While most of us may consider taking online college courses, the people listed in these pages have done far more than just attend online colleges. Some have attended Ivy League schools while other dropped out of school and pursued their dream careers. These dream careers include the lush lifestyle found only in Hollywood. Either way, these famous few are more than just the roles they play, they’re quite intelligent too. Check it out for yourself!
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The 69 year old Austrian-American actor, producer, investor, businessman, author, philanthropist, activist, politician and former professional bodybuilder is next on the list. As you should know, Arnold served two terms as the Governor of California, from 2003 until 2011. He also attended Santa Monica College and later University of Wisconsin, Superior, gaining his BA so yeah, he’s a smart cookie to say the least.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Kesha
The highly talented Kesha is insanely smart, folks. While in high school, she played the saxophone in the marching band and was considered a diligent student. Kesha secured a near-perfect score on her SATs (!) and was even offered a full scholarship at Barnard College, but she dropped out before graduation in order to pursue her music career.
Kesha
Ashton Kutcher
Before Ashton Kutcher’s modeling and acting career kicked off, he was enrolled at the University of Iowa. His planned major was biochemical engineering, which was motivated by his desire to find a cure for his brother’s heart ailment, however Kutcher was kicked out of school for being too wild. Although since those days, he has grown into a serious actor, husband and father, who is also a venture capitalist and ambassador for human rights, especially in the case of sexual exploitation of children.
Ashton Kutcher
Mayim Bialik
Mayim Bialik may play a genius on The Big Bang Theory but she’s also one in real life. She attended UCLA, although she had also been accepted to both Harvard and Yale. She earned her B.S. degree in neuroscience, with minors in Hebrew and Jewish studies, and later she received her doctorate (Ph.D) in neuroscience. Seems like online college courses were never on the table for Bialik.
Mayim Bialik
Barack Obama
Before Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States of America, he graduated from Columbia University and worked as a community organizer in Chicago. Then Obama attended Harvard Law School, becoming the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. After graduation, he became a civil rights attorney and professor. All-the-meanwhile, he was cementing his political career, gearing up for the future. He was even named as the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate so yeah, he’s quite smart as if you didn’t already know that.
Barack Obama
Emma Watson
The 26 year old English actress is one who oozes brilliance, beauty, wit, and kindness – we’re proud to include her in such a list. Not only is Watson certified to teach yoga and meditation, she also has an English literature degree from Brown University. Emma Watson is an activist and was named UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, launching the UN Women campaign HeForShe, calling for men to advocate gender equality.
Emma Watson
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton received his Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University, briefly attended Oxford University studying politics before he transferred to Yale Law School, where he met his wife Hillary. Of course, he had a very successful political career and as you know, he was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. With his education and smarts, he probably never thought about online college courses.
Bill Clinton
Geena Davis
We tend to know Geena Davis as an actress, film producer, and writer. Once upon a time though she was a fashion model and former archer. Davis also studied at New England College, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in drama from Boston University. Now here’s the most impressive and crazy part, Davis is a member of Mensa, a non-profit organization whose members are in the top 2% of intelligence.
Geena Davis
Bill Gates
Was there ever any doubt that the genius that is Bill Gates wouldn’t end up on this list? Didn’t think so. Gates earned his success when he co-founded Microsoft and since those days, currently he is the richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of 85 billion. He pursues many philanthropic endeavors, donates a ton of money to different charitable organizations and scientific research programs, especially through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Now Gates did attend Harvard University in 1973 but left to start his own company! Smart decision some would say.
Bill Gates
Cindy Crawford
You may know Cindy Crawford as a supermodel, one of the “original supermodels” in fact, but did you know that she is also super smart? She graduated from high school as valedictorian and earned an academic scholarship to study chemical engineering at Northwestern University but left after a quarter to pursue her modeling career. Back then online colleges weren’t much of a choice.
Cindy Crawford
Colin Firth
Both of Firth’s parents were academics and teachers but Firth himself never enjoyed school much, instead he was enticed by theatre, studying at the Drama Centre London. His numerous works have earned him many accolades over the years and he is also active on issues of asylum seekers, refugees’ rights, and the environment. Firth also commissioned and is credited as co-author of a scientific paper, which studies the differences in brain structure between people of differing political orientations.
Colin Firth
Conan O’Brien
The ever hilarious Conan O’Brien was valedictorian of his high school who then attended Harvard University with a concentration in history and literature, graduating magna cum laude in 1985. Yup, so not a joke!
Conan O’Brien
Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster was a gifted child who learned to read when she was just three years old. Foster was already a successful actor when she attended Yale University, majoring in literature. She wrote her thesis on Toni Morrison and graduated magna cum laude.
Jodie Foster
Dolph Lundgren
The 59 year old Swed is more than just an actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and martial artist. As if that wasn’t already impressive! He also holds a degree in chemistry from Washington State University, a degree in chemical engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology, and also a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Sydney. Yeah, let that sink in. Lundgren was then offered a Fulbright scholarship to MIT but didn’t pursue that avenue, instead he chose to pursue acting.
Dolph Lundgren
Kate Beckinsale
The ever gorgeous Kate Beckinsale is as witty and charming as she is brilliant. Beckinsale studied French and Russian literature at New College, Oxford and was involved with the Oxford University Dramatic Society. However as a Modern Languages student, she needed to study abroad and found it difficult to juggle her studies with her acting career so she dropped out.
