Genius Celebrities: 22 With Surprisingly High IQs

When it comes to celebrities, most people assume because they’re actors, musicians, or socialites, that they aren’t very bright. Obviously people like that need to take a class in breaking down stereotypes, because these 21 celebs are probably smarter than all of us. The current definition of IQ test standard scores states that about two-thirds of all test-takers obtain scores from 85 to 115 and about only 5 percent of the population scores above 125. See which celebs score above that! 1. Quentin Tarantino - 160 He might have dropped out of high school young and begun ushering at a porn movie theater, but that doesn't mean Quentin Tarantino is dumb at all. He has a rumored IQ of 160, the same IQ as Albert Einstein. Click NEXT to see the rest... NEXT is one Talented and smart actor... 2. Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones is a Hollywood legend with a career that spans decades and with more memorable roles than we can remember. Well, it seems that the Academy Award-winning actor is not just a commanding silver screen presence, but also a highly intelligent Harvard man. He hails from a modest family and he attended the St. Mark’s School of Texas on a scholarship. He continues his ties with the school to this day and he is currently on its board of directors. He later enrolled in Harvard on a need-based scholarship where he had a room across Al Gore, who would later become Vice President of the United States. Jones graduated cum laude from Harvard, with a BA in English. His senior thesis was on the subject of “the mechanics of Catholicism” in the writings of Flannery O’Connor. (Celebritydirt.com) Click NEXT to see more... 3. Natalie Portman - 140 Portman’s reported IQ of 140 didn’t come without the dedication to her education! She notoriously skipped the premiere of her film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace to study for her high school finals. After that, she went on to get her A.B. degree in psychology from Harvard University. She also pursued graduate courses at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She’s been published twice in scientific journals, was a research assistant at Harvard, and is fluent in over five languages! This NEXT actor is off the charts 4. James Woods - 180-184 Out of this list, James Woods has the highest reported IQ, which has been listed as 180-184. To better clarify that for you, anything over 160 is listed as "extraordinary genius". He attended MIT, with his original plan for a career as an eye surgeon. However, to become an actor, he dropped out of MIT shortly before graduation to pursue his career. A banjo and brains? Click NEXT to see what he's got.. 5. Steve Martin - 142 Before becoming the comedy legend that we all know and love, Steven Martin attended Cal State as a philosophy major. He was so inspired by school, he considered becoming a professor, but those motivations changed and he transferred to UCLA to major in theater. His IQ has been reported as 142. This NEXT beauty is brilliant 6. Nicole Kidman - 132 With a clinical psychologist and biologist father and nursing instructor mother, it's no surprise that Nicole Kidman has an IQ of 132. She studied at the Victorian College of the Arts, then at the Phillip Street Theatre in Sydney, with actress and friend Naomi Watts. Afterward, she attended the Australian Theatre for Young People. Instagram/Keith Urban Don't let this NEXT one's wit fool you... 7. James Franco - 130 Like us, when you think of James Franco, you think of Seth Rogen and a string of stoner movies. While those thoughts aren’t unwarranted, he has done a lot of dumb-funny movies, but he’s actually kind of a genius. It’s been reported that his IQ is 130, and on top of that, he has attended & graduated from UCLA, Columbia University, NYU, Brooklyn College, Warren Wilson College, and is a Ph.D. student at Yale University. While at UCLA he took 62 credits in one semester, while the normal limit is 19. Successful and smart. Click NEXT to find out who it is. 8. Ashton Kutcher - 160 Ashton Kutcher might have played our favorite airhead on That '70s Show, but he has a reported IQ of 160 - the same as Stephen Hawking. He attended the University of Iowa with a planned major in biochemical engineering but later dropped out to become a model. His original career path was to discover a cure for his twin brother Michael's heart issues. ashton kutcher I always figured this NEXT celeb was smart 9. Jodie Foster - 132 Jodie Foster is known for being gifted, having learned to read at the age of 3. So an IQ of 132 isn't too surprising. She is fluent in French and English while understanding most Italian, Spanish, and German though she doesn't speak those three languages. She graduated from Yale University magna cum laude, having majored in literature with a thesis on Toni Morrison. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Yale in 1997. This NEXT blonde beauty has brains! 