Surprising Celebrities Who Have Medical Degrees
Who knew that some of your favorite celebs were packing more than just talent and good looks? It turns out that former White House chief strategist Steven Bannon had no idea what he was talking about when he scathingly referred to celebrities as "dumb as ticks."
That's right, while they may not have the same brainpower traditionally associated with doctors, some stars have actually gone on to make a name for themselves in the medical field too! But how do these incredibly busy people even find time to obtain their doctorate? Continue reading to discover which beloved celebs can now lay claim to having more than one profession.
He's Not Dr. Phil For Nothing
Phillip McGraw is more popularly known as Dr. Phil, arguably one of the most popular television "doctors" of all time. But don't be mistaken, Dr. Phil actually does have the credentials to back up his title. In 1975, he earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Midwestern State University.
He then went on to the University of North Texas where he earned both his master's in experimental psychology and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. He subsequently joined his father's private practice but eventually was recruited to do work for Oprah Winfrey.
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Not Just A Pretty Face
Christy Turlington is considered one of the original supermodel alongside the likes of Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, and Naomi Campbell. The leggy star has been modeling since she was just 14, but still made education a priority. Turlington was accepted into New York University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in Comparative Religion and Eastern Philosophy.
Although she had already found great success modeling, she continued her studies at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health when she was 40 years old, earning her master’s.
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Nothing Wrong WIth Alternative Medicine
Before he became a world-renowned author and advocate for alternative medicine, Deepak Chopra was encouraged to pursue a career in medicine by his father, who was a prominent cardiologist in New Delhi. Thus, Chopra graduated from the All India Insititute of Medical Sciences in 1969 and spent his first years as a doctor working in rural India.
He eventually relocated to the United States where he completed various residencies and became board certified in internal medicine, with a specialization in endocrinology. In the present day, Chopra's ideas about alternative medicine have been criticized by other doctors as pseudoscience.
Jurrasic Park Doctor
Renowned author Michael Crichton is known for his works of medical fiction such as The Andromeda Strain and Travels, but he is perhaps best known for writing Jurassic Park. Before his success as a writer, however, Crichton obtained his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1969. While an undergraduate at Harvard, he was originally studying literature but decided to switch paths after an unpleasant encounter with a former professor.
Throughout his medical schooling, he continued to write and surprisingly, Crichton never actually obtained a license to practice medicine despite his qualifications because of his dedication to writing.
Doctor Turned Author
Khaled Hosseini is the author of The Kite Runner, but before his success as an author, Hosseini has practiced medicine for over ten years. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Santa Clara University in 1988 and subsequently enrolled at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, earning his M.D. in 1993.
Of his medical and writing pursuits, Hosseini told Loveland Magazine in 2013, "Medicine was an arranged marriage, writing is my mistress." It can be assumed that the success from The Kite Runner has encouraged him to pursue his passion in writing.
Medicine Taught Him How To Be A Politician
Ron Paul was the U.S. Representative for Texas and has unsuccessfully run for president on three different occasions, but before his political career, he had a career in medicine. Paul obtained his M.D. from Duke University's School of Medicine in 1961 and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Magee-Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Afterward, he became a flight surgeon for the U.S. Air Force for a couple years before transferring to the U.S. Air National Guard. By 1968, he opened a private practice in obstetrics and gynecology in Texas. All this experience gave him the clout to pursue his interests in politics.
Sofia Vergara Enrolled In Dental School
Colombian comedic actress Sofia Vergara has become a household name thanks to her role on the hit show Modern Family. She was discovered as a seventeen-year-old on the beach while still enrolled in high school. She was subsequently cast in a Pepsi commercial. However, she also ended up marrying young and having a son at only eighteen years old.
At the same time, she enrolled in dental school in her Bogotá, Colombia. Sofia said, “I went to dental school, but I didn’t finish because I started getting opportunities for work. You have to decide every day, ‘Do I go to class or do I make money?’ Your priorities start changing.” Ultimately, she chose to continue making money and moved to the United States. It seems as though it has paid off because Sofia has been listed as the highest paid actress on television.
The Mad Max Director Developed The Film While Still Practicing Medicine
Before creating the Mad Max franchise, director George Miller studied medicine at the University of New South Wales. He developed Mad Max while still practicing medicine, telling Toronto's Metro News, "I worked for two-and-a-half years in a big city hospital. I stayed registered right up past Mad Max 2: Road Warrior. I never even thought there'd be a career. I stayed as a doctor on the first Mad Max because we kept running out of money in postproduction."
