Skills, talent, and the art of portrayal primarily rule a celebrity’s world. A college degree is the last thing to add credit to their resume. Still, several superstars defy the fact and put education over their careers. Others changed their mind about their profession after graduating with a prestigious degree.
Hollywood is rich in talented, beautiful, and intelligent celebrities. Let’s find out about 25 superstars that are top-tier in their art and have surprisingly impressive college degrees.
25 Celebrities With Surprising College Degrees
We all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but did you also suspect your favorite celebrities might have some pretty impressive qualifications? From astrophysics to French poetry these stars are living proof – when it comes down to talent and skills there’s no telling what someone will do or be able to accomplish.
Gerard Butler
The incredibly handsome and charming Scottish actor is actually an attorney at law. He earned a degree in law from the University of Glasgow but moved to London at 25. Imagine him in a sharp black suit and tie arguing in a court! We’re not drooling; you are!
Rebel Wilson
Rebel recently amazed everyone with her shocking transformation. But losing pounds is not her only talent. The famed comedy star is also a law graduate from the University of New South Wales, which according to her, is an Australian equivalent of Harvard. Impressive!
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The most electrifying man in sports entertainment has an impressive academic record. The megastar has not one but two degrees in criminology and physiology from the University of Miami.
Kourtney Kardashian
In a turn of dramatic events, the eldest Kardashian sibling earned a degree in theatre in 2002. Kourtney is the only Kardashian with a degree at the moment, while Kim is out pursuing her law career through an apprenticeship.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
After entering the limelight as a globally recognized bodybuilder, Arnold put education first by graduating from theUniversity of Wisconsin-Superior in International business and economics. But life had other plans, and he returned to the world of fame with an extraordinary acting career ahead of him.
Angela Bassett
Bassett holds a bachelor’s in African-American studies, plus a master’s in fine arts. The term “beauty with brains” seems like it was coined for her!
Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell graduated in 1990 from the University of Southern California. He majored in Arts of sports information, a subject that was discontinued just eight years after he graduated. Slow claps, Will!
Natalie Portman
The Black Swan star takes her education seriously. She attended the esteemed Harvard University and graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology. You can even find her published work in scientific journals.
Chris Martin
The Coldplay lead went to the University College London to earn a bachelor’s in Greek and Latin. According to him, he went to London with just his baggage but met his three future bandmates there, and the rest is history!
Carrie Underwood
The music sensation wasn’t always set on being a singer. She graduated from Northeastern University in 2016 with a degree in mass communications. She would have been a news anchor if American Idol didn’t bring her massive success.
Rowan Atkinson
Although Rowan is famous for playing dumb in his ever-green comical series Mr. Bean, he is an electrical engineer in real life. The actor graduated with a master’s in electrical engineering from Oxford. However, during his education, he participated in writing and performance-based activities and realized his priorities career-wise.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow stepped into the limelight with her world-renowned role as Phoebe in the super-hit comic sitcom Friends. But acting wasn’t always her career choice. Initially, she graduated with a bachelor’s in biology and planned to help her physician father in his research work.
Ken Jeong
Ken Jeong is a licensed physician with an M.D. from the University of North Carolina. However, he later decided that being a doctor was not for him and left practice to pursue a career in comedy.
Eva Longoria
The gorgeous “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria has more to her than just good looks. Apart from being insanely talented on-screen, she is an alumnus of the Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She graduated with a bachelor’s in kinesiology – a subject dealing with body motions’ mechanics.
John Legend
The esteemed music star studied English as his primary subject at the University of Pennsylvania. He even started a job at a consulting firm but soon realized his passion for music and never looked back. Well, we’re glad he didn’t!
James Franco
Acting is not the only art form James Franco has mastered. He earned an MFA from the University of Columbia and even went to Yale for a Ph.D. in English. He has authored several short stories, poems, and writings published in various magazines.
Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster graduated in 1985 from Yale University. Her primary subject was literature, and she even wrote her thesis on the writer Toni Morrison. Foster has “fostered” several other talents, too; one includes fluency in French!
