Successful celebrities who never finished high school

Russell Crowe - Ironically, Crowe dropped out of high school at 16 and began working as an actor to save money in order to go back to school: he wanted to attend the National Institute for Dramatic Art in Australia. But acting was going so well that in the end he decided not to attend after a colleague told him it'd be a waste of time.

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Colin Farrell - Farrell quit school and has had an extremely successful career since, having starred in films like 'Minority Report,' 'Phone Booth,' 'The Recruit,' and 'Daredevil.'

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Elton John - The icon left school at the age of 17 to chase his music aspirations.

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Harry Styles - Styles chose his band One Direction over education.

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Naomi Watts - The actress was definitely too cool for school, having failed to graduate high school and ended up working a string of odd jobs before her big break.

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Pierce Brosnan - At the mere age of 16, Brosnan quit high school. However he did go on to study at Drama Centre London instead.

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Daniel Radcliffe - After the release of the first 'Harry Potter' film, keeping up with school became a challenge for the actor. He decided to finish his schooling with on-set tutors.

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Rihanna -

In an interview with GQ, the singer said that her intention was to finish and graduate from high school, but she became too busy.

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Orlando Bloom - Bloom said goodbye to his classmates at 16 and went on to do acting.

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Ringo Starr -

This former Beatle dropped out of school due to major life-threatening illnesses he suffered from as a child, which prevented him from attending classes.

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Boy George - He was kicked out of school at 15 years old and he started working odd jobs, including a runner at printing firm and working on a fruit farm.

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Richard Branson -

Struggling with dyslexia and poor grades, the business mogul dropped out of high school at 15. Today, the investor is extremely successful, with a net worth of US$2.5 billion.

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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 'Superbad.'

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Nicolas Cage - At the age of 16, Cage dropped out of Beverly Hills High School to pursue acting.

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. He moved to New York to continue his acting career.

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Princess Diana - Lady Diana dropped out of school by the age of 16 after failing her O-level examinations—twice.

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Jay-Z - Growing up in one of the projects of Brooklyn, the rapper dropped out of high school and started drug dealing.

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Michelle Williams - The 'Dawson's Creek' actress attended several different high schools, but decided to get her GED instead so that she would have more time for acting.

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John Travolta - Travolta dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles to become an actor.

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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 homeschooled by her mother.

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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 actress.

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

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Drake - Similarly, the Canadian musician dropped out of high school to star in 'Degrassi: The Next Generation,' a teen drama about high school students.

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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' alongside Jim Carrey.

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Chris Rock - When Rock was a teenager, he attended an all-white school where he was ruthlessly bullied. He subsequently dropped out in the 10th grade and got his GED.

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Johnny Depp - You might be surprised to learn that this famous actor actually dropped out of high school to pursue a music career.

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

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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 an acting career.

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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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Mark Wahlberg - After getting involved with substances at a young age, Wahlberg eventually dropped out of high school.

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

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Charlize Theron - The actress was bullied in school by mean girls who would make fun of her. She eventually dropped out of high school.

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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 help pay bills.

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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.

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Cher - The iconic singer and actress struggled to keep good grades in school due to severe dyslexia. She eventually dropped out of California's Fresno High School at the age of 16.

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Pink - Pink had a troubled adolescence consumed with petty theft and substance abuse. She overdosed at the age of 15, dropped out of school, and earned her GED.

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Steven Tyler - Though Tyler never earned his high school diploma, he did become one of the most iconic rock stars of his time.

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Michael J. Fox -

The 'Back to the Future' actor dropped out of high school despite protests from his teacher who said Fox would be "making a big mistake," according to USA Today.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger - The former California governor and actor left school to become a bodybuilder.

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David Bowie - This rock star quit school to pursue his glam rock music dreams.

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Avril Lavigne - Once she signed a record deal as a teenager, she left school to work on her debut album 'Let Go.'

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Nicole Kidman - Kidman left school at the age of 16 to follow her acting dreams.

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Jude Law - The actor chose to leave school at 17 to star in the soap opera 'Families.'

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Gisele Bündchen - The Brazilian supermodel started modeling at just 14 and she subsequently left school to focus on modeling full-time.

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Ozzy Osbourne - The musician suffered from several learning disabilities, which made school difficult for him as a kid. He eventually left at 15 to work odd jobs.

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Kelly Osbourne - Like father like daughter. Osbourne also dropped out of school in pursuit of a career in entertainment.

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Keanu Reeves - The Canadian actor was expelled at the age of 16 from his high school. He and the principal apparently did not see eye to eye.

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Simon Cowell - The former 'American Idol' judge dropped out of school at the of 16 and worked a series of odd jobs.

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Catherine Zeta-Jones - This actress dropped out of high school and moved to London when she was 15 to pursue her acting career.

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Kate Winslet - Winslet left school at 16 and began working at a deli in order to save money to catch the train to go on auditions.

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Colin Farrell - Farrell quit school and has had an extremely successful career since, having starred in films like 'Minority Report,' 'Phone Booth,' 'The Recruit,' and 'Daredevil.'

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Elton John - The icon left school at the age of 17 to chase his music aspirations.

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Harry Styles - Styles chose his band One Direction over education.

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Naomi Watts - The actress was definitely too cool for school, having failed to graduate high school and ended up working a string of odd jobs before her big break.

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Pierce Brosnan - At the mere age of 16, Brosnan quit high school. However he did go on to study at Drama Centre London instead.

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Daniel Radcliffe - After the release of the first 'Harry Potter' film, keeping up with school became a challenge for the actor. He decided to finish his schooling with on-set tutors.

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Rihanna -

In an interview with GQ, the singer said that her intention was to finish and graduate from high school, but she became too busy.

Getty Images

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Orlando Bloom - Bloom said goodbye to his classmates at 16 and went on to do acting.

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Ringo Starr -

This former Beatle dropped out of school due to major life-threatening illnesses he suffered from as a child, which prevented him from attending classes.

Getty Images

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Boy George - He was kicked out of school at 15 years old and he started working odd jobs, including a runner at printing firm and working on a fruit farm.

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Richard Branson -

Struggling with dyslexia and poor grades, the business mogul dropped out of high school at 15. Today, the investor is extremely successful, with a net worth of US$2.5 billion.

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Successful celebrities who never finished high school

These stars excelled despite dropping out of school

03/04/25 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY School dropouts

Whether it be

due to

poor grades, bullying, or simply

to pursue a dream, many of our favorite Hollywood stars did not finish high school. While education is important, these celebs prove that having a diploma doesn't always determine success.

Click through to find out which stars were high school dropouts.