--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Acting as a profession came to me by…" description: "\"Acting as a profession came to me by chance: in 1946, after the war, I was having lunch with my cousin, who was the Italian ambassador, and he asked, '..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/christopher-lee-9093_about_acting-as-a-profession-came-to-me-by-cha_2023210.jpg" --- # Acting as a profession came to me by chance: in 1946… ![“Acting as a profession came to me by chance: in 1946, after the war, I was having lunch with my cousin, who was the Italian ambassador, and he asked, 'What are you going to do now you're out of uniform?' I said, 'I'm pretty inventive, and I can imitate people,' and he said, 'Have you thought about…” quote by Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/christopher-lee-9093_about_acting-as-a-profession-came-to-me-by-cha_2023210.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/christopher-lee-9093_about_acting-as-a-profession-came-to-me-by-cha_2023210.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e7/christopher-lee-9093_about_acting-as-a-profession-came-to-me-by-cha_2023210.jpg) > “Acting as a profession came to me by chance: in 1946, after the war, I was having lunch with my cousin, who was the Italian ambassador, and he asked, 'What are you going to do now you're out of uniform?' I said, 'I'm pretty inventive, and I can imitate people,' and he said, 'Have you thought about being an actor?'” [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He became an actor by chance after WWII, using his talent for imitation when suggested by a family member. **In simple terms:** He turned a chance suggestion into an acting career. Key Takeaway Leverage unexpected opportunities. Themes career chance talent Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - post‑war job search - career change - talent recognition Key Concepts imitation self-discovery Questions to Reflect On - What hidden talents could you develop? - How to recognize a chance suggestion? A Different Perspective Opportunity may be fleeting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Ambassador](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambassador/) [Ambassadors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambassadors/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Italian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italian/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Uniform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniform/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Acting was never my first choice as a profession, but I came to terms with it when I decided I better buckle down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rourke/acting-was-never-my-first-choice-as-a-profession-but-i-came-to-terms/) [Mickey Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rourke/) > [I was probably a bit of a mimic when I was a kid, and I used to imitate people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/i-was-probably-a-bit-of-a-mimic-when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-used-to/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [It's sort of my fun to sing along with records and imitate people who are on the telephone that have different ways of speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/it-s-sort-of-my-fun-to-sing-along-with-records-and-imitate-people-who/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [Dont imitate other people in your life,have your own entity,Be positive & work hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/dont-imitate-other-people-in-your-life-have-your-own-entity-be/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [I discovered very early that it wasn't quite enough for me to imitate people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-taylor/i-discovered-very-early-that-it-wasn-t-quite-enough-for-me-to-imitate/) [Cecil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-taylor/) > [I like to watch people. For example, people at the airport... What is interesting about them is that they dont know what they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-black/i-like-to-watch-people-for-example-people-at-the-airport-what-is/) [Karen Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-black/) > [...we have more faith in what we imitate than in what we originate. We cannot derive a sense of absolute certitude from anything which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/we-have-more-faith-in-what-we-imitate-than-in-what-we-originate-we/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [You shouldn't want to imitate people if it doesn't fit with your own style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkay-gundogan/you-shouldn-t-want-to-imitate-people-if-it-doesn-t-fit-with-your-own/) [Ilkay Gundogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkay-gundogan/) > [It is a very grave matter to be forced to imitate a people for whom you know-which is the price of your performance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/it-is-a-very-grave-matter-to-be-forced-to-imitate-a-people-for-whom/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [I imitate people I come across.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-villasenor/i-imitate-people-i-come-across/) [Melissa Villasenor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-villasenor/) > [Anytime something becomes a success in this way you always get imitators. I'm an imitator of the guys I love. I imitate people like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/anytime-something-becomes-a-success-in-this-way-you-always-get/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I feel like I was trying to imitate other people or trying to be something I wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquill-griffin/i-feel-like-i-was-trying-to-imitate-other-people-or-trying-to-be/) [Shaquill Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquill-griffin/) > [Even if you perform with a great choreography, or a part of a great group, I believe you can’t imitate people’s aura.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minzy/even-if-you-perform-with-a-great-choreography-or-a-part-of-a-great/) [Minzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minzy/) > [To get health insurance, you give up your dignity - that's what I thought being an actor was. So when 'GLOW' came along, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-gilpin/to-get-health-insurance-you-give-up-your-dignity-that-s-what-i/) [Betty Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-gilpin/) > [My father being in the movie business, I thought being an actor would be great. But when I started singing to people in coffeehouses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/my-father-being-in-the-movie-business-i-thought-being-an-actor-would/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) ## More by Christopher Lee > [I was once asked what I thought was the most disquieting thing you could see on the screen and I said, 'an open door.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/i-was-once-asked-what-i-thought-was-the-most-disquieting-thing-you/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [I've been for 10 years trying to make something out of my life as an actor. I've learned a lot but I haven't done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/i-ve-been-for-10-years-trying-to-make-something-out-of-my-life-as-an/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [I stopped appearing as Dracula in 1972 because in my opinion the presentation of the character had deteriorated to such an extent, particularly bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/i-stopped-appearing-as-dracula-in-1972-because-in-my-opinion-the/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [I haven't spent my entire career playing the guy in the bad hat, although I have to say that the bad guy is frequently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/i-haven-t-spent-my-entire-career-playing-the-guy-in-the-bad-hat/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [As far as I am concerned, Don Quixote is the most metal fictional character that I know. 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They pick a pretty young female or male face out of the air and give them a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/films-are-now-made-by-accountants-they-pick-a-pretty-young-female-or/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [I lived for 10 years in Los Angeles, and the one element that surpasses everything else - that you are very conscious of -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/i-lived-for-10-years-in-los-angeles-and-the-one-element-that/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [I think that - apart from the fields of science and medicine - we live in an age of decline. 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It is the perfect place to do any kind of theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/i-love-chicago-it-is-my-new-favorite-city-it-is-the-perfect-place-to/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [Not every Hammer film was perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/not-every-hammer-film-was-perfect/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [When the Second World War finished, I was 23 and already I had seen enough horror to last me a lifetime. 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As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Acting as a profession came to me by chance: in 1946, after the war, I was having lunch with my cousin, who was the Italian ambassador, and he asked, 'What are you going to do now you're out of uniform?' 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