Celebrities: outside of the millions and millions of dollars, well-documented altercations with paparazzi, and high-profile arrests, they’re just like you and me. Well, maybe not exactly like us, but plenty of them went to college with all of its ups and downs. Here are some of the most surprising things your favorite actors, musicians, and comedians have degrees in.
Eva Longoria — she of “Desperate Housewives” and formerly being married to San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker fame — is more than just a near-absurdly pretty face. Longoria has an undergrad degree in kinesiology, and a masters in Chicano studies. And if you don’t know what either of those things are, don’t feel bad because we had to Google them too.
Before donning makeup and sticking out his uncomfortably long tongue in front of fans that totally adore that kind of thing, Gene Simmons, of KISS game, received a degree in education. He even put his degree to practice, teaching sixth grade in Spanish Harlem for a spell before making his rockstar dreams come true.
Considering his affinity for yelling and his past roles in sportsy films (“Semi-pro,” “Blades of Glory,” etc.), maybe it’s not a huge stretch to imagine Will Ferrell receiving an undergraduate degree in sports broadcasting from USC in his pre-SNL days.
Who ever said you can’t do anything with a psychology major? Stand-up comedian, Daily Show host, director, and all-around adored person Jon Stewart switched from chemistry to psych while attending the College of William and Mary. Apparently, he was also a pretty swell soccer player.
Actress Ashley Judd had breakout roles in ’90s flicks like “Ruby in Paradise,” “A Time to Kill,” and “Heat,” and as of late is known for her humanitarian efforts and considering runs at public office. With an undergraduate degree in French and a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard, Judd is no intellectual lightweight.
Maybe it’s not a very well-hidden secret that Conan O’Brien is a complete smarty pants who got his start in comedy writing for Harvard’s prestigious comedy publication, the Harvard Lampoon. However, most folks don’t know that O’Brien received his degree in American History and Literature (magna cum laude, of course).
If you don’t know who Dolph Lungren is, you’re either under the age of 25, or are completely averse to movies where people get punched and things explode. Back in the ’80s, Lungren gained fame as the human embodiment of Soviet Russia in “Rocky IV.” Most recently, he was featured in all three “Expendables” movies. But it turns out Lungren is more than just a bag of muscles — he holds degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering, and received a Fulbright Scholarship to attend MIT. Plus, he could still probably beat us up.
Sources:
Stern, M. (n.d.). Dolph Lundgren’s Wild Ride: From Fulbright Scholar to ‘The Expendables 2’. The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/17/dolph-lundgren-s-wild-ride-from-fulbright-scholar-to-the-expendables-2.html
Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (n.d.). Conan O’Brien (American talk-show host). Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1529116/Conan-OBrien
Hartocollis, A. (2010, July 23). Actress/Activist. . Retrieved May 13, 2014, from https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/education/edlife/25conted-t.html?_r=0
Gillick, J. (2008, November 1). Meet Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz (aka Jon Stewart) – Moment Magazine. Moment Magazine. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from https://www.momentmag.com/meet-jonathan-stuart-leibowitz-aka-jon-stewart/
Covert, C. (n.d.). Will Ferrell brings improv to the TV news desk in ‘Anchorman 2’. StarTribune.com: News, weather, sports from Minneapolis, St. Paul and Minnesota. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from https://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/236062321.html
Gene Simmons Information. (n.d.). Gene Simmons. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from https://caaspeakers.com/gene-simmons/
Saad, N. (2013, May 23). Eva Longoria graduates with master’s degree in Chicano studies. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from https://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/23/entertainment/la-et-mg-eva-longoria-graduates-masters-chicano-studies-20130523