Julia Roberts is such a big star that we'd have been forced to name her on this list no matter where she was from. For the majority of the 1990s, she was the highest-paid female performer in Hollywood. The decade didn't start out that way for her - she was paid a comparatively low fee of $300,000 for 'Pretty Woman' in 1990, but by 2000 her standard rate for a film was in excess of $20m. When she was paid $25m for 'Mona Lisa Smile' in 2003, it was a record for a female actress. She performs so effortlessly on the screen that it's almost like she was born to do it. There's a reason for that.
Both of Roberts' parents were actors - although they never achieved the same level of success that she has. They ran acting classes together in Atlanta, Georgia, and so Roberts learned the trade directly from them. Her brother Eric is also an actor. During her long career, she's been nominated for Academy Awards on four occasions, although to date she's only picked up an Oscar once when she won 'Best Actress' for 2000's 'Erin Brockovich.'
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.