"Smart celebrities" is a rather unusual phrase for the average person. But they are people too, and their minds can overcome barriers, too. And the smartest and most famous, of course, are best known by sight.
1. Gina Davis. IQ 140
She was the best student in her class and earned straight A's. The future actress was also a model outside of school. On weekends, she accompanied the church choir on the organ. Sometimes, she even sang along with them.
Gina, who began her career as a model, has a naturally toned body. However, to stay in shape, the actress trains regularly. She often learns a sport because a new role requires it. For example, in preparation for "A League of Their Own," the actress learned to play baseball. And before filming "Cutthroat Island," in which Davis played a pirate, she learned to fence. In 1999, Gina tried out for the US Olympic archery team and even made it to the semifinals, although she failed to compete in the Sydney Olympics.
«"Sports gave me confidence," says Gina, who felt insecure at school about her height – 1.83 metres.
Today, Gina is known for her acting, numerous film awards, and social activism. Before 2015, she had managed to try her hand at several roles: modeling, acting, screenwriting, and even producing. She plays several musical instruments and speaks Swedish fluently. The film "Tootsie" became one of the biggest hits of that year, earning its creators a wide variety of awards.
Gina's personal life is quite varied. She's been married four times and never regretted any of them. She's never hidden her relationships, but rather shared every detail of her personal life with journalists.
2. Ashton Ketcher.IQ 160
This renowned actor graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in bioengineering. During breaks between film roles, Ashton began working at Lenovo. The talented man founded several organizations to combat pedophilia and sex crimes.
Despite his great potential, Ashton was a poor student. Due to his bullying, he lost his scholarship to one of the world's most prestigious engineering schools, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then studied biochemistry at the University of Iowa's School of Engineering. But he dropped out to pursue a modeling career.
But that's in the past. Today, Ashton is not only a sought-after actor but also a successful businessman. Together with a partner, he founded the investment company Sound Ventures, which is a shareholder in Airbnb, Foursquare, Skype, SoundCloud, Uber, and other tech startups. He frequently hosts innovation summits.
On November 30, 2016, Ashton and Mila welcomed a son, named Dimitri, with the Slavic name. Ashton himself announced the news on his personal website, A Plus: "Dimitri Portwood Kutcher was born at 1:21 a.m. on November 30th, weighing 3.6 kilograms." For Ashton Kutcher's fans, the choice of a Russian name was a surprise. However, if Ashton learned Russian to communicate with his wife's relatives, it's not surprising.
3. Dolph Lundgren. IQ 160
He planned to follow in his father's footsteps and become a chemist. His father often beat his mother and called his son a loser. By nature, Dolph Lundgren is a stubborn scientist. This paternal attitude inspired him to hit the gym and begin training in full-contact martial arts.
This action hero boasts not only powerful muscles but also doctorates in chemistry and chemical engineering. He speaks seven languages.
Dolph's first film was "A View to a Kill." It was a Bond film in which he played a minor and largely unremarkable role. His real fame came after "Rocky IV." Getting the role wasn't easy either. The candidate had to be muscular, no taller than 191 cm (6'3"). Lundgren, at 195 cm (6'3"), was gently turned down. But even here, his persistence played a crucial role. He created a new portfolio, including photos of himself in boxer shorts at the casting. He was hired.
During filming, one of the most famous incidents in the history of Stallone and Dolph Lundgren occurred. Sylvester wanted the fight to be real. Lundgren, who had started working out intensively after his audition and weighed 250 pounds at the time of filming, knocked Stallone out, and the latter was taken off the set in an ambulance. But the role of the boxer turned the unknown actor into a true star.
4. Arnold Schwarzenegger. IQ 144
The famous "Mr. Universe of 1967," a highly popular actor, director, producer, businessman, philanthropist, and 38th Governor of California, the long list of achievements attests to "Iron Arnie's" high intellect. As for his academic background, Schwarzenegger earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1979.
