With apologies to Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Boris Becker, Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time, and it's not even close. Whilst most players dream of winning the Wimbledon tournament just once in their career, Federer has done it eight times. That's more than anyone else in history. He's also won the US Open five times in a row, which is another achievement he holds alone.
Prize money has earned Federer $116m, and major endorsements from Nike, Rolex, Mercedez-Benz and Moet & Chandon have helped bring in the rest of his fortune. Making good use of his money, he opened the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged children gain access to sport. UNICEF appointed him as a Goodwill Ambassador in 2006, and he's appeared several times on their behalf to promote AIDS awareness. His exhibition 'Match for Africa' against Rafael Nadal in 2010 raised more than $4m for charity.
Most of your favorite celebrities either studied acting in college or went straight from high school into a life of the arts. But, hey, not all of them. Some celebrities actually have advanced college degrees.
Turns out Mayim Bialik is just as much of a genius as the one she plays on The Big Bang Theory. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, focusing on obsessive compulsive disorder among people with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare condition in which the hypothalamus malfunctions.
Little known fact: Natalie Portman skipped the premiere of Star Wars: Phantom Menace because she was studying for her high school exams. She had two papers published in scientific journals while she was still in high school, and graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Psychology.
Before he was looking for answers on X-Files, David Duchovny was just trying to find the answers for English finals at Princeton University90. David graduated from Princeton in 1982 with a B.A in English. He continued to feed his love of literature by receiving a master’s degree in English Literature at Yale University. David was an excellent writer and poet. His work consistently received praise by his fellow classmates and teachers at Yale. His writing was even nominated for a college prize by the Academy of American Poets.
Sigourney Weaver graduated from Stanford University in 1971 with a bachelor’s in Literature. It was while studying at Stanford that Sigourney realized her true passion in life was to become an actress. Shortly after graduation, she attended Yale for their well-known drama program. She would go on to receive a master’s in Acting from Yale University and become friends with fellow famous actress Meryl Streep.
Meryl Streep is considered one of the most successful actresses of all time. She is also one of the most highly educated. Before collecting an array of Oscars, Meryl collected diplomas. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in 1971. Meryl has a habit of being unsatisfied with impressive accomplishments as her acting career has shown, so she attended Yale University and earned a master’s degree in Acting.