15 Celebrities Who Dropped Out of School and Built a Meteoric Career

There’s a general belief that it’s hard to become successful without proper education. However, there is always an exception to the rules. For example, many celebrities dropped out of school but never really regretted their decision. Their experience proves that perseverance and motivation can be more important in achieving success than education.

1. Christina Applegate

The actress began to appear in commercials when she was still a baby. At 3 months of age, she starred in a commercial for Playtex baby bottles and made her television debut alongside her mother, Nancy Priddy, in the soap opera Days of Our Lives. It’s no surprise Applegate became more interested in acting and singing, like her mother, causing her to drop out of high school at the end of her junior year.

2. Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore’s acting career started very early. At just 3 years old, she was already a successful actress, and by the age of 7, she landed a starring role in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. However, the young actress was also exposed to the darker side of Hollywood culture from a very early age, which led to health and wellness issues. To take more time to focus on making herself well again, she dropped out of school at 13.

3. Katy Perry

Perry started singing at a young age. Her parents noticed that and put her in voice lessons. At the age of 15, she decided to drop out of school and dedicate herself to music career. In an interview, Perry said that she regretted her decision, but now she finds time to educate herself: “I’ve learned to educate myself at this stage and how to continue my education at any age.”

4. Jennifer Lawrence

Lawrence dropped out of middle school when she was only 14. And she had a good reason for that: she wanted to become an actress and focus on her acting career. Her decision turned out to be the right choice. Just 4 years later, she landed a starring role in the movie Winter’s Bone. She later explained, “I struggled through school. I never felt very smart. I’m self-educated.” In an interview, she said, “Even friends, for many years, were not as important to me as my career.”

5. Catherine Zeta-Jones

The actress was born in Wales and has been interested in acting since an early age. At 9 years old, she acted in a theater group and secured a place in a theatrical production of the musical Annie. Zeta-Jones realized it was her calling, so she dropped out of school at 15 and moved to London, where she attended a performing arts school and auditioned for roles.

6. Kate Winslet

At 16, Winslet got a part in a sci-fi BBC program, and after that she decided to focus on her acting career and drop out of school. Nowadays, the actress regrets that she missed her teenage years. By choosing acting, she had to experience the downsides of this profession: she was frequently bullied for her weight, even by her drama teacher.

7. Tom Cruise

Cruise has dyslexia, so it was quite hard for him to study at school. At the age of 14, he decided to become a priest and entered the Franciscan seminary but studied there only for a year and then left. At 16, Cruise moved to New York to pursue his acting career.

8. Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves is loved by millions now. But when he was at school, he caused too much trouble to the principal because of his temper. “I didn’t fit in. I had conflicts and run-ins with the staff. I asked too many questions about everything. I couldn’t stop even if it got me into trouble.”

9. Jude Law

The actor’s parents are teachers. But they supported him in his decision to drop out of school to pursue his acting career. At 17, Law got a part in the soap opera Families and couldn’t combine filming and studies at school anymore.

10. Rihanna

In 2003, while still in Barbados, Rihanna followed her passion for music and formed a musical trio with 2 classmates. American record producer Evan Rogers noticed her and convinced her mother that Rihanna would become a successful singer. Rihanna dropped out of school and moved to New York, and she never regretted this decision.

11. Nicole Kidman

The famous actress confessed that she never finished high school. “I didn’t finish year 11 and I somehow got there.” Kidman also mentioned in an interview that her husband Keith Urban didn’t even finish year 10.

12. Jessica Chastain

The actress confessed in an interview that she wasn’t a hard-working student. “Nobody knows this about me. I dropped out of high school. I was not a hard worker. I was a terrible student.” However, this didn’t prevent her from becoming a movie star and win an Oscar for Best Actress for the movie The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

13. Ryan Gosling

Gosling’s time at school wasn’t easy because of bullies. To protect himself from them, Ryan used his acting skills and talked like Marlon Brando. In 1993, Gosling became part of All-New Mickey Mouse Club, appearing alongside Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. So, when he realized what he wanted to do in life, he dropped out of school and dedicated himself to the movie world.

14. Avril Lavigne

Lavigne decided to drop out of school because of her passion for music. Her audition impressed the head of a music publishing company so much that they immediately signed a contract with her in a deal worth $1.25 million for 2 albums and an extra $900,000 for a publishing advance. The singer’s parents supported their daughter’s decision to focus on her music career.

15. Harry Styles

The singer started his music career with auditioning for the British version of the X-Factor when he was only 16 years old. Then Styles became the member of the band One Direction and had to conquer people’s hearts, so it was no wonder that he had to drop out of school. But he still has warm memories about his school years and his teachers. For example, he stopped one of his shows to express his gratitude to his first schoolteacher: “My first ever schoolteacher is here tonight, I heard you’re retiring! I’d just like to thank you for everything. Those formative years.”

Do you think education is important for a person’s future? Share your opinion in the comments below.