Celebrities That Have A Much Higher IQ Than You Would Expect

Most people often assume that celebrities aren’t exactly bright, and sometimes they might be right to assume so. However, some of Hollywood’s leading men and women are not only “smarter than the average bear,” but some are walking around with a genius level IQ. According to current testing standards, only 5% of the population scores higher than a 125, and technically anything over 140 is considered “genius.” Who do you think will score that high? We guarantee there’ll be a few you won’t be expecting. Place your bets, things are about to get interesting.

Arnold Schwarzenegger – 135 IQ

It usually catches most people by surprise when they learn that the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has an astoundingly high IQ of 135. Maybe it’s his incredibly strong accent that makes him come across as a giant meathead. However under all those muscles is a highly intelligent man, which really should be obvious considering he was elected as Governor of the state of California.

Geena Davis – 140 IQ

Geena Davis having an IQ of 140 doesn’t seem nearly as shocking. Not only is she a talented actress but she also has an extensive academic background. In her younger years, she participated in a foreign exchange program where she spent time in Sweden and became fluent in their language. