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When you’re thinking of traits that define celebrities, your mind probably goes to ‘rich,’ ‘beautiful,’ ‘powerful,’ maybe ‘lucky.’ One trait that doesn’t usually come to mind, though, is intelligent. In fact, many celebrities, especially the female ones, often get a rap for being not too bright if not down right dumb. While that might be a fair estimation where many celebrities are concerned, a handful will surely surprise you.
These celebrities are true smartypants and they have the IQ to prove it. And the ranks of the super smart are small, too, with only 2% of the population having an IQ score of 130 or above (the average person scores around 100). Click below to find out who’s smarter than you think.
David Duchovny: 147
David Duchovny, the ultra-handsome star of the X-Files and Californication, is said to have an IQ of 147. He’s smarts were on display when he competed and won on celebrity Jeopardy. Duchovny holds a bachelors degree from Princeton University and a masters degree from Yale University in English Literature. His IQ is 147.
Lisa Kudrow: 154
Lisa Kudrow, known mostly for her role of Phoebe on Friends, is the polar opposite of that ditzy character. In real life, Kudrow has an IQ of 154 and was well-studied in medical research for almost 8 years before she blossomed into a Hollywood star.
Madonna: 140
Madonna, the hugely influential singer, songwriter, businesswoman, actress, dancer and undisputed “Queen of Pop,” has an IQ of 140. In high school, she was a straight A student and dropped out of college to pursue a career in dancing and singing. Since then, her intelligence has served her well in carving out an impressive career spanning many genres. Madonna’s reinvented herself several times over and is considered a canny businesswoman, one who is the highest selling female recording artist of all time.
Emma Watson: 138
Based on her character Hermione in Harry Potter, Emma Watson’s impressive IQ of 138 is not all that shocking. The young actress continued her education after the Harry Potter series by attending both Brown University and Worchester College in Oxford. In addition to her acting, modeling, and consulting work, she’s also a strong activist for women’s rights.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: 135
Arnold Schwarzenegger, often parodied for being a not-so-smart meathead, is the first one on this list that truly surprised us. The former Governor of California, Mr. Universe, and Terminator lead has an impressive IQ score of 135.
Ashton Kutcher: 160
Playing the role of a dumb boy-toy as Kelso on That 70s Show, Ashton Kutcher gained a bad rap for being a little less than bright. However, with an IQ of 160, he’s just the opposite. Although Kutcher dropped out to drive his acting career forward, he attended the University of Iowa for biochemical engineering and received scholarships to MIT.
James Franco: 130
James Franco, in addition to acting, is also a lifelong learner. In 2006 he reenrolled in UCLA and took 62 credits per semester, which is well above the usual limit of 19. He received many credits from independent study projects he did while on set filming for Spiderman 3, and graduated from UCLA with a BA in 2008. He went on to receive his MFA from Columbia’s writing program in 2010, and has also attended Brooklyn College, Tisch School of the Arts, and Yale. Franco’s IQ is 130.
Goldie Hawn: 132
While Goldie Hawn often plays eccentric and sometimes ditzy characters, she’s quite intelligent in real life and claims a very respectable IQ score of 130.
Jodie Foster: 132
Jodie Foster, who has an IQ of 132, learned to read at age 3 and went to a French prep school before attending Yale’s literature program. She wrote her thesis on Toni Morrison and graduate in 1985 magna cum laude.
Nicole Kidman: 132
Nicole Kidman was born in Honolulu to her mother Janelle, a nursing instructor and editor, and father Antony, a biochemist, author, and clinical psychologist. She spent most of her formative years in Australia, where she took to acting at a young age.
Tommy Lee Jones: 135
Tommy Lee Jones started a long and illustrious acting career in 1969, but only after graduating from Harvard cum laude earlier that year. He speaks Spanish fluently and lives with this third wife on their ranch outside of San Antonio. His IQ: 135.
