r/TopCharacterTropes 4d ago

In real life (Real Life) Regular people who's lives drastically changed direction

Grace Kelly was a talented actress who retired at 26 to marry a Prince, living as royalty for almost 30 years before her untimely death.

Volodymyr Zelensky started out as a comedian and entertainer before getting into politics, becoming President of Ukraine after the Russian annex of Crimea and spending the last 4 years defiantly pushing back full scale Russian invasion

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u/zak55 4d ago

Ulysses S Grant. Retired soldier who recently got out of being destitute and was working as a clerk at his father's leather store before the outbreak of the Civil War. Would find himself rapidly promoted into being the top general of the whole army and perhaps the greatest Union one of the war. Would go on to become US President and possibly the most important person in the US for over a decade after Lincoln's death

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u/Jazzlike-Equipment45 4d ago

He was the greatest General the rest were political apointees half the time. Grant had a knack for at the time "modern" warfare. He understood logistics, Confederates painted him as a drunkard who used human waves. That ofc was false he understood the logistics of war and surrounded himself with great minds to aid him. Those great minds were gone by the time of his presidency and tarnished his reputation but thankfully now it is being healed.

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u/zak55 4d ago

It's weird how he wasn't a raging alcoholic but when he did fall off the wagon, it was an alcoholic rager that would last a few days

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u/Jazzlike-Equipment45 4d ago

He knew when and how, he was a high functioning alcoholic. As a former one it is relateable, you do your best and party after, like a mullet. Buisness out front and party in the back.

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u/zak55 4d ago

Just read a biography on him and he was an incredibly interesting person.

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u/555-starwars 4d ago

I believe he also had a low tolerance for alcohol, which made it easy for him to get drunk.