10 Celebs Who Were a Failed at School But Turned Out Successful in Life
Our favorite celebs have been ruling our hearts, but their school performance wasn’t as convincing as their on-screen performances. Undeniably, education shapes our personality and influences our career paths in life. But in the case of these 10 Hollywood celebrities, their decision to drop out of school/college opened doors to unprecedented fame in the entertainment industry. From TV stars to actors to musicians, these celebs’ determination and grit to succeed was bigger than any degree or educational qualification.
1. Cameron Diaz
Famous actress Diaz dropped out of school at age 17 because she signed a modeling contract as a teenager. However, life didn’t go as planned since that project didn’t work out but her persistence in the face of challenges ultimately paid off and she became one of the most popular Hollywood stars with her hard work and determination. She soon landed her first gig and the rest, as they say, is history. The actress is worth an estimated $140 Million.
2. Rihanna
Who doesn’t know RiRi? The pop star, who rose to unprecedented fame with her enchanting voice that broke all records, landed her first record deal as a teenager at just 16. This eventually meant she had to drop out of high school and focus on making it big in the music industry. And it paid off because the billionaire singer’s ultra-successful hit tracks like Umbrella , Diamonds , and Rude Boy conquered all the musical charts.
3. Tom Cruise
The Mission Impossible star didn’t have it easy while growing up. Born to parents who weren’t financially sound, Cruise was always on the move. In fact, by the time he was 14 years old, he attended 15 schools across the United States and Canada. Throughout his school life, he struggled with Dyslexia. Still, he worked his way up the success ladder in the entertainment industry and won everyone’s hearts with his acting prowess and unbelievably impressive action sequences.
4. Kate Moss
Supermodel Moss signed her first modeling gig at 14, which means she never even got to sit for her exams. And she never looked back because her hard work paid off and her modeling career was off to a great start already. Since then, she has established herself as the biggest model who landed deals with fashion giants like Clavin Klein, gracing every runway. Now 50 years old, she is worth an estimated £56 million.
5. Robbie Williams
An exam failure, Williams, lost any or every chance to secure a degree or study further in life. The 50-year-old admitted, “If I went back to uni, well before that I would go back and get all of my GCSEs – I failed all of them. The best I got was a D. So it would be good to do that,” as per The Mirror. However, he didn’t let his grades bring him down and emerged successful in his music career.
6. Whoopi Goldberg
Goldberg has been vocal about her tumultuous childhood with a mother who struggled with mental health issues and how her brother and the former actress survived. Consequently, she had to work doubly hard to become successful in life and because of her challenges, she had to drop out of school. But, her first film with Steven Spielberg in 1985, The Color Purple , shifted gears for her, and she was recognized as one of the finest performers as the character Celie.
7. Richard Branson
Branson, the billionaire and founder of the Virgin brand, had struggled in school due to his incapability to learn things. However, he moved past all his shortcomings as a young boy and now he’s among the most renowned figures in the business world. He dropped out of school at age 16 and set up a student magazine. His entrepreneurial skills took off from there and turned him into the biggest businessman comprising over 400 companies. And he’s been to space.
8. Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers, more famously known as Eminem, previously revealed he failed in ninth grade three times due to truancy and poor grades. Consequently, he dropped out of Lincoln High School when he was 17 years old because he was unable to focus on his studies as rapping was his first and last love. However, after he left school, Eminem worked hard to break into the industry, dropping his first album in 1996. He’s now worth an estimated £185 million.
9. Chris Rock
The 59-year-old, who was recently in the spotlight for the infamous Will Smith slap scandal, is one of the biggest comedians around. However, the comedian/actor dropped out of school in the tenth grade and succumbed to bullying in school, predominantly by white students. When bullying became worse, he left his studies and worked more menial jobs. Now, he’s earned four Emmy Awards and three Grammy Awards. He was voted the fifth-greatest stand-up comedian in a poll conducted by Comedy Central.
10. Jay Z
The famous American rapper , a popular face in the entertainment industry, dropped out of school before he could graduate. The record producer had gone to Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn before his career escalated his worth to several billion dollars. Of course, with extreme hard work and determination, he became one of the world’s biggest music stars in Hollywood. Originally, Shaun Carter released his debut album in 1996 and was among the only hip-hop artists to reach billionaire status.