When Arnie was a teenager, his parents feared he was gay. Even at a young age, he admired bodybuilders and hung posters of them around his room. His mother even called a doctor to confirm how serious the images of oiled, nearly naked men in her son's bedroom were. The Guinness Book of World Records named Arnold the most perfectly muscled man in history.
«"I tried to be the most muscular man in the world, and that got me into acting. That gave me everything I have.".
In Terminator 2, Schwarzenegger spoke just 700 words, after which he was paid $1,040,000. It was the most expensive line of all time, "Hasta la vista, baby," costing $1,040,000.
He was the first private citizen in the United States to own a Hummer. Arnold needed two parking spaces to accommodate his Humvee.
5. Cynthia Crawford. IQ 154
Before her fame, she studied chemistry and biology at university. In her youth, when Cindy's father fell ill, she was forced to work in the fields during breaks between classes, picking corn to help support the family. It was there that a local photographer captured her. The photo made it into the newspapers and became wildly popular, after which the 16-year-old Crawford knew where she needed to go next.
The mole above her upper lip is Cindy Crawford's true calling card and one of the "elements" of her sexuality. Surprisingly, there was a time when the model dreamed of... getting rid of it. Her mother talked her out of it. "Sure, you can have surgery, but that will leave a scar, and there's no telling what it will look like," she told Cindy. Ultimately, the model embraced herself, with all her peculiarities, and was terribly displeased when photo editors once airbrushed out her mole on the cover of a fashion magazine.
The supermodel once tried her hand at acting. But the film "Fair Game," in which Cindy played a lawyer and William Baldwin a detective, was a disastrous flop, earning only $11 million on a budget of $50 million. A few other minor film roles were hardly noteworthy.
6. Natalie Portman. IQ 140
She's been acting since she was 13, and her acting career didn't stop her from pursuing a prestigious education. Smart, beautiful, and athletic, she easily sacrificed the premiere of Star Wars: Episode I to study for her high school graduation.
In 2003, Natalie graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in psychology. The following year, she entered the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In addition to her native English and Hebrew, she studied French, German, Japanese, and Arabic. In an interview, Natalie admitted that she wasn't afraid to sacrifice her career for her studies. She said she'd rather be educated than a movie star. She also once revealed that she broke up with one of her boyfriends because he accused her of overthinking.
Natalie's real last name is not Portman, but Hershlag (which translates as "heart attack"). Portman is her grandmother's maiden name, which she chose to use as her stage name.
For his very first film starring Natalie, George cast rising star Keira Knightley, who struck him with her resemblance to the new queen of the screen. In Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, Keira played Natalie's double, so much so that her birth mothers couldn't tell them apart on the day of the premiere.
7. Sharon Stone. IQ: 154
The actress is as intelligent as she is beautiful. According to her parents, she began talking before she was a year old, learned to read at four, started school at five, and at 15, she entered the University of Pennsylvania to major in fiction and fine arts. However, some media outlets claim she dropped out to pursue a modeling career.
The actress doesn't have her own children, but is raising three adopted children. She's been called a fanatical mother—she fought in court against her ex-husband for the eldest of her adopted children and was devastated when the court ruled that the boy should remain with his father. The actress doesn't like to show her children off in public, doesn't appear with them at events, and doesn't post photos of them on social media.
The Hollywood star has been plagued by health issues. She suffers from diabetes and asthma, and in 2001, she was diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm (intracerebral hemorrhage), which nearly killed her. On October 2, 2001, Stone suffered a stroke, which led to clinical death. For eleven days, the actress complained of headaches, but doctors were unable to diagnose the condition, and blood from the ruptured vessel was flooding her brain. When Sharon lost consciousness, she and her one-year-old adopted son, Ron, were alone in the house; her husband, Phil, was away. She was discovered lying on the floor by accident.
