Singers who did not finish school. Stars who were losers in school. Instead of final exams - world fame

September 1 is not only the beginning of autumn, but also World Knowledge Day and the first day of school. School is the first stage of education and, of course, the most important. After all, there we receive all the basic knowledge, and at the same time we decide what of this knowledge we want to use further in our life and work. School education is the basic minimum that is necessary for further advancement in studies and, of course, career.

However, in Hollywood everything is much simpler. To become famous, some celebrities didn’t even need school education. Let's meet celebrities who never bothered to finish school, but still went on to have successful careers.

Ryan Gosling

Ryan attended high school in Ontario, but when he turned 17, acting became his main priority. Leaving his native Canada, Ryan moved to the United States and appeared on the show “The Mickey Mouse Club” along with other future stars such as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

Cameron Diaz

She left school at 16, but quickly switched to acting.

After signing a contract with the famous modeling agency Elite Modeling Management, Cameron decided to postpone her education until better times. She left school at 16, but quickly switched to acting.

Daniel Radcliffe

Although the filming schedule for the Harry Potter franchise left plenty of time for studying, Daniel chose to leave school. He studied with tutors from time to time, but eventually decided that going to college would interfere with his acting career.

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Many celebrities dropped out of school because of acting, but instead of sitting behind a desk, Katherine took a three-year course in musicals at the School of the Arts in London.

Tom Cruise

Having spent his childhood in Canada, Tom began acting in films at the age of 14. And although he received a church scholarship to study at a Franciscan seminary, Cruz decided that acting was his true calling.

Charlie Sheen

Charlie was expelled from school for bad behavior and poor grades.

Just weeks before graduation, Charlie was expelled from school for bad behavior and failing grades. He still thinks that he was lucky, because he was able to switch directly to his career.

Gisele Bündchen

Few celebrities who didn't graduate from high school can boast the highest earnings in their field. Gisele has been the highest paid model in the world for several years now, and this year Forbes magazine included her among the hundred most influential women in the world.

John Travolta

John's acting career also prompted him to leave school. Travolta left school at 16 and concentrated on the stage until he became a global celebrity.

Drew Barrymore

At the age of 13, she was already undergoing a rehabilitation program for alcohol and drug addiction.

This actress not only dropped out of school, but already at the age of 13 she underwent a rehabilitation program for alcohol and drug addiction. And although she entered Hollywood life as a child, Drew eventually managed to find the right path and earn success.

Whoopi Goldberg

She is one of the few celebrities to have won every major award (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony). However, she did not graduate from school and, before becoming an actress, worked as an operator in “phone sex”.

Mark Wahlberg

Most celebrities who drop out of school never return to school, but Mark decided to complete his education at 42. In 2013, he finally received his certificate. “Now I can look at my children every day and understand that I did this not for myself, but for them,” Wahlberg said in an interview with one of the newspapers, commenting on his return to school.

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg have long proven that you can build a successful business without a bachelor's degree. But is it really possible to achieve such heights without receiving a secondary education?

The stories of these people prove that the lack of a school certificate is not a death sentence, but a motivation to direct your time and talent in the right direction:

One of the richest residents of Great Britain, entrepreneur Richard Branson studied in primary school until he was 13 years old. After the guy was finally transferred to the secondary, the situation did not improve. Branson was one of the worst students. The reason for this is dyslexia, the inability to master reading and writing skills. At the age of 16, Branson gave up trying to get an education and went straight into business, where he succeeded well. The fortune of the founder of the Virgin Group corporation is currently estimated at $5 billion. Branson wrote two books about his path to success and wealth: “Losing My Virginity” and “The Naked Business.” Both, by the way, became global bestsellers.

Gisele Bündchen

In 2018, Gisele entered the top five according to Forbes. However, for the sake of a brilliant career, the Brazilian had to sacrifice her education. After a representative of the Elite Modeling agency drew attention to her at MacDonald's, the future supermodel left school. At that time, Gisele Bündchen was only 14.

