Actors Who Dropped Out Of School
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Whoopi Goldberg
(Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for IMG)
Actress and TV personality Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in New York. She dropped out of school at 16 during a troubled youth that included a series of dead-end jobs, multiple marriages and a drug addiction.
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Al Pacino
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Bronx-born Al Pacino, a cinema icon, dropped out of school at the age of 17. He got his start on the New York stage to which he occasionally returns, including a recent stint in “The Merchant of Venice” on Broadway.
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Johnny Depp
(Photo credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)
Johnny Depp may be one of the hottest stars on the planet, but he’s missing a high-school diploma. Depp dropped out of school when he was 15 with dreams of becoming a rock musician.
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John Travolta
(Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Fiore Films)
Hollywood actor John Travolta dropped out of school at 16 to move to New York and pursue acting and modeling full time.
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Nicole Kidman
(Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images)
The daughter of a biochemist and a nursing instructor, Oscar winner Nicole Kidman dropped out of school in Australia to pursue acting full time. Seen here at the Oscars on Feb. 27, 2011, Kidman worked on stage before breaking into movies at age 16.
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Robert De Niro
(Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
Acting legend Robert De Niro, who grew up on the mean streets of New York, quit school to join a gang. De Niro later studied acting in the city.
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Sir Michael Caine
(Photo credit: MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images)
Sir Michael Caine, an Oscar-winning actor, was born Maurice Micklewhite to working-class parents in London. He dropped out of school at 15 to go to work full-time. He didn’t start acting until he returned to England from the Korean War.
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Charlize Theron
(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Oscar winner Actress Charlize Theron, a native of South Africa, left schol when she was 16 and moved to Hollywood with her mother to pursue a career in film.
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Cher
(Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)
Singer and Oscar-winning actress Cher was hampered in her studies by severe dyslexa and dropped out of school when she was 15.
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Demi Moore
(Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Actress Demi Moore was born in New Mexico but moved dozens of times with her family during her childhood. She quit school at 16 to work as a pin-up-girl and was married within two years. At 19, she found acting success as a regular on “General Hospital.”
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Jim Carrey
(Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
Star of films including “The Truman Show” and “Liar Liar,” Jim Carrey grew up in Canada where his family spent several months living in their car. He dropped out of high school as a teenager to go to work full-time.
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Roseanne Barr
(Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)
Comedian and actress Roseanne Barr dropped out of school at 17 and was married young. She broke into show business doing stand-up comedy at the restaurant where she worked as a dishwasher.
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Uma Thurman
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Uma Thurman never finished high school. The Boston-born daughter of a Buddhist scholar and a European model left boarding school at 15 to pursue acting full-time.
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Ewan McGregor
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Scottish-born Ewan McGregor left school, with his parents’ encouragement, when he was 16 to join The Perth Repertory Theater.
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Jude Law
(Photo credit should read DIETER NAGL/AFP/Getty Images)
London-born actor Jude Law dropped out of school at 17 to star in a British soap opera.
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Keanu Reeves
(Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Actor Keanu Reeves was born in Beirut and grew up in New York and Toronto. An ice hockey star as a teen, he dropped out of school to pursue acting.
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Rene Russo
(Photo credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)
Actress Rene Russo was raised by a struggling single mother and was Ron Howard’s classmate at a Burbank (Calif.) high school. She left school in 10th grade to earn a living in a series of low-paying jobs.
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Russell Crowe
(Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Actor, singer and rancher Russell Crowe was a child TV star in his native Australia and dropped out of school to pursue his show business ambitions.
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The Cinema Society And DeLeon Tequila Host A Screening Of "I Love You Phillip Morris" - Inside Arrivals
attends a special screening of "I Love You Phillip Morris" hosted by The Cinema Society and DeLeon Tequila at the School of Visual Arts Theater on November 22, 2010 in New York City.
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