8. Emma Watson. IQ 138
The young actress easily embraced the role of straight-A student Hermione, as she was a straight-A student in real life. During a break between filming in 2009, when she turned 19, she enrolled in the English Literature department at the prestigious American University, Brown. She juggled studies and filming, the US and UK, and was incredibly tired. Brown's advisors suggested she take a break from her studies. She then transferred to Worcester College, Oxford, close to her home. But filming again prevented her from completing her studies. Ultimately, she returned to the US and graduated in 2014.
«"I just need something to stop the noise in my head," the actress told GQ magazine. "I'm a very passionate and driven person. There's so much going on in my head, so meditation is essential to slowing down my thoughts a little and getting things done more calmly. It really helps me.".
She keeps four journals at once: one for daydreaming, one for sketches, one for daily notes, and one for work-related topics.
For almost twelve years, the actress was forbidden from making any drastic changes to her appearance due to her commitment to the Potter films, so she had to look like Hermione year-round. When the final "Cut!" was called and filming of the second installment of "Deathly Hallows" officially ended, the long-awaited moment arrived. "I kind of missed out on all the experiments that teenagers go through. I've wanted to do something like this since I was sixteen, and as soon as I had the chance, I thought:
«"Okay. It's time," Emma explained.
9. Meryl Streep. IQ 143
As a child, Meryl Streep dreamed of becoming an opera singer and took singing lessons from the age of 12. However, she later decided to attend law school and become a lawyer. We might not have seen her in dozens of wonderful roles, but luckily, Meryl… slept through an exam and decided it was a sign from above.
She was the pride of the prestigious Vassar College, where she studied English literature and drama. Incidentally, Jacqueline Kennedy and Jane Fonda once graduated from this institution.
She later continued her studies at Yale University's School of Drama. All the while, she was constantly acting! It was there that she learned the meaning of envy. Her classmates were so envious of her talent and success, and quietly bullied her, that she even sought therapy. Fortunately, this pressure didn't last long.
«I had dark hair, I wore glasses and braces,» the Hollywood star recalls now.
But then Meryl dyed her hair blonde, swapped her glasses for contacts, took off her braces – and turned into a beautiful swan, became a cheerleader and even the school prom queen.
Over the course of her acting career, Streep has won three Oscars and been nominated 19 times. She is also an eight-time winner of another prestigious film award, the Golden Globe, for which she has been nominated 29 times, an all-time record.
During the wedding celebration, Meryl accidentally set her hand on fire with some kind of pyrotechnic device, and kept her cool. She told the astonished guests and her husband, Don, that she would do the same to him if he was a bad husband.
10. Steve Martin. IQ 142
The renowned comedian majored in philosophy, a rather serious subject, while studying at the University of California. Charming, cheerful, and simply kind… It's always a joy to watch his films with family, laughing and feeling such a lighthearted feeling when watching them.
It's not as if Steve dreamed of an acting career from childhood. He attended California State University, Long Beach. There, he even briefly studied philosophy, but never achieved success in that field. One day, the actor realized that comedy was his life's work.
Despite frequently playing fathers, Steve Martin became a father at age 67. He was married to Victoria Tennant for six years but had no children. He remarried in 2007 to journalist Anna Stringfield. They had a daughter in 2013. Incidentally, Steve and Anna's wedding was a secret. Guests, including Tom Hanks and Diane Keaton, were invited to a regular house party. Only afterward did they discover they were attending a wedding.
11. Quentin Tarantino. IQ 160
A renowned actor, director, screenwriter, and producer, he won two Oscars. He is known for his acclaimed films in the "American Independent Film" niche. Despite his immense intelligence and talent, he never even finished high school, dropping out at 15 to work as an usher at a pornographic movie theater.
Tarantino wrote and directed the final two episodes of the fifth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The director based the episodes on Kill Bill: Vol. 2—a mass of guts, bodies buried alive, and a disjointed narrative.
For the German release of Inglourious Basterds, the film's posters, trailers, and official website were censored, as the use of Nazi symbols is banned in Germany. The swastika was removed from the logo, leaving bullet holes in its place.
