Celebrity Dropouts That Found Success Without Ever Having To Hit the Books

Your parents always teach us that the route to success is to study hard and opportunities will show up on the way. Well, there are a couple of lucky few that didn’t even finish school or college and still became super rich. These are celebrities we are talking about and this might come as a shock, but some of the most famous people that you see on the TV screen are in fact dropouts.

20. Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey used to be a straight A-student during his early school days but he decided to quit school and get a job at a local factory in order to support his family and help pay the bills. The actor says that working at the factory was one of the worst times of his life.

19. Johnny Depp

The famous and mysterious Johnny Depp didn’t ever finish high school. The actor dropped out because he wanted to pursue a career in the music industry instead. Seeing how he is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars, he might have made the right decision at that time.

18. Katy Perry

Just like Johnny Depp dropped out of high school in order to pursue a career in the music industry, Katy Perry did the same. This was a risky gamble for Katy Perry but it all paid off in the end.

17. Gisele Bündchen

Even though quitting school in order to pursue a career as a model might not sound like such a great idea, Gisele Bündchen got lucky and she made it. According to Forbes, she is the world’s 5th highest-paid model.

16. Ryan Gosling

Who doesn’t like Ryan Gosling? Well, his teachers might have something to say against him. Ryan Gosling dropped out of B. Pearson High School when he was 17 because he got the chance to star in the “All-New Mickey Mouse Club” TV show.

15. Brad Pitt

Even though Brad Pitt is seen as a successful actor and a great role model for everyone, he wasn’t always such a good role model. Brad Pitt dropped out of the University of Missouri in his teenage years.

14. Jessica Biel

Some of you might know Jessica Biel from starring in hit movies and for being Justin Timberlake’s wife, but what many people don’t know about her is that she dropped out of Tufts University in order to pursue a career in acting.

13. Eminem

Eminem, or the “Rap God” as he is commonly known didn’t have an easy life in Detroit. He kept moving schools ever since he was a little boy at one point, he had enough and decided that school just isn’t what he needs.

12. Rihana

Rihana was studying in Barbados when the music producer Evan Rogers asked her to move into Connecticut and while this was a huge risk she was taking, it all paid off since Rihana managed to get in the same recording room as Jay-Z in only one year.

11. Jennifer Lawrence

While most of the celebrities on our list dropped out of high school, this isn’t the case for Jennifer Lawrence. The famous actress never made it to high school since she quit during her freshman year.

10. Nicolas Cage

Many people don’t know this about Nicolas Cage but his uncle is Francis Ford Coppola, the director who made “The Godfather”. This is why Nicolas Cage decided to quit school and start working with his uncle in the movie industry.

9. Leonardo DiCaprio

While Leonardo DiCaprio might be a famous Oscar-winning actor nowadays, he had to work hard to get where he is now. The actor quit school in junior year in order to start studying at a local drama center.

8. Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman is one of the most successful actresses to come from Australia and just like all the other celebrities presented today, she also quit school. This happened when Nicole Kidman was 16-years-old.

7. Daniel Radcliffe

Being a child movie star was not easy for Daniel Radcliffe and instead of spending his time in school, Daniel Radcliffe was filming the famous Harry Potter movies. This is why he had to quit school and focus on his acting career.

6. Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet was a brilliant student and the teachers loved her. Unfortunately, her parents couldn’t afford to keep paying for her education and she had no other option than to quit school and focus on other things such as acting.

5. Jay-Z

Everyone who has ever listened to one of Jay-Z’s albums knows that he didn’t have an easy life growing up in Brooklyn and New Jersey. The rapper had to quit school in order to start helping out his family make ends meet.

4. Harry Styles

The band ‘One Direction’ blew up overnight and the boys had millions of fans. Seeing this, Harry Styles knew that he had to quit school and dedicate his life to music and his fans.

3. Paris Hilton

As we all know by now, Paris Hilton has always lived a lavish lifestyle thanks to her grandparents’ money. However, this lifestyle got her in trouble and she was expelled from the boarding school she attended in Connecticut.

2. Ashton Kutcher

Even though Ashton Kutcher might be a successful actor and IT investor helping apps such as Uber grow big, he never got to finish his high school. Luckily, he found success without proper education.

1. Mark Wahlberg

When it comes to popular movie stars, Mark Wahlberg is always going to be listed in a top five list. He is a highly respected actor that has starred in some of the world’s most successful movies but despite that all, Mark Wahlberg never finished high school.