Celebrities With University Degrees

Brains and Beauty

We often forget that our favorite entertainers are more than what they appear to be.

Aside from beauty and talent, many celebrities actually have educational backgrounds—many of whom have earned university degrees either before they pursued acting, or during.

Here’s 35 celebs with unexpected University degrees.

Mayim Bialik

Mayim is well known for her role as Amy, a neurobiologist on the hit TV series, Big Bang Theory. But what most people don’t know is that Mayim actually graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a PhD in Neuroscience.

After securing a career in science, she took her wits to the TV screen.

Mark Neyman, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Adam Sandler

Not only is Adam Sandler a popular Hollywood actor, he also owns his own production company called Madison Productions.

In addition to his business endeavors, Adam also has a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from New York University.

Angela George, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Eva Longoria

Eva Longoria is far from a Desperate Housewife. Her successful acting career only began after she earned her degree in Kinesiology from Texas A&M University, Kingsville.

ImagineCup, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

John Legend

John is a talented artist known for his soulful music. But what many people don’t know is that John earned his Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania.

Samuel King Jr., Wikimedia Commons

Julia Stiles

Julie is another popular Hollywood actress who is more than just a pretty face. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English from Ivy League Columbia University in New York.

David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Spike Lee

Spike Lee is a world renowned and completely revolutionary film director, producer, actor, and writer. So, it makes sense that he also has his Master’s in Film and Television, along with a Bachelor’s in Mass Communications from Morehouse College.

David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tommy Lee Jones

Filmmaker and actor, Tommy Lee Jones graduated from Ivy league university Harvard University with a Bachelor’s in English.

Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Natalie Portman

Natalie has both brains and beauty, in enormous proportions. While filming the Star Wars prequel trilogy she also earned her Psychology degree from Harvard University—proving that it is possible to work while attending university.

Jacque fresco, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Rebel Wilson

Rebel is an actress, writer, and producer who is known for her humor. But apparently, she claims that if she wasn’t an actress she would be a mathematician.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Performance, along with a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of South Whales.

Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

David Spade

David rose to fame as a member of the Saturday Night Live cast, but he also has a Business degree from Arizona State University.

Nathan Congleton, Flickr

Emma Watson

Emma had made a name for herself both within Hollywood and outside, as she is a Queen of all trades.

She is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and helped to start a UN campaign called HeForShe for gender equality. She is also an avid reader—which makes sense once you learn that she has a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Brown University.

She also attended Worcester College in Oxford for acting.

VOGUE Taiwan, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Gabrielle Union

Gabrielle is more than just actress—she is also an activist and author with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

MTV UK, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ken Jeong

Ken isn’t just a hilarious actor; he is also a physician! He graduated from Duke University and continued his studies at the UNC School of Medicine where he earned his M.D. while completing his residency in New Orleans.

Prior to joining the comedy scene, he worked actively as a doctor at Kaiser Permanente in the city of Woodland Hills.

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Jamie Foxx

Born as Eric Marlon Bishop, Jamie was adopted at a young age and grew up in a racially segregated neighborhood with minimal opportunities.

Thought nothing could hold him back—he later developed into an actor, comedian, and musician with a degree in Musical and Performing Arts Composition from the United States International University—in which he earned his place with a scholarship.

John Bauld, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Meryl Streep

Meryl is often called the “best actress” of her generation, and she has been nominated for a record-breaking 21 Academy Awards.

But she also completed her undergraduate at Vassar College, her Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale, and earned an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree while visiting Dartmouth College.

Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Carrie Underwood

Carrie is a country music star who graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications.

Apparently, had she not hit it big on American Idol, she says she would have pursued a career in TV news.

Dephisticate, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Aziz Ansari

Aziz is a comedy superstar known for his role on Parks and Recreations, but he originally wanted to become an entrepreneur.

In fact, he majored in Marketing at NYU, but later decided the culture wasn’t for him.

