Many celebrities have earned advanced degrees. Brains, talent, and looks have become the new triple threat. A celebrity's longevity in Hollywood may depend on higher level learning.
The number of celebrities who have earned advanced degrees is enlightening. Not only are they talented and gorgeous, they’re intelligent!! Is this the new “triple threat”? In the past, an entertainer who posed as a “triple threat” within the entertainment industry could sing, dance, and act. Times are a changing…
What does it take to truly make it in Hollywood? A college degree? Maybe. Acting isn’t the only profession in Hollywood, but it’s the one we’re most familiar with because it seems to be the one we’re most curious about. Think about all the people behind the scenes that make the movie magic happen. We, the general public, only see the final production, the “tip of the iceberg”, so to speak. Just like any other business in America, it takes brains, vision, and talent. To be on the cutting edge, and maintain longevity, it takes depth of knowledge and experience. One has to know what they want to achieve, that’s the vision. They also have to know how to get it, that’s the brains. Talent? Either you have it, or you don’t. And then there’s the old adage, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” which often rings true.
Many celebrities have earned college degrees. Did you know, Lupita Nyong’o, a recent Oscar winner, earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama? She’s not alone. The “Hangover” star Ken Jeong has a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in his past life, has been a practicing physician. James Franco holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Columbia University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in English from Yale. Other notable stars have matriculated through higher level learning.
photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage
Here’s a smattering of other smarties:
Natalie Portman earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Harvard University.
Rachel McAdams, Bachelor’s in Fine Arts, York University
photo: Alo Ceballos/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Tina Fey, Bachelor’s in Drama, University of Virginia
Will Ferrell, Bachelor’s in Sports Broadcasting, University of Southern California
Sheryl Crow, Bachelor’s in Music Composition, University of Missouri
(By the way, Brad Pitt was 3 credit hours away from earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri. But it looks like things worked out okay for him.)
Zack Braff, Bachelor’s in Film, Northwestern University
Sandra Bullock, Bachelor’s in Drama, East Carolina University
Gabrielle Union, Bachelor’s in Sociology, UCLA
Kourtney Kardashian, Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts, University of Arizona
Matthew McConaughey, Bachelor’s in Film Direction, University of Texas at Austin
Hugh Grant, Bachelor’s in English Literature, New College Oxford
J.K. Rowling, Bachelor’s in French and Classical Studies, Exeter University
Mayim Bialik, triple major as an undergraduate at UCLA in Hebrew, Jewish Studies, and Neuroscience; Ph.D in Neuroscience
The list goes on. I, for one, admire their accomplishments just as I admire anyone who works to better themselves. When looks have faded and glory days have passed, knowledge will still exist.