Hollywood's darling and sex symbol of the decade, Ryan Gosling, dropped out of school in Canada when he was 17. This was a turning point in the actor's life - immediately after that he landed a role in the popular Disney show All-New Mickey Mouse Club, from which his career began.

The founder of the Spanish company Inditex has been at the top of the ranking of the richest people on the planet for many years. But few people know how difficult Amancio Ortega’s path to fame was. Due to his family's poverty, Amancio was unable to even finish high school. At the age of 13, he began working as a messenger in a shirt store. Having immersed himself in the clothing industry, a few years later Amancio founded a corporation, which now includes brands such as Zara, Mussimo Dutti, Oysho, Bershka, Stradivarius.

Jay– Z

The legendary American rapper changed several schools before deciding to give up studying altogether. Lack of education did not prevent him from becoming a hip-hop star and making a career in producing. According to Forbes, Jay-Z is the fifth richest celebrity in the United States.

Li Ka-shing

One of the most influential businessmen in Asia was born into the family of a poor school teacher. The death of his father and crushing poverty forced Lee to quit school and take up street trading. At first the guy sold watch straps, and then got a job in a plastics factory. Having accumulated a meager start-up capital, Li Ka-shing began to little by little build his own business empire. Even after worldwide success, the entrepreneur continues to lead a modest lifestyle, which he has become accustomed to since childhood - he wears only cheap and comfortable shoes, plastic watches, and devotes his free time to reading.

Rihanna

A talented person is talented in everything: Rihanna proved this proposition by her own example. In addition to her musical activities, Rihanna tried her hand at cinema, launched her clothing brand Fenty, and is now actively involved in charity work. Would Rihanna have been able to achieve all this while also getting an education at school? Maybe. But the fact remains: the star quit training as soon as she signed a contract with Def Jam.

Daniel Radcliffe

Due to his early acting career, Daniel Radcliffe was never able to finish high school. But he gave many of us the magical world of childhood by playing the main role in the Harry Potter saga.

Francois Pinault

The famous French entrepreneur realized in his youth that school would not teach him what he was most interested in in life - the ability to build a successful business. At the age of 16, Pinault dropped out of school and went to earn start-up capital for his first company, Pinault group. Today, Francois Pinault's fortune totals $8.7 billion.

Keanu Reeves

The successful film actor and winner of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame had problems with socialization throughout his life. This prevented him from finishing school - Reeves simply did not fit into more than one team. Keanu constantly had clashes with classmates and teachers, and he decided to leave his studies so as not to traumatize anyone’s psyche.

10 successful people who didn't finish school was last modified: March 21, 2019 by Vlada Gorshunova

Thomas Edison is perhaps the most famous and prolific inventor of all time, with more than 1,000 patents issued to his name, including the electric lamp, phonograph, and motion picture camera. He became a multimillionaire and won the Congressional Gold Medal. Edison began his studies late after an illness, causing his mind to often wander, prompting one of his teachers to call him "the absolute". He dropped out of school after only three months of formal education. Fortunately, his mother was a schoolteacher in Canada and taught young Edison at home.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is known in many ways: politician, diplomat, author, printer, publisher, scientist, inventor, founding father and co-author of the Declaration of Independence. The only thing he wasn't was a high school graduate. Franklin was the fifteenth child and youngest son in a family of 20 people. He spent two years at the Boston Latin School before leaving at age ten to work for his father and then his brother as a printer.

Bill Gates

William Henry Gates III, known as Bill Gates, entered Harvard University in 1973 and was expelled after just 2 years. After expulsion, he began creating software, created the Microsoft company, became one of the richest people in the world and constantly provided free financial and technical assistance to his “native” Harvard University. Considering his merits, 32 years after his expulsion, Bill Gates was awarded a Harvard graduate diploma “retroactively.”

