Advertisement

16 Celebrities Who Didn't Graduate High School But Still Make Big

See this list of well-known high school dropouts, which is organized by popularity and fame. High school graduation was not a requirement for the successful careers of some of the most well-known actors and artists in history. Many of them dropped out of school at a young age to follow their aspirations, while others did so because of poor performance and misbehavior.
Which high school dropout has the most notoriety? We rank Lindsay Lohan at the top. Early on, Lohan began acting, appearing in movies including "Freaky Friday" and "The Parent Trap." Despite being unable to enroll in a formal high school, Lohan eventually completed homeschooling to earn her high school equivalency. Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, and Daniel Radcliffe are three more well-known actors who skipped school in favor of their careers.

1. Katy Perry

Source: Getty Images

One of Perry's greatest regrets, she admitted to Yahoo in 2014, was not receiving a higher education. She added, "I'm sort of disappointed now that I didn't have a wonderful education because I could really use it now.
The "Teenage Dream" singer noted that her schooling wasn't the finest even before she left. "Even in the middle of the school year, I was being yanked out and occasionally home-schooled. Sometimes, these half-Christian, half-educational, I don't even know what they were, schools were given to us "She spoke.

2. Quentin Tarantino

Source: Getty Images

Tarantino, who has won two Oscars for best original screenplay and has received three nominations for best director and two additional nominations in that category, thought he could better his own education than the state of California and left school at the age of 15.
"At one point in the ninth grade, I had skipped school for so long that it was similar to one of those situations when you skip school for so long that you're frightened to go back because the second you do, you're going to get caught. Therefore, you may as well wait until they catch you before going out "He spoke with Terry Gross of NPR in 2009.

3. Ryan Gosling

Source: Getty Images

The Washington Post reported that Gosling's mother had to homeschool him for the fifth grade because of his academic struggles. Gosling came to New Zealand when he was 17 to begin filming the historical fantasy series "Young Hercules" in the 1990s.

4. Rihanna

Source: Getty Images

The "The singer of "Love on the Brain" said to Social Magazine in 2014 that she "didn't look back" when she left Barbados. Even if it meant relocating to America, I was determined to fulfill my obligations."
She only recently relocated to the Connecticut home of renowned music producer Evan Rogers. She was on her way to success and holding auditions for fellow dropout Jay-Z a year later. Now a millionaire, she.

5. Jennifer Lawrence

Source: Getty Images

Lawrence had been attempting to become an actor since she was 14 when she won her first Oscar nomination for her part in "Winter's Bone" at the age of 20. "I left middle school early. Technically, I don't have a diploma or a GED. Lawrence stated, "I am self-educated. I battled through school and never felt very clever."

6. Harry Styles

Source: Getty Images

Before going on "The X Factor," Styles, according to Metro, was pursuing his "A-Levels in Law, Sociology, and Business, and intended to become a physiotherapist." Shortly after, when One Direction became popular, he stopped attending school. He is now 27 years old, and his resume includes two solo albums, a Grammy, a Vogue cover, and two significant film appearances.

7. Whoopi Goldberg

Source: Getty Images

In an interview with the Child Mind Institute in 2016, Goldberg disclosed that her dyslexia—which wasn't discovered until much later in life—had prevented her from keeping up with her schoolwork. It caused her to drop out of high school, but it hasn't stopped her in the least from moving forward: She is one of just 16 individuals who have ever won an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).

8. Jay-Z

Source: Getty Images

He spoke about his personal experiences in school when he revealed that he will be singing at Carnegie Hall in 2011 to raise money for his Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.
"Education is super important," Jay-Z said. "I don't have a high school graduation or a college credential, but I still needed some kind of education to be able to express my opinions," the speaker said.

9. Christina Applegate

Source: Getty Images

When Applegate was just 16 years old, she landed a part on the 11-season television series "Married... with Children," which made her famous. "I have been involved in this since I was very little. Similar to a continuity, "2018 saw her telling ABC News.

10. Daniel Radcliffe

Source: Getty Images

Radcliffe opted to take a sabbatical from school in 2006 to concentrate on his acting profession, and he hasn't gone back since, according to EDUinReview.
Radcliffe said he wasn't very good in school in an interview with Parade. Radcliffe admitted, "I wasn't very well in school at all." "I was pretty much worthless. The task was quite challenging for me."

11. Robert Downey Jr.

Source: Getty Images

It's simple to forget that Downey dropped out of high school when he was a teenager since so much of the attention on his life has been on his drug usage and time spent in jail.
He joined "Saturday Night Live" shortly after, at the age of 20, but was let go after just one season. This obviously had no impact on his chances because "Avengers: Endgame" is one of the highest-grossing movies ever.

12. Hilary Swank

Source: Getty Images

During her press tour for "Freedom Writers," Swank faced some challenging questions given her role as a high school dropout playing a teacher.
She fessed up, "I'm not proud to confess it, but I dropped out of high school. I believe that education is really essential, and it is unfortunate that this nation is experiencing an education crisis. Any child who feels gloomy about the future should feel bad about it."

13. Jim Carrey

Source: Getty Images

Carrey quit school at the age of 16 to work as a janitor to support his family. He had been doing stand-up since he was 15 though, and he had already been opening for well-known comics like Rodney Dangerfield. Carrey received his first credit at the age of 18 for the television program "The All-Night Show."

14. Nicolas Cage

Source: Getty Images

According to Biography.com, Cage attended an acting lesson during the summer when he was 15 and immediately quit school to follow his goal.
A year later, in a TV movie called "Best of Times," he received his first acting credit. He was still given the name Nicolas Coppola (his real name). Two years later, for his part as Randy in "Valley Girl," he received his first credit under his stage name.

15. Marilyn Monroe

Source: Getty Images

As a result of Monroe's mother's mental instability and the fact that her father was unknown, she was raised by foster parents and orphanages until she was 11 years old, which made it challenging for her to receive a stable education. Monroe, according to Biography.com, left school at the age of 15. She married James Dougherty, a neighbor who was 21 years old, at the age of 16.

16. Eminem

Source: Getty Images

His erratic movements and frequent changes of schools made it challenging for him to maintain his academic standing. Actually, he dropped out of school at age 17 to pursue music after failing the ninth grade three times.
Share this article
Advertisement
 
Advertisement