Danny Trejo
Trejo had a rocky start to his career. The cycle of poverty pushed him to involve himself in gangs and the sale of drugs. He was imprisoned several times before he found an outlet through a community program. He used that program to become a boxing instructor for young kids going through the jail system.
Boxer Turned Actor
Trejo was speaking at one of those programs when a young man asked him to be an extra in his movie. Trejo accepted, and he ended up getting paid to train some of the people on set how to box. The director ended up liking him so much that he gave Trejo the main role in the film.