7 stars who just love to study
24 Feb
The 88th Academy Awards are here! And if you’re anything like me, you’re probably gearing up for an Oscar movie marathon, and wondering what they’re going to wear. In our celebrity-mad world, we sometimes mistakenly assume that film stars’ lives are all about beautiful clothes and parties. Fact is, some of them have a geek quotient that equals their glamour quotient. So, without further ado, the nominees for the Oscar for educational achievements are:
1. Hedy Lamarr: Few can match her beauty and screen presence, but even fewer can match her scientific contribution. Lamarr, born in 1914 and educated in Austria, was as much an inventor as an actress. She and George Antheil created and patented a new frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology, which was used by the US Navy in the 1960s to send radio signals to torpedeos (a self-propelled weapon) which couldn’t be jammed easily. It’s also one of the principles behind Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and cell phones. So Hedy Lamarr is much more than ‘The Most Beautiful Woman in Films’ – she’s one of the reasons you can watch your favourite shows on the go!
History Channel Presentation: Hedy Lamarr 4 Minutes
2. Rowan Atkinson: He’s world-famous for playing the lovable, goofy Mr. Bean. But did you know he has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Newcastle University, and a Master’s in the same field from no less than Oxford? He wasn’t entirely new to acting, though, as he had written and acted in a bunch of revues in the Experimental Theatre Club and Oxford University Dramatics Society as a student. That was where he met Richard Curtis, the brain behind Mr. Bean. We have to confess, we’re glad he didn’t pursue engineering!
3. James Franco: The famous star of 127 Hours and The Interview was a math whiz as a kid. He enrolled as an English major at UCLA, but dropped out after a year to pursue acting. He returned there in 2006 to study creative writing. And now he just can’t stop studying: he attended Columbia University to earn an MFA, then New York University’s Tisch School of Arts to study film-making, Brooklyn College to learn fiction-writing, and Warren Wilson College to study poetry. As if that’s not enough, he was accepted at Yale University in 2010 to pursue a PhD in English.
James Franco Put His Master’s Degree to Work
4. Kevin Spacey: He loved watching movies even as a child. As a teen, he loved doing celebrity impressions. He studied at the drama-centric Chatsworth High School and joined Los Angeles Valley College only to leave in less than a year. He enrolled in the drama program in one of the most prestigious schools of the arts, the Juilliard School in New York. And now he’s teaching! In December 2015, the two-time Academy Award winner joined MasterClass as an acting instructor. His classes will be available online.
Kevin Spacey’s Acting MasterClass | Official Trailer
5. John Cleese: When Cleese, the co-founder of the British comedy group Monty approached the dramatics society at his colleage, he was asked to sing or dance. He said if there was anything worse than his singing, it was his dancing. They asked him, “So, what can you do?” He replied, “I can make people laugh”. And if you don’t know that by now, you’ve been living under a rock! Monty Python’s Flying Circus is one of the funniest sketch comedy series ever. Cleese attended St Peter’s Preparatory School, where he won a prize for English studies. He was a bright student, and also excelled at cricket and boxing. He taught science, English, geography and Latin at his school for two years, and then entered Downing College, Cambridge, to study law. Here, he joined Cambridge Footlights, the university’s theatrical club, and met his future writing partner Graham Chapman and colleague Tim Brooke Taylor. He graduated from Cambridge in 1963 with an upper division.
Philosophers Football – Monty Python’s Fliegender Zirkus
6. James Stewart: Before he became the star of what are now classic movies, Stewart was a stellar student. In 1923, he enrolled in Mercersburg Academy, where he was on the football team and editor of the yearbook. He was a member of the literary society, choir, glee club, and drama club. As if that wasn’t enough, he played the accordion in the school orchestra. After school, he went to Princeton University. His musical prowess helped him join the Triangle Club – a musical comedy troupe founded in 1891 – even though freshmen weren’t traditionally allowed. He initially considered engineering, but eventually chose architecture. It was a good decision, because his plans for airports impressed his professors and won him a scholarship offer. But economic factors influenced his career after graduation, and he veered into Broadway plays and eventually films such as It’s a Wonderful Life and Vertigo.
Jimmy Stewart is Delightfully Funny, FULL Interview on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show 1989
7. Cyndi Lauper: Every time I hear Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, I picture in my mind the vibrant Cyndi Lauper running about in the city, singing like she has no care in the world. Born and raised in the New York City borough of Queens, she started writing songs and playing the guitar at age 12. She studied at Richmond High School, but flunked out and ran away from home when she was just 17, to escape her abusive stepfather. She spent some time in Canada, trying to pursue music, and returned to New York to sing in cover bands during the 1970s. She eventually made the big time. But in 1988 – the year she made her feature film debut – the 35-year-old Lauper returned to Queens to finish high school. Not that she needed it – she already had nine Grammy nominations by then, and won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1985. But she decided to finish what she had left half done and to be a better person, and I guess that’s what makes all the difference. Turns out our Girl Just Wanted to Have a Diploma.
Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want To Have Fun
BY Mehal Yadav
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