Natalie Portman: 140
Natalie Portman, the Israeli-American actress who’s original name was Neta-Lee, takes her education seriously: she skipped the premiere of Star Wars Episode 1 to study for her high school exams. Portman, who has an IQ of 140, studied ballet and modern dance at New Hyde Park school in NYC and received a degree in psychology from Harvard. In an interview with the New York Post, Portman said “I don’t care if [college] ruins my career…. I’d rather be smart than a movie star.” Luckily for Portman, she’s been able to be both.
Shakira: 140
Shakira, with an IQ of 140, was ranked one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes, in part due to her intelligence. She’s fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and can get by in French, Catalan, Arabic, and Italian. Shakira has continued her passion for education in her home country by setting up two schools for underprivileged children, and serves as a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
Ke$ha: 140
Even though her lyrics brag about brushing her teeth ‘with a bottle of Jack,’ Ke$ha is super smart. The singer has an amazing IQ of 140, received a scholarship to Barnard College for psychology, and scored an impressive 1500 out of 1600 on her SATs. And she’s smart enough to know that vapid pop music sells really, really well.
Robin Williams: 140
Robin Williams, whose smarts are evident in almost every single one of his brilliant acting performances, had an IQ of 140. Williams started as a stand-up comedian in the 70s and is credited with reinvigorating San Francisco’s comedy scene before he went on to be accepted into the rigorous Advanced Program at Juilliard School in NYC. There, his teacher called him a genius, and that genius is evident in his impressive acting career.
Geena Davis: 140
Geena Davis is a no-holds-bared genius and a member of Mensa. She holds a BA in drama from Boston University, is fluent in Swedish, and plays the flute, drums, piano, and organ. The actress and former model puts her brains to work as an activist dedicated to combatting stereotypes of women in media. She has an IQ of 140.
Claire Danes: 140
Claire Danes, four-time Golden Globe and three-time Emmy winner, has an IQ of 140. She attended Yale University, where director Oliver Stone wrote her a letter of recommendation. Today, Danes believes in the benefits of therapy, and supports a charity working for living wages and economic independence for women in Afghanistan.
Steve Martin: 142
In addition to being a renowned comedic actor, Steve Martin is a bit of a brain. He majored in Philosophy at California State University at Long Beach and is described as agnostic when it comes to religion. While he considered becoming a professor at one point, he ended up leaving school to pursue his love for entertainment. His IQ? 142.
Meryl Streep: 143
Meryl Streep, considered the best actress of her generation, has received more Golden Globe nominations and wins than any other actor or actress in the history of the award. On top of being unstoppable, Streep is incredibly intelligent. She received her BA from Vassar and MFA from Yale University. In an interview with the Telegraph, Streep said about religion, “So I’ve always been really, deeply interested, because I think I can understand the solace that’s available in the whole construct of religion. But I really don’t believe in the power of prayer, or things would have been avoided that have happened, that are awful. So it’s a horrible position as an intelligent, emotional, yearning human being to sit outside of the available comfort there. But I just can’t go there.” Her IQ is 143
Nolan Gould: 150
Nolan Gould of Modern Family fame is the youngest smarty-pants on our list, boasting an impressive IQ of 150. He’s a card-carrying member of Mensa, and graduated from high school at 13 years old. To balance his acting career, he’s planning on taking online college courses, which, even though he’s only 15 isn’t that surprising as he accelerated ten grades in his school career..
Sharon Stone: 154
Sharon Stone, actress and former model, has an outrageous IQ score of 154 and was clearly a gifted child. She entered second grade at only five years old, and received a scholarship to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania at the age of 15. Stone was caught in a lie about being a member of Mensa and has since apologized, although a representative said she would’ve most likely been accepted had she applied
Cindy Crawford: 154
The world-renowned supermodel Cindy Crawford is known for her breathtaking beauty, but should also get credit for her grit and intelligence. With an IQ of 154, Crawford studied chemical engineering at Northwestern University for a short time, and has navigated an incredibly successful career in modeling and now activism.