Image Credit: Shutterstock.
David Spade
You may know David Spade as the funniest stand-up comedy guy, but his educational background will likely surprise you. The comedian graduated with a bachelor’s in business from Arizona State University. But while pursuing his degree, he took part in several stand-up comedies leading him to his future career path.
Gabrielle Union
The insanely talented and beautiful movie star Gabrielle Union has a bachelor’s in sociology. After graduating from the University of California, she planned on studying law. However, before graduating, she got an offer from a modeling company where she interned during her senior year.
Ashton Kutcher
The comedic actor Ashton Kutcher has a rather emotional educational background. He studied biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa, where he hoped to develop a cure for his brother with a heart condition.
Mayim Bialik
Talk of accurate casting! The actress played a genius in the hit sitcom “the big band theory” and has a Ph.d. in real life. Her Ph.D. subjects include a major in neuroscience with minor studies in Jewish and Hebrew. Wow, brainy!
Freddie Highmore
Not all child stars turn into brats! Some like Freddie Highmore went on to pursue a bachelor’s in Spanish and Arabic in 2014 from Emmanuel College, Oxford. Freddie completed his education after getting major stardom as a child actor. Bravo!
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC.
Riz Ahmed
Good looks, sharp brains, and extreme charisma – Riz Ahmed is a gift to humanity. The actor graduated with a degree in philosophy, economics, and politics from Oxford University in 2003.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
As if the 300 Days of Summer star needed anything else to impress the ladies. Joseph graduated with majors in French poetry and history. Le parfait!
Brooke Shields
French has attracted more celebrities than we know. Just like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the supermodel and actress Brooke Shields went to Princeton and graduated with a bachelor’s in French literature.
This post was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
The 13 Movies So Awful They Scored Zero on Rotten Tomatoes
Receiving a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes is a sought-after accomplishment all directors and filmmakers hope to achieve. But do you ever wonder what happens when a movie is so bad that it totally tanks at the box office?
Perhaps more difficult are those movies so awful they reach a zero on the Tomatometer, meaning no critic liked a single aspect of the film. So instead, they watched each dire moment, waiting for something decent to occur, but it never did.
Here are 13 movies that achieved a perfect zero on Rotten Tomatoes.
10 TV Shows That Should Have Quit While They Were Ahead
What TV show started great but ruined its reputation by staying entirely too far past its prime? I can think of a few, but I don’t want to spoil the ending.
After being surveyed, the Internet responded with these television series that should have quit while they were ahead.
10 TV Shows That Should Have Quit While They Were Ahead
10 Surprising Movies That No One Cares About Anymore
Someone recently expressed they were searching for movies that exist but aren’t a big deal anymore, despite a massive appeal and success initially.
They gave these examples, “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The Bodyguard (two huge Kevin Costner films with enormous hit songs that no one has watched since 1997). The Revenant (Leo gets an Oscar, but can you remember anything besides the bear scene?). Seabiscuit. What else?” Here are the top responses.
10 Surprising Movies That No One Cares About Anymore
10 Most Hated Characters on The Big Bang Theory
Recently someone online asked, “Who do you consider the most unlikable on the show?” Do you think you know who took the number one spot on the list?
Here are the ten top-voted responses from the show’s fans.
10 Most Hated Characters on The Big Bang Theory
10 Awesome Obscure 80s Movies No One Seems To Remember
Are you tired of the same well-known films on every 80s movie list? You’re not alone.
An online discussion inquires, “What obscure 80s movie did you love that no one else seems to remember?” Here are the top responses.
10 Awesome Obscure 80s Movies No One Seems To Remember
Casandra Karpiak is a travel writer and the co-owner of Savoteur. A Toronto native with Danish roots currently residing in British Columbia, her travel writing has been seen on The Associated Press wire, MSN, CBS, NBC, Entrepreneur, 24/7 Wall St, Times Daily, and many more.
You can follow her travel adventures on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