Miller continued, "Then I stayed through to the second Mad Max because if [you're] doing stunts, [you're] obliged to have a doctor on set. There weren't big budgets, so I ended up running a clinic during lunch time to cuts, sunburns, scrapes and all that."
Ken Jeong Isn't Just A Doctor On TV
He may play a doctor on television now, but don't be mistaken, actor Ken Jeong is qualified to actually be a real doctor. Before he was making us laugh on The Hangover and Community, Jeong was a licensed physician in California. He earned his M.D. from the University of North Carolina and was completing his residency in internal medicine at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans when he began performing stand-up on the side.
He was noticed by television producers who urged him to move out West. He followed suit and while he regularly performed stand-up at various Los Angeles comedy clubs, he practiced medicine at a Kaiser Permanente before hitting it big.
Amy Chow Went To Medical School After Winning Olympic Medals
Amy Chow is a former gymnast and Olympian who was known for competing in both the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. Amy was a part of the Magnificent Seven, which also included Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes and Kerri Strug, among others.
The young women were the first United States team to win the gold at the Olympics. Amy is also particularly notable for being the first Asian-American woman to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics. Despite being so accomplished at a young age, Amy was not done with her goals and later went on to graduate from Stanford Medical School in 2007.
Pau Gasol Dropped Out Of Med School To Play Basketball
Spanish NBA player Pau Gasol has played for the Lakers, the Bulls, and now the Spurs, but takes quite an interest in the medical field in his free time. He actually comes from a medical background, as he was born in a Barcelona hospital where both of his parents worked. Despite his athletic ability early on in his life, Gasol decided that he wanted to be a doctor after news of Magic Johnson's HIV diagnosis went public.
Gasol was enrolled in medical school at the University of Barcelona but dropped out when his basketball career took off. However, he devotes much of his free time to charitable hospital visits and sit-ins on medical surgeries.
Graham Chapman Had To Choose Between Acting And Medicine
Graham Chapman was best known for being one of the six members of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python But while fans know him for his leading roles as the Colonel in Holy Grail and Life of Brian, there was more to Chapman than meets the eye.
Born in Leicester, Chapman was a smart cookie from the start. He excelled in everything at school from science and sports to amateur dramatics. He studied medicine at Emmanuel College in Cambridge but deferred his medical studies for a year to pursue writing. After joining the Footlight shows Cambridge Circus, he toured New Zealand with the group. He continued his medical studies soon after and although he did obtain his degree, Chapman was always torn between acting and medicine!
Tina Turner Left Her Nursing Aspirations Behind
Before she was questioning "What's Love Got to Do with It" and becoming one of the best-selling artists of all time, divalicious singer Tina Turner had aspirations of becoming a nurse. Born Anna Mae Bullock and raised in Tennessee, Turner graduated from Sumner High School in 1958.
After completing high school, Turner forged her nursing career by taking up work as a nurses aide at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. However, her nursing aspirations were left behind after she began frequenting nightclubs in the St. Louis area, where she eventually met her soon-to-be husband Ike Turner. The rest, as they say, is history.
Lisa Kudrow Worked With Her Father As A Headache Specialist
Before she was Phoebe Buffay on Friends, Lisa Kudrow's foray into acting came rather suddenly. She had attended Vassar College, where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Biology and afterward, returned home to work with her father, Dr. Lee Kudrow, who was a headache specialist.
But while researching with her father, Kudrow found herself thinking about how she would act things out on television better than how she saw them and decided one day to try acting. Her acting career didn't take off from the start, but following her instinct certainly paid off!
This Television Doctor Was The Real Deal
Born down under, Jonathan LaPaglia is an Australian actor best known for his roles in television series such as NCIS, Seven Days, and New York Undercover. But before he made women swoon on the silver screen, he was busy becoming a doctor. LaPaglia graduated from Rostrevor College with an undergraduate degree before earning his degree in medicine from the University of Adelaide. He spent the next three years working as a physician in an Adelaide emergency room but felt overwhelmed by the position. He left his white coat behind to pursue his first passion—acting—in 1994 and got his big break in 1996 with New York Undercover.
