Most people assume that celebrities don't have much time to attend school. And some people think that they are rich enough to bother getting an education. And worst, a former white house adviser named Steven Bannon criticized celebrities and stated on national radio, "They're all dumb as ticks, and they're lazy.
They're like pieces of furniture…" But none of these were accurate because there are already countless of stars who broke the stigma — proving that they could shine not just in the entertainment industry, but also in the professional world. In fact, most of the celebrities who played the dumbest characters actually had the highest degree in education! You'll be amazed by these brilliant stars if you click NEXT.
The NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA All-Star Game MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and the guy who was in the FIBA Hall of Fame Shaquille O'Neal or most people called him just "Shaq," made a lot of impressive records throughout NBA history.
But take note, his face wasn't just displayed in the basketball hall of fame.
Shaq also did a couple of lead roles from film to TV series. Yet only his avid fans knew that before he began his career in NBA and acting, Shaq was a student-athlete at Louisiana State University and had a business course. And despite the success he made, Shaq strived his education and gained a Bachelor of Science in General Studies. He also took his Master of Business Administration online at the University of Phoenix.
Then Shaq decided to add "Dr." on his name and enrolled in Barry University, where he graduated with Doctorate in Education. People could now call him "Dr. Shaq" anytime! However, you'll be blown away by the next comedian who was actually a real-life Doctor.
The Korean-American actor was known for playing the craziest character in every film or television show. You might recognize him as Leslie Chow, the wild comedic gangster in The Hangover, or the silly dad in Crazy Rich Asian, or maybe Dr.
Kuni from Knocked Up. Truth be told, Ken Jeong was actually living from one of his characters – except there was no comedic touch to it, just pure professional.
Besides being a comedian, his other career was the exact opposite, cause he was an actual licensed physician. Ken Jeong graduated Doctor in Medicine from the University of North Carolina.
After that, he completed his residency at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, where he operated in internal Medicine. Ken Jeong, however, had to give up his medical practice for his acting career.
Who still thinks that punk rockers are school dropouts? Well, Dexter Holland will prove you wrong.
The lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter of the band called The Offspring, first rock n' rolled in the field of Biology.
Before the success of his band, Dexter excelled in mathematics, graduated as class valedictorian, and awarded as the best student. He always described mathematics as "just as exciting as punk rock," As a matter of fact, he graduated Bachelor of Science in Biology and attained a Master of Science in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California.
Dexter was about to continue his studies into Doctor of Philosophy when his band became successful, and he had no choice but to pause his education. But it didn't stop his passion from mathematics because Dexter made huge contributions to biology research and co-authored a paper about HIV genomes, which his university awarded him a Doctor of Philosophy degree on May 12, 2017.
Next is a sensational singer who was incredibly talented and naturally smart!
Before Jay Sean released his breakthrough song "Down," he was actually down to have a career in Medicine. The British R&B singer debuted by hitting the top charts almost immediately because of his undeniable musical talent.
However, he had another truly exceptional talent...
Jay Sean was a "straight-A student," especially in Biology, Mathematics, and Chemistry. Then he took a Dentistry course at Queen Mary, University of London, in pursuit of his Medicine career. But Jay Sean, later on, chose to be a singer over Medicine and dropped out in a university in 2003.
Fortunately, his musical talent never betrayed him and led him from signing into a huge record label. He also won tons of music awards such as Best Album, Best Music Video, Best International Artist, and Artist of the Year.
But are you ready to discover the genius behind the award-winning television series Sherlock Holmes?
We all knew that Sherlock Holmes was one of the greatest crime television series ever aired. However, there were only a few who knew that Sherlock Holmes was originally a character from a novel A Study in Scarlet.
In which, behind the genius portrayal of the fictional character was a writer and a physician named Arthur Conan Doyle.
This explained so much why the medical terms and DNA investigations of Sherlock Holmes were very comprehensive and rational. Because Arthur had a background of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, and at the same time, studied practical botany from the Royal Botanic Garden. And he graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Surgery. Arthur worked as a surgeon from the ship SS Mayumba.