Albert Einstein

Although he was named "Man of the Century" by Times magazine, Albert Einstein was not the "Einstein" of school. The Nobel laureate theoretical physicist, known for his theory of relativity and his contributions to quantum theory and statistical mechanics, dropped out of school at the age of 15. Deciding to continue his education a year later, Einstein took the entrance exam to the prestigious Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, but failed. He went back to high school, received his diploma, and then eventually entered university, passing the entrance exam on his second try.

John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Two months before his high school graduation, history's first recorded billionaire, John D. Rockefeller Sr., dropped out to take business courses at Folsom Commerce College. He founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870, made billions of dollars before his company was broken up by the government to end its monopoly on the U.S. petroleum market, and spent the last 40 years of his life giving away his wealth, primarily to health and education projects. This man, who dropped out of high school without regret, helped millions of people get a good education.

Walt Disney

In 1918, then a high school student, future Oscar-winning producer and amusement park pioneer, Walt Disney began taking night courses at the Academy of Art in Chicago. Disney left high school at 16 to join the army, but because he was too young to qualify for the draft, he joined the Red Cross with a forged birth certificate. Disney was sent to France, where he drove an ambulance that was covered from top to bottom with the cartoons that would eventually become the characters in his films. After Disney became a multimillionaire, founder of the Walt Disney Company, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he received his high school diploma at age 58.

Richard Branson

British Sir Richard Branson is a billion-dollar businessman who has achieved success on his own. He founded Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Records, Virgin Mobile and even a space travel company that provides suborbital trips to space for anyone who wants it. Suffering from dyslexia, Branson was a poor student. He had to leave school at 16 and move to London, where he began his first successful entrepreneurial venture, publishing Student magazine.

George Burns

George Burns, born Nathan Birnbaum, was a successful vaudeville actor, TV and film comedian for nearly nine decades. After his father's death, Burns left school in the fourth grade to find work as a shoe shiner, running errands and selling newspapers. While working at a local candy store, Burns and his young colleagues decided to enter show business as the Peewee Quartet. After the group broke up, Burns continued to work with a partner, usually a girl, until he met Gracie Allen in 1923. Burns and Allen married, but did not become stars until George radically changed the performance, and created a funny role for Gracie in them . They continued to collaborate in vaudeville, radio, television and films until Gracie stopped performing in 1958. Burns continued to perform almost until the day of his death in March 1996.

Harland Sanders

Colonel Harland Sanders overcame his lack of education. His father died when he was six years old and since his mother worked, he was forced to cook food for the whole family. He couldn't even finish primary school. Sanders held many jobs, including firefighter, steamboat helmsman, and insurance agent. He later earned a law degree through correspondence school. Sanders' culinary skills and business experience helped him make millions as the founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken empire.

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens, author of numerous classics including Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol, was in primary school until his life took a turn when his father was imprisoned for debt. At age 12, he left school and began working ten hours a day in a boot-blacking factory. Dickens later worked as a clerk and stenographer in court. At 22, he became a journalist, reporting on parliamentary debates and election campaigns for the newspaper. His first collection of stories, Sketches of Boz (Boz was his nickname), and his first novel, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, were published in 1836.

Elton John

Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Sir Elton John has sold more than 250 million records and has over fifty Top 40 hits, making him one of the most successful musicians of all time. At the age of 11, Elton John was admitted to the Royal Conservatory of London to study piano. Tired of classical music, Elton preferred rock and roll, and after five years he left school to become a weekend pianist at a local pub. At 17, he formed a group called Bluesology and, by the mid-1960s, they were touring with Soul and R&B musicians such as the Isley Brothers, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. The Elton John album was released in the spring of 1970, and after the first single, “Your Song,” hit the American Top Ten, Elton was on his way to superstardom.

Ray Kroc

Ray Kroc didn't create McDonald's, but he turned it into the world's largest fast food chain after purchasing the company from Dick and Mac McDonald's in 1955. Kroc earned a $500 million fortune during his lifetime, and in 2000 was named by Time magazine to its list of the 100 most influential manufacturers and industry titans of the 20th century. During World War I, Kroc left high school at the age of 15 and lied about his age to become a Red Cross ambulance driver, but the war ended before he was sent overseas.

