acting. Now a bit doddery at 43, he’s plain old Diddy. To borrow the title of one of his albums, the saga continues … Photograph: Rex Features
Actors turned politicians tend to be male, but the member for Hampstead and Kilburn is a proud exception. After an Oscar-winning film career which was notoriously heavy on nudity and twice saw her play Elizabeth I, Jackson stood for Labour in 1992 and became an outspoken backbench critic of Tony Blair. She was re-elected in 2010 with a margin of 42 votes, the second-closest result in the country, and gained cult heroine status this month with an impassioned Commons speech accusing Margaret Thatcher of wreaking 'heinous social, economic and spiritual damage', adding: 'The first prime minister of female gender, OK. But a woman? Not on my terms.' Oof Photograph: PA
He lives in a house, a very big house, in the country. When Blur were on a break back in 2003, the band’s bassist bought a 200-acre farm near Chipping Norton and started churning out his own artisan cheeses. His prize-winning varieties include Little Wallop (a goat’s cheese) and Blue Monday (a creamy blue named after the New Order song). James also has a range of 'everyday' cheeses at Asda. He’s become the nation’s foremost cheese bore and runs a festival on his farm, where he scoffs cheese with Dave Cameron and Jezza Clarkson. It’s like punk never happened Photograph: Richard Saker for the Observer
Margarita Carmen Cansino was born to a Spanish father and trained in Latin dance. Due to her low hairline and Hispanic looks, her early screen roles were in Mexican films. Columbia Pictures signed her up and cast her as exotic temptresses until studio bosses persuaded her that her image was too Mediterranean and limiting potential parts. To revamp as a classic American pin-up, she dyed her dark brown hair to auburn, raised her hairline almost an inch with electrolysis, lightened her skin and changed her name to Rita Hayworth. A star was reborn and she became the biggest Hollywood siren of the 40s Photograph: Rex Features
Synth-popper turned toothy TV heart-throb Brian Cox started out playing keyboards in 90s band D:Ream, whose anthemic chart-topper Things Can Only Get Better was used by New Labour in their 1997 election campaign. When the group split, Cox performed a career quantum leap by doing a doctorate in high-energy particle physics, working at the Large Hadron Collider and becoming the BBC’s science poster boy. The music-to-physics path has also been followed by poodle-haired Queen guitarist and friend-of-the-badgers Brian May, who completed his astrophysics PhD in 2007, then co-wrote a book with Sir Patrick Moore Photograph: Steve Schofield/BBC
Foreman is of course a well-known maker of kitchen equipment. Yet his name wasn’t always synonymous with lean, mean grilling machines. In the 70s, Big George was world heavyweight boxing champion before losing to Muhammad Ali in the rumble in the jungle. Two decades later, he became the oldest man ever to win the title, reclaiming it aged 45. When he finally retired, he became the face of Russell Hobbs' electric grill which 'knocks out the fat'. It has sold 100m worldwide, dwarfing his fight earnings, but surveys show it’s also one of the top five owned-but-unused appliances. Not so much rumble in the jungle as rummage in the jumble sale Photograph: Jon Super/PA
