40 Actors/Actresses Who Didn’t Attend or Never Finished College

Larry Mimosa October 19, 2024 | 15:35

A lot of well-known people had successful careers even though they didn't finish college or never went. Here are some famous Actors/Actresses who got famous without going to college.

You don't need a college diploma to pursue your dreams. Several famous Actors/Actresses enrolled in college, only to drop out so they could attend the school of life. Some celebrities who dropped out of college went on to make over a billion dollars.

Who is the most famous person who dropped out of college? Brad Pitt tops our list. The “Fight Club” actor dropped out of the University of Missouri, where he was majoring in journalism. He left college a mere two weeks before earning his degree. Pitt moved to Los Angeles, took acting lessons and the rest is history. Other famous college dropouts include rapper Kanye West, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and conservative commentator Glenn Beck.

Learn more: 34 College Dropouts Who Became Billionaires in the World

List of Celebrities Who Didn’t Attend or Never Finished College

Actors and Actresses Who Didn’t Attend or Never Finished College

Do you think these celebrities were successful because they dropped out of college?

List of 40 Actors/Actresses Who Dropped out of College or Never Attend

1. Tom Hanks

List of Actors/Actresses Who Didn’t Attend or Never Finished College

Tom Hanks

Well-known actor Tom worked hard in college for five years but quit before he could finish. While he wasn't at California State University, he worked as an intern at the Great Lakes Theater Festival and won a number of awards. He dropped out of school and moved to New York to become an actor. The rest is history.

2. Brad Pitt

The beautiful Brad Pitt studied journalism at the University of Missouri for a few years. After two weeks, he was almost done with college and quit. I guess there's no such thing as having enough.

3. Halle Berry

Halle Berry went to Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland after high school, but she never finished her studies. She instead went to Chicago to try to make a living as a model. That choice paid off: Berry quickly became a Hollywood star, and for her role in "Monster's Ball," she became the first Black woman to win an Academy Award for best actress.

4. Harrison Ford

This Star Wars actor took and R2-D-Tour to success by dropping out of college. He attended Ripon College in Wisconsin and studied English, but never got a degree. He dropped out to put all his time into his acting career.

5. Jennifer Lopez

After Jennifer Lopez's first semester at Baruch College, she decided to drop out. After that, she uprooted her life and began appearing in musicals around the New York City area.

6. Timothée Chalamet

The actor Timothée Chalamet started his academic career at Columbia University, transferred to NYU, and then dropped out to focus on acting full-time. In "Call Me by Your Name," he played the lead role of Elio, which catapulted him to stardom and earned him a best actor nomination. "Lady Bird," "Beautiful Boy," "Little Women," and "Dune" are among his other film credits.

7. Matt Damon

When it comes to dropping out right before graduation, this guy is the champ. Damon left Harvard University just days before he was to graduate in order to play the lead in Geronimo: An American Legend. The Harvard faculty still holds Matt in high esteem, and he has even earned some accolades as an alumnus, despite his early and abrupt departure.

8. Channing Tatum

Small-town On a football scholarship, Channing attended Glenville State College, a small-town institution. Tatum returned to Tampa after immersing himself in football for a year before dropping out. He started out framing houses and worked his way up to becoming a household name by taking odd jobs, like stripping, here and there.

9. Kevin Spacey

After only two years of school, Spacey said goodbye to the books and hello to the cameras. He dropped out to put all his effort into his acting career, and never looked back.

10. Claire Danes

Even though Claire Danes left Hollywood to attend Yale University after becoming famous as a child star, she never finished her degree and went back to acting. "Homeland" and "Temple Grandin" were the Emmy-winning shows in which Danes was featured.

11. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Even though JGL was well-known from a young age, he chose to forego child acting in order to pursue higher education. Joseph opted not to continue his education at Columbia University after only three years. He made the decision that acting was his life's work and hasn't looked back since.

12. Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried may have jumped the gun on this list. On her first day of classes at Fordham University, she skipped out on all formal instruction. That "you can learn more on your own" is all this actress thinks about. Simultaneously, she was also offered an acting role.