Harry Houdini

The name Houdini is synonymous with magic. Before becoming a world-famous magician and escape artist named Harry Houdini, Erich Weiss dropped out of school at the age of 12, working several jobs, including as a locksmith's apprentice. At age 17, he teamed up with fellow magic enthusiasts to create the Houdini Brothers, named after Jean Eugene Robert Houdin, the most famous magician of the era. At the age of 24, Houdini came up with the "Disobedience to the Law" trick, offering to escape from any pair of handcuffs offered by the audience. "Disobeying the Law" was a turning point for Houdini. With his success came the development of spectacular escapes that turned him into a legend.

Ringo Starr

Richard Starkey is better known as Ringo Starr, drummer for the Beatles. Born in Liverpool in 1940, Ringo suffered two serious illnesses at the age of six. After spending a total of three years in the hospital, he fell behind significantly in school. He left school after his last hospital visit at 15, barely able to read or write. While working for an engineering firm, 17-year-old Starkey joined a band and taught himself to play the drums. His stepfather bought him his first real drum set, and Ringo played with various bands, eventually joining Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He changed his name to Ringo Starr, accepted a call from the Beatles in 1962, and is now one of the most famous drummers in music history.

Princess Diana (Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales)

The late Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, attended West Heath Girls' School, where her academic performance was considered below average, failing to pass all of her "OK" exams. At the age of 16, she left West Heath and briefly attended graduate school in Switzerland before leaving there too. Diana was a talented amateur singer and aspired to become a ballerina. Diana went to work part-time as an assistant in a kindergarten providing the basics of primary school. Contrary to claims, she was not a kindergarten teacher, as she did not have any educational qualifications to teach children. In 1981, at the age of 19, Diana became engaged to Prince Charles and her working days were over.

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Psychologists have long noticed that successful people often come not from excellent students and good boys, but from C students and hooligans. Bright, creative personalities are often rebels from childhood.

This was, for example, Marlon Brando. The son of a traveling salesman, despised by his classmates, tried to gain authority among his peers with his extravagant antics. One of them - when Marlon rode a motorcycle through the corridors of his alma mater - cost him expulsion from school. Brando subsequently never bothered to complete his secondary education, which, however, did not prevent him from becoming a great actor.

Gerard Depardieu was a juvenile delinquent. At the age of 12, he dropped out of school, traveling around Europe with money earned from selling stolen cars and trading in contraband goods. He, of course, did not return to school. Kevin Spacey also had a stormy childhood: he was kicked out of a military school for brutally beating a classmate.

Al Pacino, a top athlete and school bully, spent so much time on the baseball field that he had no time to go to class, much less learn anything. By the age of 17, he realized that he was simply wasting his time at school. He had to start his future brilliant acting career by working as a courier and dishwasher. And another careless student, Jean-Paul Belmondo, left school at the age of 16 to pursue a boxing career, which, however, lasted only two years.

Of course, among the two-star celebrities, not all were hooligans - some owe their “successes” to impenetrable laziness. For example, Quentin Tarantino was terribly lazy. He skipped classes and studied so poorly that his mother, tired of the constant complaints of teachers against her son, at the age of 15 allowed him to leave school with one condition - to find a job in return.

But Jim Carrey was a poor student not at all due to a lack of diligence. He just showed enough diligence and was in good standing in the class - until his parents fell on hard times and he had to get a job at a factory as a cleaner to help feed his family. But, after working eight hours at the factory (after school), he was so tired that no science could fit into his head. Jim spent three whole years in 10th grade before giving up. He realized that he would never overcome school wisdom in such conditions.

Demi Moore left school at the age of 16 not because of a good life. She had no choice - her divorced, alcoholic mother could not properly take care of her daughter. And Demi began her career as a collector - collecting money from debtors.

