Kate Winslet once said she was shy and vulnerable while in school and was bullied and teased about her weight. She even admitted that the other kids called her “blubber.” By 16, the actress had dropped out of high school and was working in a deli.
Tom Cruise left high school to pursue acting in New York.
Growing up, Cruise aspired to become a priest. But after partaking in acting classes and performances throughout his childhood, he changed his career path, left high school (a Franciscan seminary) after a year, and moved to NYC to pursue acting full time.
Jay Z - Hov dropped out of high school and became a successful drug dealer in Brooklyn. He later used that business savvy to run the Roc Nation empire and become one of the highest paid celebrities in America. As Jay has proven, sometimes the best lessons are learned in the school of hard knocks.
Drew was emancipated when she was only 14 years old and didn't earn her high school diploma. Drew invited three Drew Barrymore Show viewers to create “Drew & Ru's Back-to-School Crew”. The first adult learner earning her GED credential alongside Drew is Anissa a 50-year-old from Florida.
He dropped out of Miramar High School at 16 in 1979 to become a rock musician. He attempted to go back to school two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician. In 1980, Depp began playing in a band called The Kids.
When Carrey was a teenager, his father lost his job. The family moved from Newmarket to a suburb of Toronto. To help make ends meet, Carrey quit school and took a job as a janitor.
Whoopi Goldberg in her youth struggled with learning; labeled “dumb” and “lazy” she became a high school dropout at the age of 17. With low self-esteem, she became involved in drugs. Yet remarkably she overcame all this to have the most amazing career as an actress, comedian, television host and author.
She dropped out of school at 14 without receiving a General Educational Development (GED) or diploma. Lawrence has described herself as "self-educated" and said that her career was her priority.
Jim Carrey dropped out of school not to pursue acting, but to help support his family financially. Wayans dropped out as a freshman to follow his older brother to Los Angeles. He later became the star of his brother's hit sketch-comedy show, In Living Color.
What famous billionaire dropped out of high school?
McDonald's founder Ray Kroc and Walt Disney both left high school to pursue other interests that became globally-recognized brands. Likewise, Henry Ford and Coco Chanel never finished high school but created enduring brand names that outlasted their lifetimes.
Billionaires who found fame and wealth after dropping out are in industries including fashion, tech, and music. Jay-Z, hip-hop's first billionaire, never graduated from high school. The rapper does, however, publicly encourage people to value education. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson quit school at 16.
Who isn't familiar with Beyoncé's story? Before dominating the music charts and becoming the first Black woman to headline Coachella in 2018, she actually dropped out of Alief Elsik High School in Houston, Texas to focus on her full-time job: being a member of Destiny's Child.
A few weeks before his scheduled graduation from Santa Monica High School, Sheen was expelled from school for poor grades and attendance. He then chose to become an actor, and adopted the stage name Charlie Sheen.
Does Robert Downey Jr. have a high school diploma?
Robert Downey Jr. The Iron Man star dropped out of Santa Monica High School after his junior year when his father gave him an ultimatum to "either show up [to school] every day or quit and get a job." The move definitely worked out for the A-List actor. Reeves dropped out of school because he never fit in.
“I didn't want the kids saying, 'You didn't do it, so why do I need it? ' They are all wanting to do things in their future that require an education.” The Ted star, who had a troubled childhood and dropped out in the ninth grade being charged with attempted murder, says getting his diploma is “a huge accomplishment.”
Rihanna was just 16 when she signed a record deal with Def Jam and left school. Since then, she has dropped countless hits and built a fashion and beauty empire with her Fenty lines. She is also reportedly launching a luxury fashion house.
Something else you might not have known about Jay Z: He never finished high school. The Brooklyn native dropped out to focus on his job at the time … dealing drugs. As Jay Z recalled in a 2013 interview, drug dealing ended up teaching him some valuable business skills, like budgeting.
However, the publication showed that the North Carolina rapper, born Jonathan Kirk, graduated with a 1.8-grade point average, a claim he is vehemently denying. DaBaby responded to the blog post by tweeting a quote with several cap emojis.