In Django Unchained, Jamie Foxx's character is told he's not allowed to ride a horse—an especially ironic twist considering the horse actually belongs to the actor. Foxx received a bay mare named "Cheeta" for his birthday in 2008. Owning a horse significantly increased his chances of landing the role—during his audition, he even said, "I know you need a guy who can ride a horse, and I actually HAVE a horse." But even with his extensive experience, filming the horseback riding proved challenging. Cheeta was extremely nervous due to the large crowd, and for one scene, Foxx was forced to switch to a different horse, riding it at full speed, bareback, and, like a true cowboy, with his gun drawn.
12. Shakira. IQ 140
The singer was born and raised in Colombia, but her parents are from Lebanon. She was a precocious child, writing poetry at age four and starting composing music at age eight. She recorded her debut album at age 13.
Shakira isn't just a beautiful performer; she's truly talented and intelligent. Shakira means "woman of grace" in Arabic and "goddess of light" in Hindi. She speaks Spanish, English, Italian, and Portuguese fluently.
Shakira's signature belly dance, which later became her signature move, was taught to her by her Lebanese grandmother, so that she could remain true to her Middle Eastern roots.
In 2010, the artist released her first perfume, S by Shakira.
«"This fragrance is for women who feel strong and know how to love, it's for women who believe in themselves. I wanted this fragrance, like my music, to be something special and personal," Shakira said.
In 2000, Shakira began a relationship with Antonio de la Rúa, the son of the then Argentine president. Less than a year passed, and in the spring of 2001, Rua proposed to the singer, but they never married. The couple were together for ten years, and in January 2011, they announced a temporary break in their relationship. They announced the news one after the other—first Shakira, then Antonio. The decision to take a break coincided (oh, no!) with Shakira's meeting with footballer Gerard Piqué. They met on the set of the music video for "Waka Waka." In March 2011, the singer officially announced her relationship with the Barcelona player. The couple bought a house in Barcelona, and in January 2013, they welcomed a son, Milan. Shakira and Piqué share the same birthday—February 2—but exactly ten years apart. In January 2015, they welcomed their second son, Sasha.
13. David Duchovny. IQ 147
David graduated from Yale and holds a PhD in philosophy. He also attended Princeton and wanted to become a writer. David excelled academically and even won several honorable mention awards for his undergraduate work. It seemed like a typical career path awaited him—college, university, a doctorate, teaching, and publishing research papers. And David followed a significant part of that path.
While David's scientific career came relatively easily, film was a different story, at least initially. For a long time, he had to make do with bit parts, minor films, and theater productions. His career began with a very small role in the acclaimed film Working Girl (in which he appears for a split second) and a not-so-small one in the little-known film New Year's Day. Duchovny's true gateway into the world of big-time cinema was his role in the sci-fi series The X-Files, which he began filming in 1993.
David Duchovny first married in May 1997, at the age of 37, out of passionate love. His chosen one was American actress and producer Tea Leone. The couple were married in the chapel at the school where David's mother had taught for many years. In 2008, David sought treatment for sex addiction to save his marriage. But it didn't work. The actor filed for divorce after reading a text message his wife had sent to her lover.
14. Jodie Foster. IQ 138
Foster graduated from Yale University in 1985. Several years later, the university awarded her a doctorate in fine arts. The two-time Oscar winner studied at a private French lycée in Los Angeles. At 14, she received her first Oscar nomination for her role in Taxi Driver. But success didn't go to her head, and the actress continued her studies at one of the world's most prestigious universities. At Yale, she majored in literature. The university later awarded her an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. Jodie Foster is fluent in French and Italian and can converse in German and Spanish.
Jodie also tried her hand at directing. In 1992, she opened her own studio, Egg Pictures, which specialized in independent film production. Before the studio closed in 2001, Foster managed to give audiences several exceptional films, including Nell, for which she received another Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
«"An actor's responsibility to the audience is much greater than the audience might imagine," Foster is convinced.
