21 celebrities who have degrees in their back pockets
Celebrities like Emma Watson grew up in the spotlight, landing one of the core roles in the Harry Potter series at 11 years old, so she naturally went on to earn her degree once she got a bit older. And while some other famous faces have done the same — gotten their education before the bright lights of Hollywood called their name — a great deal went to university before that. The following is a mixed bag of both scenarios as we look at a cascade of celebrities with college degrees.
Hugh Jackman
Before he was the face of Wolverine, Hugh Jackman spent a year as a PE teacher (I bet no one skipped gym then), but after that, he went back to school and graduated with a BA in communications.
Lupita Nyong’o
College was probably always the game plan for Lupita Nyong’o as her father was a professor, but a degree in theater and film probably meant she always had her eyes set on acting.
Jonah Hauer-King
The Little Mermaid star studied at university while acting back in the day when he attended St. John’s College, where he eventually earned a degree in theology.
Reba McEntire
If there is a multiverse, then somewhere on another timeline, Reba McEntire utilized her degree in education and became an elementary school teacher.
Dolph Lundgren
Back in the 1970s, Swedish-born action star Dolph Lundgren came to the States with academic scholarships in hand to study chemical engineering. He later returned to Stockholm to finish school and get his degree in it.
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney's acting bug bit her early as she was involved with theater at Stanford, but while there, she also got her BA in English.
Cole Sprouse
After living the Suite Life alongside his twin brother, Cole Sprouse (along with the aforementioned brother) went to New York University, where he studied archaeology.
Issa Rae
A handful of years before she would start a YouTube channel that would eventually lead to an HBO series, Issa Rae was studying African and African-American Studies at Stanford.
Rowan Atkinson
Two things people don’t often know about Mr. Bean are that he was the voice of Zazu in The Lion King and that he has an MS in electrical engineering.
Mayim Bialik
After starring in the hit ‘90s series Blossom, Mayim Bialik stepped away from Hollywood and, during that time, not only started a family but found herself at UCLA, where she got a Doctor of Philosophy degree in neuroscience. That came in quite handy when she landed on the science-centric series, The Big Bang Theory as what else? A neuroscientist.
John Legend
Not only is John Legend part of the elite club of EGOT winners, but he’s also a well-educated man who graduated magna cūm laude with a BA in English.
Rebel Wilson
Rebel Wilson left college with two BAs to her name. One was in Theater and Performance Studies, which makes sense given she’s a beloved actress today. The other one? Believe it or not, law.
Riz Ahmed
Sound of Metal’s Riz Ahmed earned a degree from Oxford University in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics but then studied acting at another school.
Danai Gurira
Before she was kicking butt in the likes of The Walking Dead and Black Panther, Danai Gurira was doing the same at school. She has a BA in psychology and an MFA in acting from NYU.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Weird Al has made a career after constructing parody songs, but that’s not too wild when one considers he has a BA in architecture.
Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones went the Ivy League route by attending Harvard and getting a degree in religion and philosophy.
Spike Lee
Spike Lee has a MFA in film and television. That’s not that shocking, given that he’s been behind the camera of some of the most beloved and celebrated films in history.
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman was already part of the Star Wars universe when she headed off to Harvard, where she’d go on to graduate with a BA in psychology before wrapping up the prequel trilogy.
Will Ferrell
Ironically enough, the star of Anchorman got a degree in sports information but didn’t see himself as a broadcaster.
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington only had a couple of acting gigs on her resume when she graduated from George Washington University in 1998 with a BA in anthropology and sociology.
Ken Jeong
Ken Jeong was a practicing physician before he became an actor, meaning, yup, he had an MD with his name on it.
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