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When I was a kid, my friend and I wanted to become artists of some sort. I wanted to be a writer while others wanted to become rock stars, graphic novel artists, visual artists, etc. While most of them were persuaded they could become a star by dropping from school and living off their talents, I was sure that this wasn't the way to go - studying was the right path for me.
Turns out I was right to a certain degree. I'm here writing, while they've dropped out and are selling cars or working as cashiers. My point is this: great artists are often very educated people who attended university and sometimes graduated. However, to be a performing university student, most of the time, you need to have a higher IQ than the average person, as the scale below proves:
- 115-124 - Above average (e.g., university students)
- 125-134 - Gifted (e.g., post-graduate students)
- 135-144 - Highly gifted (e.g., intellectuals)
- 145-154 - Genius (e.g., professors)
- 155-164 - Genius (e.g., Nobel Prize winners)
- 165-179 - High genius
- 180-200 - Highest genius
- >200 - "Unmeasurable genius"
Considering this scale and the fact that most great artists are knowledgeable people, it's only natural to look into our favorite celebrities curriculum vitae and their IQ. From highly gifted to highest genius, here are the Top 12 celebs With The highest IQ In Hollywood.
12. Natalie Portman - 140
The Star Wars and Black Swan star is not only really beautiful and a wonderful actress, she's also highly intelligent. Most people don't know that Natalie Portman earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard, one of the more prestigious colleges in the world that is quite difficult to get into. And she added a number of graduate-level classes at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and also speaks six languages. Really not surprised she has an IQ of 140.
Self-improvement and education has always been something really important for her, and she's a great example for younger generations that it works to study!
11. Shakira - 140
These hips certainly not only don't lie, they're brighter than most people! She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, English and some Italian. Shakira attended University of California in Los Angeles. I'm surprised she even had time to study or attend university as her career was really active early on.
Shakira is the creator of the Pies Descalzos Foundation, which helps children in her native Colombia receive a quality education. She is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and was honored for her philanthropic efforts in 2010 by the United Nations' International Labor Organization.
10. Madonna - 140
The Queen of Pop who's winning her battle against aging is also a recognized genius. According to StarMap, Madonna attended the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance. She didn't graduate however, moving to New York City to pursue a career in modern dance (which, we all know, was the beginning of her career).
Also, the pop icon has had an impressive career off the stage as a businesswoman, establishing the entertainment company Maverick (and the label Maverick Records) in 1992, with Time Warner. In 2007, Madonna gave an unprecedented US $120 million to Live Nation, according to StarMap.
9. Nolan Gould - 150
An IQ of 150 is amazing. Well if you're graduating from high school at the age of 13 like Modern Family star Nolan Gould did, then it's not at all that surprising. When interviewed by Ellen DeGeneres how it felt to be so accomplished at such a young age, the boy answered: "As I'm driving in my limo, I'm like, 'wait a second, I'm 13, this is my third time at the Emmys. It's like, what am I supposed to do with the rest of my life?' It's kind of all downhill from now."
Let's just hope that Nolan doesn't get caught in the child celebrity troublesome lifestyle experienced by Justin Bieber, Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus seem to be living!
8. Lisa Kudrow - 154
The star from the popular show Friends is a genius. Lisa Kudrow earned a B.S. in Biology from Vassar College, and then spent 8 years working for her doctor dad, doing medical research. Not something you'd expect!
But she's not only an actress. Lisa produces and writes shows for Network Giant, HBO, as well as lends her voice for animated movies. She's won many awards, and all of this only proves how versatile this lady is. Oh, and she's super smart with with an IQ of 154...
7. Sharon Stone - 154
Known mostly for her steamy performance in Basic Instinct, the blonde bombshell is not only gorgeous, her IQ is way above average. According to Wikipedia, Stone was considered academically gifted as a child. In fact, she entered the second grade when she was only five years old.
At the young age of 17, Stone graduated from Saegertown High School. When she was studying at Edinboro University, the gorgeous student won the Miss Crawford County title, and was a candidate for Miss Pennsylvania! According to Wikipedia, a pageant judge told her to quit her studies and move to the Big Apple to become a fashion model. She did just that before flourishing as an actress.