Alicia Keys: 154
Alicia Keys has been driven to succeed in the realm of entertainment since she was four years old and played a role on the Cosby Show in an episode called “Slumber Party.” Keys, in addition to being a genre-bending singer and songwriter, is also a gifted musician, especially with piano. She’s known as the “Queen of R&B,” and in 2003, Blender magazine cited Keys as “the first new pop artist of the millennium who was capable of changing music.”
Aisha Tyler: 156
Aisha Tyler is a crazily well-rounded woman who’s succeeded as an actress, producer, director, writer, comedian, and talk show host. Her current claim to fame is probably for her role as the voice of lead character Lana Kane on the hit animated show Archer. Tyler graduated from Dartmouth College where she founded and performed in a female a capella group, and has an almost impossible-to-believe IQ score of 156.
Quentin Tarantino: 160
Quentin Tarantino, famed director and screenwriter, has written some of the most critically acclaimed and profitable Hollywood films, like Django Unchained, Reservoir Dogs, and the genre-defying Pulp Fiction. In these works of incredible talent, Tarantino’s intelligence is obvious. However, the director did not have much in the way of formal education. He dropped out of high school when he was only 15 years old and left to work at a video rental place where he spent hours watching and analyzing films, often frame by frame. Tarantino has since cited this experience as crucial to his development as a director and writer, saying “When people ask me if I went to film school, I tell them, ‘no, I went to films.'” Tarantino is a prime example that you don’t have to be well-educated to be highly intelligent.
Dolph Lundgren: 160
While Dolph Lundgren has often played the idiot meath
Matt Damon: 160
Matt Damon, IQ score of 160, attended Harvard University and wrote Good Will Hunting’s script as an assignment for an English class. One of the highest grossing actors of all times, Damon now works as an activist and philanthropist working for access to clean water and programs to end hunger in Africa.ead type of character, his real self is just the opposite. With an IQ of 160, he’s bordering on genius level intelligence. In 1983, Lundgren was awarded a Fullbright Scholarship to the prestigious MIT, and has earned degreens in both chemical engineering and chemistry. To top it off, he speaks six different languages.
Conan O’Brien: 160
Conan O’Brien, the eccentric TV host, has a reputation for being lewd, wacky, and a bit of a jerk, so it might come as a surprise that he’s also rather intelligent. Which is a bit of an understatement, I suppose, as his 160 IQ is borderline genius-level. O’Brien graduated from Harvard University as magna cum laude in 1985 with degrees in history and literature. In May of 2015, when Letterman retired, Conan became the longest working TV host currently on air, as he was then active for 22 years.
Mayim Bialik: 150 – 163
Mayim Bialik – the neuroscientist and actress – has an IQ score somewhere in the range of 150-163. No matter where she falls on that scale, it’s impressive, and she’s portrayed just such a smart female character on the hit show The Big Bang Theory. Before that show, Bialik also killed it as Blossom, and after that decided against going to either Harvard or Yale, where she received scholarships, and instead attended UCLA to stay close to her family and her acting career. She later received her Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2007.
Rowan Atkinson: 178
Though his acting career took off based on his portrayal of one of the stupidest characters in the Media – Mr. Bean – Rowan Atkinson is in fact quite gifted in the brains department.
James Woods: 184
Topping our list for highest celebrity IQs is James Wood, who’s most known for his voice acting; you’d know him from Family Guy, Grand Theft Auto, The Simpsons, and Disney’s Hercules. Woods aced his SATs in high school, scoring a perfect 800 on the verbal section and a whopping 779 in math. Soon after, he was awarded a generous scholarship to MIT where he studied political science but quit before graduating. In an interview with Inside the Actor’s Studio, he let it be known that he has an IQ of 184, which well surpasses the requirements to be officially labeled a genius. Wow.
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