David Shankbone, Wikimedia Commons

Chris Martin

Chris, the Coldplay frontman completed a degree in Greek and Latin at the University College London. Actually, this is where he met his three future bandmates, Will, Johnny and Guy—who have degrees in Anthropology, Mathematics and Engineering.

Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Rashida Jones

Rashia is a Harvard alum, who went to college with the intention of becoming a lawyer, but changed her mind because of the O.J. Simpson trial.

She graduated with a degree in Comparative Religion, but was also involved in several theater productions while on campus—which ultimately led to her acting career.

MiamiFilmFestival, Wikimedia Commons

Will Ferrell

Another popular Hollywood actor, Will, graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Sports Information—a program that no longer exists, but is similar to Sports Management.

apardavila, Flickr

Lisa Kudrow

Friends star, Lisa Kudrow earned a degree in Biology from Vassar College back in 1985 before her acting career began.

ellenball1, Flickr

David Duchovny

Before he got into acting, David graduated with a degree in English Literature from Princeton University.

He went on to do a Masters in English at Yale, and has since published three books.

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kourtney Kardashian

While most of the Kardashian crew opted to go straight from high school to life in the spotlight, Kourtney chose to earn a degree in Theater Arts from the University of Arizona.

Naser Chawroka, Flickr

James Franco

James is another popular Hollywood actor with a side secret. He is actually a dedicated creative writer, with a Masters in Fine Arts at Columbia University in New York City.

John Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ashton Kutcher

Ashton is often considered an airhead due to the roles his plays in movies and TV shows, but he actually is quite intelligent. Ashton has a Biochemical Engineering degree from the University of Iowa.

His motivation for his studies was to find a cure for his brother’s heart disease.

TechCrunch, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Rowan Atkinson

Also known as “Mr. Bean,” Rowan is one of the best silent comedians of all time. In fact, his Mr. Bean persona was actually developed while he was studying Electrical Engineering at Oxford University.

The Celebs Fact, Flickr

Hugh Laurie

Before he became a highly acclaimed actor, Hugh studied Anthropology and Archaeology at Cambridge University.

In addition to that, he also used to train for the Olympics.

Lor T R, Flickr

Freddie Highmore

Known best as the deranged lead in Bates Motel, Freddie also earned a degree in Spanish and Arabic at Cambridge while filming the series.

Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV, Flickr

Mara Wilson

Mara is best known as the supernaturally gifted little girl, Matilda. But she once attended NYU Tisch’s School of the Arts, ultimately deciding to abandon acting and focus on writing.

She now calls acting a “hobby,” in which she only does for fun now. Writing is her life now.

Gage Skidmore, Flickr

Arnold Schwarzenegger

By the time Arnold was 31, he was already regarded as the greatest bodybuilder in the world. But apparently, he wanted brains as well—so, he went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in International Business and International Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Superior.

It wasn’t until after that that he got into acting.

Gage Skidmore, Flickr

Ken Jeong

He may play the fool in The Hangover, but he's actually a licensed physician who graduated from Duke University in 1990 and obtained his M.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in 1995.

Gage Skidmore, Flickr

Gerard Butler

Before Gerard became a well-known action star, he earned a Law degree from the University of Glasgow School of Law.

Unfortunately, his partying got in the way of his position at a law firm, and he ended up moving to London to pursue acting instead.

gerard butler phantasias, Flickr

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Dwayne was one of the best pro wrestlers in the world before he became a bona-fide action hero—but that’s not all he’s accomplished.

Dwayne has also earned a Bachelor of General Studies degree in Criminology and Physiology from the University of Miami.

Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

“Weird Al” Yankovic

Alfred Matthew “Weird Al” Yankovic is indeed smarter than we think. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

Rob DiCaterino, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Brian May

The bushy-haired lead guitarist in Queen has more than just musical talent. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Imperial College, London, in 1968, and was awarded a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from his alma mater in 2007 for work that he started as early as 1971.

Bill Ingalls, Wikimedia Commons