6. Matt Damon - 160
With such a high IQ, how could Matt Damon be lost in mars in The Martian? Joke apart, Damon attended Harvard University but ended up dropping out to pursue an acting career. However, it was during his time at the university that he developed the draft script for the Oscar-winning movie Good Will Hunting, which later got him an honorary Harvard Arts Medal in 2013.
Matt Damon is known for his many extracurricular hobbies, such as voice-over work and establishing several production companies. According to Wikipedia, he has also been actively involved in charitable work, including the ONE Campaign, H2O Africa Foundation, Feeding America, and Water.org, over the years.
5. Conan O'Brien - 160
I'm not surprised that O'Brien is considered a genius with an IQ of 160. The talk show animator is so witty, his intelligence kind of flows out of him. But he is not only an animator, Conan O'Brien is also a comedian, a writer, a producer, a musician, and a voice actor. He was a writer and producer for The Simpsons for two seasons, which is a pretty big deal for Simpsons' enthusiasts.
The apple never falls far from the tree. O'Brien's father, Thomas Francis O'Brien, is a physician, epidemiologist, and professor of medicine at Harvard University. His mother, Ruth O'Brien, is an attorney and partner at the Boston firm Ropes and Gray. Conan majored in History and Literature at Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude, which means "with praise"in Latin.
4. Dolph Lundgren - 160
This one is really surprising considering most of Lundgren's roles have presented him as a brainless muscle mass. But you know what they say, "it takes a genius to act dumb." This said, Dolph attended Washington State University and earned a degree in chemistry. He also earned a degree in chemical engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in the early 1980s followed by a master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Sydney in 1982, according to Wikipedia.
Like Conan O'Brien, Lundgren gets his smarts from his parents. His mom, Sigrid Birgitta, was a language teacher, and his dad, Karl Johan Hugo Lundgren, was an engineer and economist for the Swedish government.
3. Quentin Tarantino - 160
"This guy is a f***** genius!" You've said it while watching his movies. I did too. And we were right as he has an IQ of 160. Quentin Tarantino is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor whose work is characterized by its chopped narration and particularly noir and violent storylines.
His background explains his choice of artwork: his mom let him watch adultshows and movies as she moved on from boyfriend to boyfriend. Tarantino later begun to work in a porn theater while he was underage (he didn't tell his employer his real age). He later put himself in acting classes at the James Best Theatre Company, where he met several people who would later appear in his films.
2. Ashton Kutcher - 160
Yes, I'm surprised as well since we know the actor for being rather dumb-witted in That '70s Show. Ashton Kutcher is known for being an actor, a producer, an investor and a former model. He had a rather traumatic childhood: born into a middle-class family, his twin brother was stricken with cerebral palsy. Ashton has stated several times how he didn't like coming home from school because he didn't want to see how sick his brother was getting.
Not surprisingly, Kutcher enrolled in biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa in August 199 motivated by his desire to find a cure for his brother's heart ailment. To pay for his tuition, Ashton worked as a college summer hire in the cereal department for the General Mills plant in Cedar Rapids, according to Wikipedia. He also sold his blood. While he was in college, he was approached by a model scout to become a model, which jump-started his career.
1. James Wood - 184
The Golden Globe Award winner is known for his roles as villainous characters in many movies. He is a master mind, but not evil! James Woods is an actor, a producer and a voice actor. Woods grew up in Rhode Island where he attended Pilgrim High School.
According to Wikipedia, Woods pursued his undergraduate studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), majoring in political science. He unfortunately dropped out in 1969, just before his graduation. While at MIT, Woods was an active member of the student theatre group called "Dramashop." He later said that he became an actor thanks to Tim Affleck (Ben Affleck's father), who was a stage manager at the MIT. Woods appeared in 36 plays before making his Broadway debut in 1970. He got the part by pretending he was British.
Sources: www.rantlifestyle.com; moviepilot.com
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