Jodie Foster has two sons. Some sources claim that Jodie Foster is a lesbian. Her girlfriend is film producer Sidney Bernard.
15. Lady Gaga. IQ 166
Who would have thought the outrageous singer and actress had such a high IQ? She taught herself to play the piano at the age of four. At 17, she was accepted early into New York University's School of the Arts. However, she later dropped out without earning a degree. This didn't stop her from amassing a huge fortune. Experts estimate her net worth at $14,295,000,000.
It's not just music. In 2009, the singer became the heroine of the comic book "Lady Saga." She has also appeared in films, the most popular of which is the series "American Horror Story," which is still in production. Lady Gaga is only 1.55 m tall. Therefore, her music videos use computer-generated height enhancement. This technology is nothing new. Kylie Minogue, for example, who is only 1.54 m tall, successfully uses this clever trick.
She has fifteen tattoos. The tattoo on her inner left arm is a quote from the same Rainer Maria Rilke.
Lady Gaga used hard drugs.
«"I used cocaine early in my career. But now I don't touch it. As soon as I realized cocaine was ruining my life, I said to myself: stop!"»
In the winter of 2015, she agreed to marry 33-year-old Taelon Kinney, whom she had met four years earlier on the set of her music video. The couple planned a lavish celebration, but a year and a half later, they announced their separation.
16. Lisa Kudrow. IQ 154
The American actress and comedian will forever be remembered as the eccentric Phoebe from Friends. But before landing that role, she dreamed of becoming a scientist. The future television star earned a bachelor's degree in psychobiology from Vassar College, one of the oldest and most prestigious women's colleges in the United States. Later, she conducted medical research on headaches with her neurologist father. Until one of her brother's friends inspired her to try her hand at show business. The actress later admitted on numerous occasions that she doesn't regret this turn of events. After all, this path brought her much greater happiness and success.
In the TV series "Friends," Kudrow's character, Phoebe, became pregnant. However, this wasn't originally scripted. The actress was actually expecting a child, and stopping filming was unavoidable, so the writers completely rewrote scenes from seasons four and five. Kudrow says that after giving birth, she realized that the greatest happiness in life is holding a baby. Kudrow continued working even after giving birth. A few months later, in addition to her work on "Friends," Kudrow was doing voiceover work for animated films. Kudrow admits she still feels ashamed of taking her son to the set of "Analyze This" when he was only three months old.
Immediately after the birth of her son, Julian, the actress wanted to get pregnant again. But watching Julian grow, fall, hurt himself, and act out, the actress decided to postpone having a second child, as her busy work schedule and raising her son were causing her significant stress. Kudrow now regrets the lost time and the fact that she never found the time in her schedule to have more children.
17. James Woods. IQ 180
He boasts the highest IQ among Hollywood actors. He is also one of those rare individuals who is equally adept with both his right and left hands. His natural abilities and the strict upbringing of his military father helped the future actor excel academically and earn a full scholarship to MIT, where he studied political science. However, he dropped out in his final year and moved to New York City to pursue acting.
The actor's personal life wasn't as successful as his career. Each of his relationships ended in scandal. The only exception was his first marriage, to model Kathryn Morrison, which lasted from 1980 to 1983. The couple separated quietly. However, all of James's subsequent relationships were highly controversial. After his split from actress Sean Young, Woods sued her, claiming she was leaving dolls pierced with needles and photographs of dead animals on his doorstep. The lawsuit was inconclusive. He was married to actress Sarah Owen. After their divorce, he also sued her, accusing her of badmouthing him. He found a new love, the young actress Tori Otslite, who is 30 years his junior. They were engaged, but the wedding never took place.
18. Harrison Ford. IQ 140
In 1960, Harrison graduated from high school and enrolled at Ripon College, and in 1964 he moved to Los Angeles, where he signed a contract with Columbia Pictures. Incidentally, the actor, beloved by millions of viewers, was known as a failure early in his career and worked part-time as a carpenter.