13. Kelsey Grammer

Best known for his roles as Dr. Frasier Crane on "Cheers" and "Frasier," five-time Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer spent two years at the Juilliard School before being expelled for insufficient attendance. For his role in the 2010 Broadway revival of "La Cage aux Folles," Grammer was nominated for a Tony Award. He has also won numerous accolades for his television performances.

14. Jake Gyllenhaal

Although he went to Columbia University, Jake Gyllenhaal did not graduate like his sister Maggie. The role in the independent film "Donnie Darko" catapulted Gyllenhaal to fame, though he had begun acting when he was just ten years old. In addition to his "Brokeback Mountain" nomination, he received praise for his roles in "Nightcrawler" and "Nocturnal Animals."

15. Anne Hathaway

French opera "Les Misérables" Oscar winner Before transferring to New York University, Anne Hathaway attended Vassar College to study English and women's studies. But she decided to pursue acting instead of finishing her degree. She went on to hone her acting chops at the Barrow Group and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

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16. Vin Diesel

After three years of studying English at Hunter College, Vin Diesel decided to pursue a career in acting instead of continuing his education. It was nearly thirty years later when the institution bestowed upon him an honorary doctorate.

17. Anna Paquin

At the tender age of eleven, Anna Paquin received an Oscar for her performance in "The Piano." Since then, she has persisted in her acting career. She took a leave of absence from Columbia University to concentrate on her acting career, although she did attend for a brief period. With her portrayal of Sookie Stackhouse on HBO's "True Blood," Paquin collected a Golden Globe.

18. Anne Hathaway

After a year of English classes at Vassar, Anne Hathaway took a semester off to star in The Princess Diaries. After that, she started but never completed her degree at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

19. Ben Platt

Although Ben Platt was a member of the Columbia University a cappella group, he left school to star in "The Book of Mormon." After that, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in "The Politician" and went on to win a Tony for his portrayal in "Dear Evan Hansen."

20. Ben Stiller

Stiller remained enrolled for nine months before becoming restless to launch his acting career. He bid farewell to UCLA and embraced the bright lights of New York City. Ben landed his first role after taking private acting lessons and attending a plethora of auditions in New York.

21. Ariel Winter

Ariel Winter, of "Modern Family," enrolled at UCLA and "loved going," but she dropped out after six months due to the difficulty of juggling acting with her academic responsibilities.

22. Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes attended California State University, Northridge, where she majored in marketing. Still, a talent manager saw her photo in a friend's portfolio, and she was discovered. After meeting with an acting coach, Eva decided to forego her academic career.

23. Ellen DeGeneres

Famous comedian Ellen DeGeneres attended UNO for a single semester. It was only after a brief period that she resolved to follow her heart. Ellen worked odd jobs and performed stand-up until she became famous.

24. Mariska Hargitay

This well-known TV detective only stayed for four years at UCLA before dropping out. Mariska began getting offers for small parts when she was 18 years old, after being crowned Miss Beverly Hills. She decided to pursue acting instead and dropped out.

25. Ashton Kutcher

Kutcher took first place in the Fresh Faces of Iowa modeling competition while still a first-year student majoring in biomechanical engineering. Subsequently, he relocated to New York after leaving the University of Iowa. From this location, he went on to launch his acting and modeling careers after signing with a modeling agency.

26. Zooey Deschanel

Considering that she did not acquire any of these skills during her time at college, it is clear that this Renaissance woman must have been born with them. Because she wanted to pursue a career in acting, she left Northwestern University after only nine months of study there.

27. Timothée Chalamet

Before transferring to New York University, Timothée Chalamet spent one year at Columbia University, where he majored in cultural anthropology. Despite this, he has not been spotted on campus since the year 2016, which was the year that he filmed the film Call Me by Your Name.

28. Anna Paquin

By the time she enrolled at Columbia, Anna Paquin had already been honored with an Academy Award Award. After only one year, she decided to withdraw from the program in order to pursue a career in acting.

29. Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon

Before deciding to pursue a career in acting, Reese Witherspoon attended Stanford University for a short period of time. In the beginning, her character Elle Woods from Legally Blonde was also supposed to be a student at Stanford; however, the university refused to allow them to film on campus. Therefore, the film was shot at Harvard University instead.

30. Oprah

Oprah, one of the wealthiest celebrities who left college early, did so in 1975. Presenter Oprah Winfrey left Tennessee State University's four-year communications program after earning just one credit. She left because a local television station had offered her a job. Her estimated net worth is currently over $2.8 billion, making her a billionaire.

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List of Celebrities Who Didn’t Go to College

1. Julie Andrews

Julie Andrews chose to pursue voice and acting classes instead of finishing high school. Andrews first appeared on Broadway in "The Boy Friend" when she was 19 years old, and she made a triumphant return to the stage in "My Fair Lady" two years after that. She has since starred in innumerable films and musicals, garnering nominations for "The Sound of Music" and an Oscar for her performance in "Mary Poppins."

2. Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio

An agent signed Leonardo DiCaprio when he was fourteen years old. Without ever having set foot in a university, he relied on a tutor to get him through high school. Famed for his roles in blockbusters like "Titanic," "The Great Gatsby," "The Wolf of Wall Street," and "The Revenant," the latter of which garnered him his first Academy Award following numerous nominations.

3. Michael J. Fox

Actor Michael J. Fox did not finish high school but earned his General Equivalency Diploma (GED) while in his 30s. His portrayal of Marty McFly, a high school student, in the "Back to the Future" films is among his most famous roles. His work on "Family Ties" brought him three Emmys, "Spin City" brought him four, and "Rescue Me" brought him five.

4. Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling dropped out of high school after appearing in "The All New Mickey Mouse Club" as a child star and instead pursued acting in independent features. His performance in "The Notebook" catapulted him to stardom, and he has since starred in "Blue Valentine," "Drive," and "Barbie," among others.

5. Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman attended the Australian Theatre for Young People for training, but she did not complete her high school education there. Instead, she worked her way up the acting ladder and became a household name thanks to her turn in "Dead Calm." The actor who won an Oscar is now among the highest paid in Hollywood.

6. Jennifer Jason Leigh

Six weeks before she was supposed to graduate from high school, Jennifer Jason Leigh left to star in the film "Eyes of a Stranger." A year later, she became famous for her role as the lead female character in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." After that, Leigh's roles in "Single White Female," "The Hateful Eight," and "Atypical" brought her widespread fame.

7. Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli, another famous person who did not complete high school, opted to apprentice at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Massachusetts rather than attend college. "Flora, the Red Menace," a musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb, was her Broadway debut, and the rest is history. A member of the exclusive EGOT club, she boasts a long list of credits in film, TV, and theater.

8. Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe, who rose to fame in the "Harry Potter" series and is still working today, did not attend university. Along with her extensive filmography, which includes "Kill Your Darlings," "The Lost City," and "Horns," Radcliffe made her Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

9. Emma Stone

Emma Stone persuaded her parents to relocate to Hollywood so she could focus on her acting career full-time; she never completed high school. Stone landed a leading role in "Easy A." and a supporting role in "Superbad"—a successful tradeoff for being homeschooled during the day so she could audition. Her portrayal in "La La Land" garnered her both an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

10. Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank never finished high school; after leaving and moving to Los Angeles with her mother, she worked as a television host for a while before returning. Swank did, however, eventually obtain her GED. Her performances in "Million Dollar Baby" and "Boys Don't Cry" earned her two Academy Awards.

In Conclusion

While having a college degree is one of many ways to achieve success, it is not the only way. Even though getting a higher education is a wonderful thing, it is not the only thing that can help you achieve your professional objectives.

KnowInsiders have compiled a list of actors and actresses who have chosen to pursue their dreams rather than continue their education at a college or university.