Then he continued his education and attained a Doctor of Medicine. However, when Arthur set up his own medical practice, it wasn't really successful, so he continued writing fiction during his downtime. And that was when Sherlock Holmes was born.
Bet it will find it hard for you to believe that the next Playboy model was actually in a (much more) professional field.
Jenny McCarthy's first entertainment career soared when the Playboy magazine offered her to be their model for the October 1993 issue. Due to unavoidable circumstances, she accepted the offer of the Playboy Magazine.
Jenny then became the Playmate of the Month, and eventually awarded as the Playmate of the Year in 1993. However, she had an entirely different persona other than posing nude in an adult magazine...
The model spent two years at Southern Illinois University, where she studied Nursing and Psychology. This time was where Playboy Magazine took an interest in Jenny as she had the image of "wholesome Catholic Girl." And Jenny had to drop out of the university because her family couldn't support her anymore.
In perfect timing, the Playboy Magazine came in and offered her to pose for $20,000.
But check out the television doctor who was more than just his screen name "Dr. Phil."
You might have read at least one Dr. Phil quotes across the internet. Nevertheless, it was an actual talk show produced by Oprah Winfrey, where a host Phillip Calvin McGraw would offer pieces of life advice.
The talk show would tackle a variation of topics from weight loss, financial planning, love life, gift suggestions, to family problems. But you were mistaken if you presumed that Phil was just another host because it turned out he was credible with every word he let out on the national television.
Dr. Phil was, in fact, a doctor in clinical psychology. He took a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Tulsa and Midwestern State University. Then Dr. Phil earned his Master of Arts in Experimental Psychology and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of North Texas.
He was holding large seminars for years of private practice until he was invited to make an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. And that was the start of his skyrocketing career as "Dr. Phil."
Think you saw enough? Not until you find out this popular Hollywood actor who you never imagine to have numerous educational degrees!
From actor to comedian, James Franco already played diverse roles in films. He was known as Aron Ralston from "127 Hours", a survival drama film or the actor who perfectly played a dumb host in a political satire movie titled "The Interview." James was also a director, screenwriter, and producer!
He was indeed the 'jack of all trades' in the entertainment industry EXCEPT James wasn't a 'master of none' at all.
His family had an academic, liberal, and mostly secular upbringing. That was why there was no doubt that James achieved a lot at a very young age. And before entering the world of showbiz, he was an undergraduate of English and Drama from the University of California.
After his breakthrough in the acting career, James continued his education and took a major in Creative Writing at the University of California – where he also graduated with flying colors. But James didn't just stop there!
James moved to New York and took a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing. But at the same time, he also enrolled at New York University Tisch School of the Arts for a filmmaking course. Plus, James studied fiction writing at Brooklyn College and poetry at Warren Wilson College.
There was no really excuse for education for the actor! Because despite his busy shooting schedules, he was still able to pursue his Doctor of Philosophy degree in English at Yale University. James then attained his Master's degree in Filmmaking at New York University.
Lastly, you wouldn't believe that this top-tier comedian was living an exactly contrasting career.
We always found our younger selves waking up in the morning with the smell of pancakes and Mr. Bean playing on our television screen. The show was a British sitcom with the main character Mr. Bean who described as "a child in a grown man's body," which he had trouble doing the simplest task from his everyday life.
He was written as an oddball personality, and Rowan Atkinson portrayed the role very well. The actor was so believable that kids might have thought that Mr. Bean was real. However, Rowan was actually an intelligent person off-screen.
Listed as one of the top funniest actors in British comedy, Rowan Atkinson also excelled in school. He had top-grades in science and held a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Newcastle University. Then Rowan took his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at The Queen's College in Oxford.
He also joined and performed theatrical plays where he won The Oxford Revue during 1976 at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This is where he met the writer Richard Curtis who would soon be his partner from the creation of Mr. Bean's character.