Ford cemented his status as a Hollywood icon with his role as the titular character—a bespectacled university professor and fearless, hat-wearing archaeologist—in another long-running franchise, Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones films. Despite Lucas's involvement as producer, Harrison didn't get the role right away, only after Tom Selleck, who had already been cast, withdrew.
In the 1970s, Ford struggled to earn enough money as an actor, but things were going poorly early in his career. So the unsuccessful actor decided to retrain as a carpenter. Little did Ford know at the time, he'd made the best decision of his life. One day, while he was assembling furniture in George Lucas's house, the director asked him to read lines for other actors during auditions. That's how Harrison Ford landed the role of Han Solo, which made him famous. Incidentally, the actor personally built the house on his Wyoming ranch, where he later lived happily.
Ford is an accomplished pilot, equally adept at flying both a fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter. He owns seven aircraft, which he typically pilots between his homes in Wyoming and New York City. In 2004, Ford was appointed president of the Eaglets program, which aims to give children around the world the opportunity to get off the ground.
19. Nicole Kidman. IQ 142
The actress is considered one of the most brilliant women in Hollywood. Her high intellect was somewhat predictable, as her father was a biochemist and clinical psychologist, and her mother a book editor. Nicole trained at the Young People's Theatre, and then at the Philip Street Theatre, where the future celebrity honed her vocal skills and studied the history of theatre. Nicole attended North Sydney Girls' School, but was forced to leave her studies due to her mother's illness.
Nicole's first husband was actor Tom Cruise. They met on the set of Days of Thunder, and Cruise quickly divorced his wife, Mimi Rogers, and married the woman he'd fallen in love with. They were together for over ten years, but Tom couldn't love Nicole forever, as he'd promised at the altar, so just as quickly as he'd entered her life, he left her for another actress, Penelope Cruz, and then Katie Holmes. Incidentally, Nicole reportedly didn't expect Tom to file for divorce, and she miscarried (according to media reports, she was three months pregnant). Nicole also revealed that she had an ectopic pregnancy early in her relationship with Cruise.
Red hair isn't Nicole's natural color. A natural blonde, she once decided a fiery shade would suit her porcelain skin and blue eyes better, so she dyed it red. However, the actress periodically returns to her "natural" color.
The actress is very protective of her fair skin and is afraid of the consequences of sunburn, so she never leaves the house without a hat and sunscreen. Nicole Kidman also has a severe allergy to strawberries and dislikes butterflies.
In early 2005, the actress won two court cases against Sydney paparazzi who were too intrusive in their intrusion into her life.
While filming "Moulin Rouge!", Nicole managed to break a rib. Naturally, production had to be halted immediately, but after the actress recovered, the film was still going ahead. In several scenes, Kidman can be seen in close-up, and she remains virtually motionless, as the injury was taking its toll.
20. Madonna. IQ 140
A world-renowned singer, dancer, composer, screenwriter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, she has achieved great success, with a net worth estimated in the hundreds of millions. She graduated from high school as an external student a few months before her final exams. After a year and a half at the University of Michigan, Madonna attended a master class with renowned choreographer Pearl Lang and dreamed of joining her company. She dropped out of university and moved to New York.
Despite the large number of suitors she's had, the ever-experimental Madonna couldn't resist trying out women. Her kisses with Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears are well-known, but they're just for show. She's also had genuine lesbian romances—even Naomi Campbell, with whom she has several compromising photos, has fallen into Madonna's clutches.
The quality I despise most in people is making assumptions. Without proper research, investigation, or interviews, people just assume things. It drives me crazy. I also hate it when I'm talking to someone and they text me. My kids do that. It drives me crazy. I usually take their phones away and ruin all their plans.
Madonna's name is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, where she is named the most successful female singer of all time. Her current net worth is $1,400,000, earned honestly by selling 200 million albums worldwide. Over her 25-year career, she has released 64 UK Top 40 hits.