Nicole Kidman also had to leave school against her will. Her mother fell ill with cancer, and the girl decided: now there is no time to study, she needs to take care of the person closest to her. And she never returned to school... And the sex symbol of all times, Marilyn Monroe, decided at the age of 16 to marry worker James Doherty in order to escape from yet another foster family and become independent. Marilyn achieved her goal, but never completed her school education.

Some celebrities interrupted their studies not because of family problems or poverty. Children can sometimes be very cruel to those who are somehow different from them. Winona Ryder had to experience this herself, who was beaten at school because she was the daughter of free-thinking hippies, and even dressed like a boy. In the 7th grade, her head was smashed so badly that she had difficulty getting home. Of course, school was over.

Kate Winslet could not stand the constant bullying of herself and herself. Fat Kate (she was very plump at that time) could not come to terms with the fact that she was called at school not by her name, but by the offensive nickname Bubble. Proud Pierce Brosnan could not stand the ridicule either - snobs treated him at school as a “dirty Irishman.” He left his offenders, but was left without a certificate.

There are a lot of celebrities who are dropouts among those who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. The inability to quickly read and assimilate any significant amount of information has long been considered a sign of a weak mind. But it turned out that IQ had nothing to do with it. For example, director Guy Ritchie's IQ test results were excellent, but he could not study. Unable to withstand the constant ridicule, Guy dropped out of school, not yet knowing what his problem actually was. Doctors made an unpleasant diagnosis only when he was already an adult.

Tom Cruise, unlike Richie, knew that he suffered from dyslexia from the age of seven. He struggled for a long time - he changed 15 schools, but in the end he gave up school, deciding to become a priest. For the same reason, he did not become a clergyman. But dyslexia did not prevent Tom from becoming a star of the first magnitude. The illness did not become an obstacle in the career of Keanu Reeves, although because of this he also dropped out of school.

Orlando Bloom also did not receive a diploma, although his relatives tried to support him as best they could. “If you read at least five dozen books in your life, I will give you a motorcycle,” Orlando’s mother tried to motivate her son to read. But Bloom couldn’t get through even fewer volumes. He left school without earning the Harley his mother promised.

Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins also failed to complete his secondary education - at the time he was studying, dyslexia had not yet been heard of. He was simply considered a dull guy whose only talent was playing the piano well.

But, of course, most celebrities dropped out of school not because of illness or poverty, but simply because they did not want to wait. The ambitious stars were not going to waste time studying, deciding that it would be better to spend precious years finding their way. Among them are Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Jude Law, Russell Crowe and others - who no longer wanted to return to their desks with their peers.

But won’t they one day regret that they never learned the wisdom of school? Who knows, for some reason the quite successful singer Beyoncé Knowles and actor Mark Wahlberg needed to work as adults to obtain a certificate. As a result, Beyoncé decided to prepare for the exam on her own and take it externally, while Wahlberg chose to study online.

It is not necessary to have two higher education degrees to become successful. Movie stars, businessmen, athletes and singers prove by example that talent cannot be acquired at the desk - you need to be born with it or achieve it through hard work. Today we are talking about those who left school without receiving a certificate of secondary education, and at the same time became successful and famous.

Jim carrey

Jim Carrey left school at age 15. The reason was the unstable financial situation of his family. With his father out of work and his mother chronically ill, the teenager had to work eight hours as a janitor at a factory to help his parents and his three siblings. Jim's natural talent for comedy gave him a chance to start his career as a teenager. He was making people laugh in Toronto with his stand-up when he was noticed by famous comedian Rodney Dangerfield. After their joint tour, the whole country learned about Kerry, and when three cult films with his participation were released in 1994 (“The Mask”, “Ace Ventura” and “Dumb and Dumber”), he won the status of the most popular comedian of our time .