Rachel Maddow Is A Doctor Of Philosophy
Viewers only need to watch 30 seconds of MSNBC’s political show The Rachel Maddow Show to know that the host is brilliant. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that the star has numerous degrees to her name—but many fans don't realize just how many accolades the star has under her belt.
Maddow earned her degree in public policy from Stanford in 1994 and began her postgraduate studies the next year at Lincoln College, Oxford. In 2001, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy in politics at the University of Oxford.
This Real Housewife Insists She Was A Registered Nurse
You probably wouldn't have expected this, but The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak is qualified to be a nurse. Before her marriage to Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kroy Biermann and launching her Kashmere Kollection skincare line, Zolciak actually attended the University of Connecticut, where she studied nursing.
She was a Licensed Practical Nurse throughout the early 2000s, before making a name for herself on the Bravo television network. In an Instagram post from early 2017, Zolciak listed some unknown fun facts about herself, including the fact that she "went to nursing school and graduated. Practiced for a few years and loved it."
It's No Wonder She Plays A Neuroscientist!
She plays Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, but what's awesome about actress Mayim Bialik is that she is actually a doctor in real life as well. Although she was a child actress, most notable for the titular role in the sitcom Blossom, Bialik decided to attend UCLA when Blossom wrapped up.
She originally earned a Bachelors of Science in neuroscience and subsequently went on to earn her Masters and Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2007. With all that effort put into her schooling, you would think Bialik would want to utilize her degrees, but it all came full circle for the actress since she plays a neuroscientist on The Big Bang Theory.
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The Punk Rocker Who Is Actually A Doctor
Dexter Holland of The Offspring may be a punk rocker by day, but he actually has quite an education to fall back on. In his early years, the musician found mathematics "just as exciting as punk rock," subsequently earning a B.S. in Biology, then an M.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California.
He was in the middle of earning his Ph.D. in molecular biology before his band The Offspring began to take off. Despite his success as a punk rocker, Holland eventually returned to school and finally completed his Ph.D. at USC in May 2017.
This R&B Singer Was In Medical School Before His Singing Career Took Off
British singer Jay Sean was a 2009 sensation with his song "Down," but before he was a successful musical artist, the Punjabi crooner was a "straight-A student" who enrolled in Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. He studied medicine for over two years before eventually dropping out to pursue a musical career.
Luckily, dropping out proved to be quite successful since he found success across the pond and was eventually signed to Cash Money Records among the likes of Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj.
She Has Brawn And Brains
She is one of the most decorated Olympians in history with twelve Olympic medals—eight of which are gold—but Jenny Thompson also has the brains to complement her brawn. The talented swimmer attended Stanford University while a member of the U.S. national team, but in 2001 decided she wanted to return to school, enrolling at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
She received her M.D. in 2006 and completed her residency in anesthesiology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Thompson currently works as an anesthesiologist for the Spectrum medical group at Maine Medical Center.
This Famous Plastic Surgeon Is Not A Fake Doctor
He is a famous television personality for being a plastic surgeon, so it's no surprise that Terry Dubrow is an actual doctor. Dubrow is the co-host of Botched and has appeared on The Real Housewives of Orange County, but before his rise to fame in Hollywood, Dubrow was hard at work earning his medical degree at Yale and the UCLA School of Medicine.
There, he completed his residency in general surgery and his fellowship in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Don't be mistaken by the glitz and glamour of his television persona, because Dubrow is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a certified expert for the California Medical Board.
This Is Why Sherlock Holmes Is So Detailed
Before he gifted the literary world with Sherlock Holmes, author Arthur Conan Doyle studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh Medical School in the late 19th century. He subsequently became a maritime doctor and earned his M.D. degree on the subject of tabes dorsalis by 1885. Doyle eventually set up his own medical practice in the English town of Southsea.
He had dabbled in writing fiction throughout his medical schooling and because his practice wasn't as successful as he hoped, he had more time to work on his stories while he waited for patients to come through. This might explain why the DNA analysis in Sherlock Holmes is so detailed and credible.
From Nursing To Something Else Entirely
She rose to prominence in the early '90s as a model for Playboy, eventually becoming Playmate of the Year in 1993, but Jenny McCarthy's foray into adult "literature" probably didn't happen because she wanted it to. After graduating from high school, McCarthy was enrolled at Southern Illinois University where she was studying nursing and psychology.
She only attended for two years before eventually dropping out due to lack of funds. You could say that her "big break" finally came when she was offered $20,000 to pose for Playboy.