10. Sharon Stone - 154 Don't let that pretty face ever fool you, Sharon Stone is a smart one! She's said to have an IQ of 154 and has claimed that if she applied to Mensa, she'd most likely be accepted. Click NEXT to see more... 11. Conan O’Brien - 160 Getty Images Conan O'Brien is known for his late night hilarity, but he has some hidden smarts. While still in high school, he interned for Congressman Robert Drinan and in his senior year he won the National Council of Teachers of English writing contest with a short story, then went on to graduate as valedictorian of his class. After that, he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a senior thesis focused on the use of children as symbols in the works of William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor. Who would have thought this NEXT celeb was on the list? 12. Lisa Kudrow - 154 Getty Images We all know and love Lisa Kudrow from her days as ditzy Phoebe Buffay on Friends, but obviously, she fooled us all, because she’s pretty brilliant. With a reported IQ of 154, she graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Science. She worked with her father for 8 years while trying to become an actress and earned a research credit on his study on the comparative likelihood of left-handed individuals developing cluster headaches. This NEXT handsome actor has the looks and brains 13. David Duchovny - 147 Getty Images It has been reported that David Duchovny has an IQ of 147. He graduated from Princeton University in 1982 with a B.A. in English Literature. While there, his poetry received an honorable mention for a college prize from the Academy of American Poets. He got his MFA from Yale University in English and went on to begin a Ph.D., but that remains unfinished at the moment. We knew this NEXT one was a smart one! 14. Mayim Bialik - 150-163 Getty Images Mayim Bialik plays a neurobiologist on The Big Bang Theory and in real life has her Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. After her time on Blossom, she had been accepted to Harvard and Yale but chose to attend school close to home. She first got her B.S., then went back to school for her doctorate, with her dissertation being an investigation of hypothalamic activity in patients with Prader–Willi syndrome. It's been reported that her IQ is between 150-163. Click NEXT to see more... 15. Shakira - 140 Getty Images Shakira is one of the most successful women in the music industry, best known for her belly-dancing and songwriting. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, but can also speak French, Italian, Catalan, and Arabic. In 2007 she pursued a course in History of Western Civilization at UCLA Extensions. Her IQ is reported to be 140. Not too shabby for this NEXT celeb 16. Jordana Brewster - 120-130 Getty Images The Furious 7 star takes after her grandfather in the intellect department! Her paternal grandfather was an educator at Yale University, where she later attended school and graduated with a B.A. in English. Her rumored IQ is between 120-130. Kudos to this NEXT star who is good looking and smart! 17. Matt Damon - 160 Getty Images Did you know Good Will Hunting was based on Matt Damon's real life? Just kidding! But actually, Matt Damon attended Harvard (though later dropped out) and wrote the initial script for Good Will Hunting in his English class for an assignment. Wait until you see this NEXT celebrity! 18. Madonna - 140 Getty Images While attending West Middle School, Madonna was known for her unusually high-grade point average and her weird behavior. It's been reported that her IQ is 140, which isn't at all surprising as she's been able to make her career thrive over four decades. The Terminator is NEXT 19. Arnold Schwarzenegger - 132-135 Getty Images We may know and love him for his The Terminator days, but did you know Arnold Schwarzenegger has a reported IQ of 132-135? That shouldn't be too surprising, as he came to America penniless and he managed to build his empire. He graduated from University of Wisconsin–Superior, with a degree in international marketing of fitness and business administration in 1979. Click NEXT to continue 20. Nolan Gould - 150 Getty Images On Modern Family, Nolan Gould plays the dumb, but lovable Luke Dunphy, but in real life, he's a genius. He's a member of Mensa and as of 2012, he had accelerated ten grades in school. On The Ellen Degeneres Show, he said he has an IQ of 150. 21. Ashley Rickards - Unreported IQ Getty Images While this Awkward star has an unreported IQ, she is a member of Mensa, which requires she has a genius-level IQ in order to maintain membership. 22. Geena Davis - 140 Getty Images Geena Davis is multifaceted in Hollywood and we think it has quite a bit to do with her high IQ of 140! She graduated from Boston University with a bachelor's degree in drama in 1979. She is also a member of Mensa, a social organization whose members are in the top 2% of intelligence. (Source: Hollywood.com & Celebrity Dirt) If you LIKE this story, please SHARE this story! Also Read: Watch These 66 Iconic Movie Scenes Set To ‘Uptown Funk’ The Last Known Footage Of Marilyn Monroe Taken The Weekend Before She Died

Genius Celebrities: 22 With Surprisingly High IQs

by K. Gitter
Published July 7, 2017

20. Nolan Gould – 150