As one of the most famous novelists of the modern era, one would think that JK Rowling would have a degree in literature. But the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series actually earned a bachelor of arts degree in French and classics at the University of Exeter. She graduated in 1986 after enjoying a year of study in Paris.
Rowling wanted to study English but her parents thought that being a bilingual secretary was the way to having a stable job. She did become a bilingual secretary in London for Amnesty International and later worked at the Chamber of Commerce before she began writing Harry Potter.
Rebel Wilson Has a Law Degree
Rebel Wilson is known for her roles in blockbuster films, Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect, and is climbing her way to becoming one of Hollywood’s favorite comedians. But the pre-Hollywood Wilson was anything but funny. The Australian actress was shy as a child and would always be in the library, leading her to have a near-perfect result of 99.3 percent on her Higher School Certificate (HSC).
She admitted to Seth Meyers that she has a law degree from the University of New South Wales, which she described to be the Harvard of Australia. Wilson said she put her degree to use when she negotiated her own contracts early in her acting career.
John Legend Has a Bachelor's in English
It seems like whatever John Legend does, he does it well. This multi-awarded, illustrious musician graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis on African-American literature. But he started studying when he was just 16 years old. He graduated from high school as a salutatorian in just four years.
The songwriter and record producer has a string of accolades under his belt, such as the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Hal David Starlight Award, and even a Primetime Emmy Award. He was given an honorary degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 2014.
Danai Gurira Has a Bachelor's in Social Psychology
Danai Gurira first held our attention as Michonne on The Walking Dead. But she actually has a long and esteemed career in television, film, and theater. Gurira is more than just someone who has been crushing bad guys on TV. This gifted actor and playwright has a degree in social psychology from Macalester College in Minnesota. She also has a master’s in acting from the Tisch School of the Arts in New York.
Being a Zimbabwean-American, she is expected to know more than one language. But she is actually proficient in four languages! She speaks French, English, Shona, and Xhosa.
James Franco is a Ph.D. Student at Yale
James Franco is a gifted yet controversial actor. His acting break came in 1999, but he only gained worldwide fame in the film Spider-Man, in 2002, when he played Harry Osborn. Franco loves to learn, and who wouldn’t with that remarkable intellect of his? He graduated from Columbia University with a master’s in fine arts.
Franco also attended Brooklyn College for fiction writing, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for filmmaking, and the low-residency MFA Program for Writers at North Carolina’s Warren Wilson College for poetry. But he did not stop there. Franco also has a Ph.D. in English from Yale University.