Kate Beckinsale
Donald Trump
Yes, of course the current President of the United States makes the list. Bit of a no brainer. In case you didn’t know, Trump holds an economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (one of the most prestigious business schools out there). In his many years as a businessman and television personality, he is definitely intelligent.
Donald Trump
Garry Kasparov
In case you didn’t know it, Garry Kasparov is considered the greatest chess player of all time. Over the years, he has earned the title of chess grandmaster and is a former World Chess Champion. He is also a writer and political activist. Currently, Kasparov is chairman for the Human Rights Foundation and chairs its International Council. Smart? Check times three.
Garry Kasparov
Lisa Kudrow
Phoebe Buffay! Sorry, she’ll always be Pheebs to us. Anyhoo, Kudrow earned her BA degree in Biology from Vassar College and she had every intention to follow in her father’s footsteps and research headaches, as he was a physician who specialized in headache treatment. Kudrow even worked on her father’s staff for eight years while she broke into the acting world. She even earned a research credit on his study of the comparative likelihood of left-handed individuals developing cluster headaches. Regina Falange would be proud.
Lisa Kudrow
George H.W. Bush
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, George H.W. Bush postponed his university studies, enlisting in the U.S. Navy upon his 18th birthday; he became the youngest aviator at the time. He served until the end of the war, then attended Yale University earning a degree in economics. After graduating, he entered the oil business and become a millionaire by age 40. Bush then became a congressman, ambassador, and was Director of Central Intelligence. And after all this, he served as Vice President and eventually President.
George H.W. Bush
Alicia Keys
When Time magazine names you in their 100 list of most influential people, chances are there’s a good reason. Winning 15 Grammy Awards and 17 NAACP Image Awards, selling over 35 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide, and with her heavy involvement in much philanthropy and activism is what propels her to the top of such a list.
Alicia Keys
Hillary Clinton
Say what you want but Hillary Clinton is a remarkable woman, she received a BA from Wellesley College and earned a J.D. from Yale Law School. After she served as congressional legal counsel, she then moved to Arkansas and married Bill Clinton. Together with her husband’s political career, Hillary championed her own causes, especially when she was First Lady, fighting for gender equality and healthcare reform. She then served as Secretary of State in the Obama administration and nearly became the first female President in the 2016 Presidential campaign.
Hillary Clinton
James Franco
James Franco may be a genius actor and filmmaker but he’s also a genius. To date, Franco has attended seven universities. In 2006, he went to UCLA as an English major with a creative writing concentration. Franco then moved to New York and attended graduate school at Columbia University’s MFA writing program, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for filmmaking, and also Brooklyn College for fiction writing. Additionally, he attended the MFA Program for Writers at North Carolina’s Warren Wilson College for poetry. He then received his MFA from Columbia in 2010. Nope, not done yet! Franco is also a PhD student in English at Yale University and he has attended the Rhode Island School of Design. Like we said, genius.
James Franco
Natalie Portman
Before turning her sights to acting, Natalie Portman studied ballet and modern dance at the American Theater Dance Workshop. She attended Harvard University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. While she was at Harvard, Portman was Alan Dershowitz’s research assistant and she also was co-author of two research papers, which were published in scientific journals. Portman also took graduate courses at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. What we’re trying to say is, as lightly as possible, Natalie is pretty smart.
Natalie Portman
Stephen Hawking
If there was ever any doubt that Stephen Hawking wouldn’t end up on this list is shameful. Hawking is an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and also Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. His many important and ground breaking works over the years have earned him a Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Stephen Hawking
Jordana Brewster
In 2003, this actress and model graduated from Yale University with a B. A. in English. She is far more than just her role in The Fast and the Furious franchise.
Jordana Brewster
James Woods
Prominent actor and producer, James Wood first attended the elite Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he studied political science, although he originally considered a career as an eye surgeon. While Wood never graduated as he left to pursue an acting career, he’s still pretty darn smart.
James Woods
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep is often regarded as the “best actress of her generation” and with her numerous accolades since she started acting professionally in 1971, we’re not surprised. Streep earned her BA cum laude from Vassar College and her MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Maybe she’ll consider online college at some point? Who knows!
Meryl Streep
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey is a prominent Hollywood actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and singer. Spacey was co-valedictorian of his high school, after which he attended Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied drama.
Kevin Spacey
Matt Damon
Currently, Matt Damon is considered one of the highest-grossing actors of all time and he has the accolades to prove that conclusion. Damon attended Harvard University however he left just 12 credits shy of earning his BA in English in order to feature in the film Geronimo: An American Legend. While he was at Harvard, he wrote some of the screenplay for Good Will Hunting as an exercise for English class. Whoa.
Matt Damon
Ken Jeong
While Ken Jeong was in high school, he participated in the High IQ team, played violin in the school orchestra, and was also elected to student council. Jeong then graduated at just age 16 and his achievements earned him Greensboro’s Youth of the Year award. He then graduated from Duke University and obtained his M.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in 1995. Ken finished his internal medicine residency at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans while also developing his stand-up comedy. Jeong is currently a licensed physician in California, but is not practicing.
Ken Jeong
Michelle Obama
There is no doubt that the Former First Lady is brilliant, graceful, intelligent, witty, fashionable and the list could seriously go on and on. Here’s where we’ll start though, while in high school, Michelle was on the honor roll for all four years, took advanced placement classes, was a member of the National Honor Society, and also served as student council treasurer, graduating as salutatorian. She then graduated cum laude from Princeton University, majoring in sociology and minoring in African American studies. Michelle then earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Harvard Law School. How about that for someone who once admitted she hated taking tests?!
Michelle Obama