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The Rookie's Eric Winter almost had a completely different career – details

The TV star had other plans before he became interested in acting

eric winter
Megan Bull
TV Writer
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Eric Winter is known and loved for his portrayal of Sergeant Tim Bradford in The Rookie. Since joining the popular police show in 2018, the actor has become a firm favorite with fans of the show, and he's also scored major roles in The Ugly Truth, Rosewood and The Good Doctor. After establishing such a successful career, it's hard to imagine Eric in any other industry, but as it turns out, the 46-year-old used to have very different ambitions. 

Keep reading for all the details on his early career path, plus click the video below to see the sweetest behind-the-scenes snaps of Eric and his co-stars from The Rookie

WATCH: The Rookie cast share incredible behind-the-scenes photos

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So, what were Eric's original plans? Long before he scored his first major role, he had hopes of becoming a doctor and had even graduated from UCLA with a degree in psychology.

eric winter red carpet© Photo: Getty Images

Eric originally studied to become a doctor 

Back in 2013, Eric spoke to Assignment X about his previous role as Dr Dash Gardiner in The Witches of East End, telling the publication: "I haven't had a scene yet as the doctor in action, but I've played doctors in the past and actually was an aspiring doctor growing up, I was a pre-med student, so I've been through a lot of studies and a lot of the sciences behind it, so it's something I gravitate towards."

eric winter press© Photo: Getty Images

He graduated from UCLA with a degree in psychology before deciding to become an actor

Eric also revealed that he often jokes with his parents about his former career, and has called them on a number of occasions, teasing that he's become a doctor whenever he plays one on TV. 

"Yeah. I've done that too many times, now they don't take me seriously," he said. When I did the movie The Ugly Truth, I was also a doctor in that movie with Katherine Heigl and Gerry Butler. I've had a couple of nice moments where I was a doctor."

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