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman can be called Jim Carrey's sister in misfortune. She, too, was forced to leave school to help her ailing mother. Nicole worked part-time as a masseuse, while studying art and working in the theater. This bore fruit - at the age of 15 she starred in a big movie for the first time (“Bandits on Bicycles”). We are sure that since then Nicole has never regretted her decision.

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe began acting in films when he was six, and at ten he received a role that changed his whole life. Of course, we are talking about a brave and gifted student at the Hogwarts school of wizards - Harry Potter, in the Harry Potter films. Daniel never had a desire to study, since from the first days of filming he realized that cinema was his calling. During the filming of Harry Potter, which started in 1999 and ended in June 2010, for some time the young actor studied externally, did his homework in the filming trailer, and at the age of 17 he took his documents from school and never returned there again. . Did you win or lose from this decision? This can be judged by the number of his fans and the number of zeros in his fees.

Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling's studies did not work out since childhood: due to his father's occupation, the family constantly moved, and the boy did not stay in one school for long. Due to attention deficit disorder, Ryan had difficulty learning to read and the curriculum was difficult for him. At the age of 12, he began working with the Mickey Mouse Club, where Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake began their careers. The teenager then continued to star in various television shows, including the famous series “The Youth of Hercules.” At the age of 17, Ryan dropped out of school and devoted his life to cinema. And, as the editors of UznaiVse.rf want to point out, it’s not in vain! You've probably seen the romantic musical "La La Land" and the heartbreaking melodrama "The Notebook", but this is only a small part of the actor's impressive filmography.

Keanu Reeves

This favorite of women has never been an exemplary student. He was expelled from art school for being loud and chatting during class. As a teenager, Keanu Reeves lived in Lebanon, Australia, New York and Toronto, changing five educational institutions during this time. The last school he attended was a regular public school, where he became the star of the hockey team. But in the end, he took the documents without receiving a certificate, and began acting in films to forever enter the annals of cinema thanks to “Speed”, “The Matrix” and “The Devil's Advocate”.

Gerard Depardieu

French womanizer Gerard Depardieu began to make a living not by filming films. He always had problems with school, largely due to his stuttering, of which he was terribly embarrassed. In addition, the family did not have enough money: the father drank, the mother babysat 5 other children. At the age of 14, Gerard dropped out of school, began drinking and smoking weed, selling contraband goods, sleeping with men for money, and at 16 he went to prison for stealing a car. But today, Depardieu, who was brought up by the streets, does not regret one bit about how his fate turned out: the number of lines in his filmography exceeded a hundred, and his multimillion-dollar fortune guarantees that his children and grandchildren will not grow up as street children.

Al Pacino

Al Pacino skipped school for a different reason: he was fond of baseball since childhood and spent a lot of time on the playground. At seventeen, he realized that he was wasting his time in school, so he dropped out without receiving a high school diploma. He also started working early, but he had to start as a courier and dishwasher. Only then was he offered to act in films, where he was able to reveal his talent as an actor. Many readers of the site will agree that he played his best role in the film “The Godfather”.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron left school when she was 16 years old. She had no desire to study, but after her mother invited her to take part in a beauty contest, she was inspired by the idea of ​​becoming a model. As a result, she came to the most important thing - a modeling agency in Milan signed a contract with her. Today Charlize is a world-famous film actress with an Oscar for her role in the drama “Monster.”

Robert Downey Jr.

First

Tom Cruise

This actor was born and raised in a problem poor family. Tom Cruise often changed schools, and the only outlet in the gray everyday life was sports. For some reason, he saw his future as a clergyman. Tom even entered the seminary, dropping out of high school, but quickly left his studies to pursue a career as an actor. New York gave him his first and very important chance: a small role in the film “Endless Love.” And later Tom Cruise became famous for his filming in “Top Gun”, “Risky Business”, “Magnolia”, “Interview with the Vampire” and “Mission Impossible”.

And the heroes of our next selection may not have dropped out of school, but they couldn’t boast of good academic performance. Who did these inveterate losers become?
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