Brains And Beauty: 8 Celebrities Who Pursued Education While Acting

They aren’t just beautiful; these celebrities are smart too. Many actors like to farther themselves through education when they have the opportunity, and some will make the time to make these steps towards education. Here are a few of our loved celebs and some of the accomplishments they have pursued and achieved.

Christy Turlington

The beautiful Christy Turlington, international supermodel, has not one but two degrees. She has a bachelor’s in comparative religion and eastern philosophy from New York University (graduating cum laude), as well as a master’s in public health from Columbia. She is currently an advocate for healthy living and humanitarian issues.

James Franco

Actor James Franco not only has a bachelor’s and master’s, he actually received a Ph.D in English from Yale University. He was a determined student, taking anywhere from 20 to 62 credits per semester, instead of the usual 12-18. And his education is far from over – he is reportedly enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design. In order to achieve this, he has included online classes in his enrollment. (One example of a reputable online degree: a Master’s Degree in Gifted Education Online).

Kenny Chesney

Country Crooner Kenny Chesney went to East Tennessee State and received his bachelor’s in advertising prior to his move to Nashville to pursue music. He has since been named Entertainer of the Year for several years, as well as reaching gold and platinum record status.

Eva Longoria

Latina Eva Longoria studied kinesiology (human movement) at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and received her bachelor’s. She then went on to earn her master’s degree from Cal State Northridge in Chicano Studies.

Carrie Underwood

American Idol winner Carrie Underwood earned a B.S. in Mass Communication from Northeastern State College before she took to the musical stage. She is currently the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep, acting legend, graduated from Vassar College with a bachelor’s in Drama, and then graduated from Yale with a master’s of Fine Arts. She was active in many stage productions at both colleges. And has said that this background has helped her with the visualization of many of the films that she has acted in.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman went to Harvard, where the Oscar winner received her degree in Psychology. She even went so far as to move into the college dorms while pursuing her education. She is currently enrolled in a graduate program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Conan O'Brien

Funnyman Conan O’Brien graduated magna cum laude with a degree in American History from Harvard University. While there, he was president of the magazine The Harvard Lampoon.

These celebrities prove that they can do it all: act, sing, learn and inspire. Many have not stopped with their education once their acting careers have taken off, and in many situations it is quite the opposite. They place a value on educating themselves and will make time in their busy schedules to fit in classes or even go to the extremes of taking time off acting to fit their school schedules. It's great to be aware and take the time to acknowledge these people accomplishments and how they choose to better themselves.