Celebrities with Degrees That Will Surprise You

1 of 16

Celebrities with Degrees: Famous and Highly Educated

It’s easier on us all to think of celebrities as just a group of pretty faces. But plenty of actors, musicians, and models have pursued academia in addition to their careers. Here are 15 celebrities with surprising degrees.

(Photo: Grant Faint/Getty Images)

Ray Romano

You’d hardly guess it from his humorous roles now, but Ray Romano used to be a number cruncher. The comedic actor has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Queens College in New York City.

(Photo: Michael Caulfield/Getty Images)

Christy Turlington

Calvin Klein may have defined her, but Christy Turlington also pursued education while she modeled. The foxy brunette has a bachelor’s degree in comparative religion and eastern philosophy from NYU and a master’s in public health from Columbia University.

(Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Ron Jeremy

Easily the most surprising of the celebrities with degrees. Ron Jeremy is decidedly situated in the…ahem…adult arena, but back in the day, he had a soft spot for helping kids. The famous porn star has a B.A. in education and a master’s degree in special education from Queens College in New York.

(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Greg Graffin

After founding Bad Religion in high school, Greg Graffin set his sights on education, too. He double-majored in anthropology and geology at UCLA, then pursued a master’s in geology. Next, he earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University, all while leading his band.

(Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images)

James Franco

Starting with a bachelor’s degree at UCLA, then moving on to an MFA at Columbia University and a Ph.D. in English at Yale, James Franco has earned a reputation for himself as an academic actor.

(Photo: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images)

Dolph Lundgren

Known for his hulking physique as Russian boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV and Gunner Jensen in The Expendables, Dolph Lundgren doesn’t seem like he’d be at home in a lab coat. Wrong. He’s got a genius-level IQ of 160 and a master’s in chemical engineering.

(Photo: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

Brian May

These days, people look at Brian May and think just one thing: Queen. But prior to blowing minds with his rock music, the musician was (and still is) a science geek. He earned a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London, and now serves as Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.

(Photo: Mike Marsland/Getty Images)

Mayim Bialik

“Brainiac” would have been a better screenname for this Blossom star. Mayim Bialik triple majored as an undergrad at UCLA in Hebrew, Jewish studies, and neuroscience and then stayed to earn her Ph.D.

(Photo: Francois G. Durand/Getty Images)

Hill Harper

What can’t Hill Harper do? The skilled CSI: NY actor could have taken his career any number of directions: he holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.

(Photo: Amy Graves/Getty Images)

Brooke Shields

She’s got a mug that has turned heads for decades, but that’s not all that Brooke Shields has going for her. Behind that lovely face is a sharp brain. The actress and model earned a bachelor’s degree in French Literature at Princeton.

(Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

Kenny Chesney

Before he was crooning into microphones and drawing crowds at honky tonk bars, Kenny Chesney went to college at East Tennessee State. The country music heartthrob holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising.

(Photo: D. Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Eva Longoria

Long before she was walking red carpets, Eva Longoria was pursuing kinesiology, the study of human movement. She got her bachelor’s degree in the subject from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

(Photo: D. Dipasupil/Getty Images)

David Macklovitch

Few things are cooler than an electrofunk musician who’s also a professor. That’s David Macklovitch. The guitarist/singer holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in French literature and teaches at Columbia University, earning a Ph.D when he’s not on tour.

(Photo: Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images)

Lisa Kudrow

She played up the stereotype of the spacy blonde for years on Friends, but the real-life Lisa Kudrow is anything but. The actress has a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology from Vassar College.

(Photo: Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images)

Jay Leno

Maybe it was a warm-up to getting people on the street to answer questions for The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Comedian and TV host Jay Leno has a bachelor’s degree in speech therapy from Emerson College.

(Photo: Lisa Lake/Getty Images)

Related Stories on TakePart:

• Top of the Class: 10 Celebrities Who Were Valedictorians

• 10 Celebrities Who Used to be Teachers

• Teacher of the Year Tells All: 5 Secrets to a Strong School Year

Related Gallery

20 Movie and TV Teacher Quotes We'll Remember ForeverSee Full Gallery

A sucker for sustainable agriculture and a good farmers market, Megan likes writing about food almost as much as eating it. If you don't want to know what's in your fruit/milk/meat, don't invite her to lunch. @babybokchoy | TakePart.com

15 Celebrities With Degrees That Will Surprise You

Celebrities with Degrees: Famous and Highly Educated

(Photo: Grant Faint/Getty Images)

Ray Romano

(Photo: Michael Caulfield/Getty Images)

Christy Turlington

(Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Ron Jeremy

(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Greg Graffin

(Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images)

James Franco

(Photo: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images)

Dolph Lundgren

(Photo: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

Brian May

(Photo: Mike Marsland/Getty Images)

Mayim Bialik

(Photo: Francois G. Durand/Getty Images)

Hill Harper

(Photo: Amy Graves/Getty Images)

Brooke Shields

(Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

Kenny Chesney

(Photo: D. Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Eva Longoria

(Photo: D. Dipasupil/Getty Images)

David Macklovitch

(Photo: Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images)

Lisa Kudrow

(Photo: Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images)

Jay Leno

(Photo: Lisa Lake/Getty Images)

Sign Up for Education Updates

TakePart Pics

Sign Up for TakePart Emails

Popular Galleries

Related Stories