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Jim Carrey - Carrey dropped out of high school at the age of 15 when his family fell on hard times. He worked as a janitor with the rest of his family to pay the bills. Then, once the family was back on their feet, his acting career took off.

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Cameron Diaz - After receiving a modeling contract, Diaz left Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Soon after, she debuted in 'The Mask' with Jim Carrey.

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Katy Perry - The chart-topping pop princess dropped out of Santa Barbara Don Pueblos High School at the age of 15 to follow her dreams of becoming a singer. She has since made a name for herself in the music world and completed her GED.

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Tom Cruise - Cruise originally went to school in hopes of becoming a priest. However, when he caught a case of the showbiz bug he dropped out of high school and moved to New York to pursue his acting career. He then went on to star in his breakout role in 'Risky Business.'

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Nicolas Cage - At the age of 16, Cage dropped out of Beverly Hills High School to become an actor. With his uncle being the 'Godfather' director Francis Ford Coppola, it makes sense that he would join the family business in film.

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Eminem - The rap legend failed out of the ninth grade three times before dropping out of Lincoln High School at the age of 17. He has since made a name for himself in hip-hop, with various Grammy-winning and multi-platinum albums to show for it.

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Robert Downey Jr. - The 'Iron Man' actor made his film debut as a child star and eventually dropped out of high school at 16 to move to New York to continue his acting career.

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JAY-Z - JAY-Z has perhaps one of the greatest underdog stories of our time. Growing up in one of the projects of Brooklyn, the rapper dropped out of high school and started drug dealing. He made his first single with Def Jam Records in 1995 and he now has a net worth of $810 million.

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Michelle Williams - Williams wasn't always a student, but she played one on TV. The 'Dawson's Creek' actress attended several different high schools, but decided to instead get her GED so that she would have more time for acting.

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Christina Applegate - Applegate dropped out of high school during her junior year to pursue acting. Not long after she landed a part on the show 'Married with Children.'

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Matt Dillon - When Dillon was a middle school student, he got a part in the 1978 movie 'Over the Edge.' He was not able to attend school while the movie was being filmed. He later went to Mamaroneck High School where he had to drop out for other acting opportunities.

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Christina Aguilera - After being relentlessly bullied by children at her high school in Pennsylvania, Aguilera dropped out in the ninth grade and was home-schooled by her mother. She would have her breakout role with Disney as a teen. Aguilera would then move on to forge an impressive singing career.

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Charlie Sheen - Just weeks before graduation, Sheen was expelled from his high school because of poor attendance and low grades.

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Demi Moore - At the age of 16, Moore dropped out of high school to become an actor. In 1981 she appeared in the men's magazine Oui, and her film debut was later that same year.

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Seth Rogen - Rogen dropped out of high school to ironically play a high school student on TV. The actor/comedian made his breakout television role in the show 'Freaks and Geeks.'

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John Travolta - Travolta dropped out of high school during his junior year and moved to Los Angeles to become an actor. He has since went on to star in classic films such as 'Grease,' 'Saturday Night Fever,' and 'Pulp Fiction.'

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Chris Rock - When Rock was a teenager he attended an all-white school where he was ruthlessly bullied. He dropped out in the tenth grade and got his GED. Rock worked several odd jobs before beginning his career in comedy.

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Kristen Stewart - Stewart deeply struggled while she was in school. The 'Twilight' actress was failing several classes before she dropped out at the age of 13. She was instead homeschooled and eventually received her GED.

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Lindsay Lohan - Lohan's career took off early on with her roles in 'The Parent Trap' and 'Herbie Fully Loaded.' She dropped out of high school her junior year and eventually received her degree through homeschooling.

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Whoopi Goldberg - Goldberg has openly said that she dropped out of high school because it was too challenging. It wasn't until later in life that she found out that she was actually dyslexic.

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Jessica Simpson - It is unsurprising that the gorgeous actress was crowned homecoming queen twice in high school, but she was also relentlessly bullied by other girls. Simpson dropped out after being signed to Columbia Records and later received her GED.

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Mark Wahlberg - After getting into drugs and alcohol at a young age, Wahlberg dropped out of high school. He later began a very successful multi-faceted career path in modeling, acting, producing, and rapping.

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Al Pacino - The legendary actor and filmmaker struggled in high school with poor grades and eventually dropped out to follow his dreams of stardom.

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Cher - The iconic singer and actress struggled to have good grades in school due to severe dyslexia. She eventually dropped out of
California's Fresno High School at the age of 16 and went on to have an extremely successful career in the entertainment industry.

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Robert De Niro - Like many others in his field, De Niro dropped out of school at an early age to pursue his acting career. Clearly he made the right choice, as he went on to star in classic films such as 'The Godfather II,' 'Goodfellas,' and 'Casino.'

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P!nk - Pink had a troubled adolescence consumed with petty theft and substance abuse, overdosing at the age of 15. She eventually dropped out of school and earned her GED. The star was eventually discovered by an MCA executive during a performance at a Philly nightclub.

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Steven Tyler - Though Tyler did not get his diploma, he did become one of the most iconic rock stars of his time. Aerosmith's lead singer will live on in music history with hit songs like 'Dream On' and 'Walk This Way.'

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Jessica Chastain - The 'Zero Dark Thirty' actress had too many absences to graduate high school because she would skip class to read Shakespeare in her car, according to Entertainment Weekly. Thanks to a scholarship, Chastain eventually went on to Julliard and had a successful acting career.

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Emma Stone - Stone had to leave high school when she was presented with an opportunity to star in her breakout film role in 'Superbad.'

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Michael J. Fox - The 'Back to the Future' actor dropped out of high school his junior year, despite protest from his teacher who said Fox would be "making a big mistake," according to USA Today. He has since moved on to write several books and win four Golden Globes.

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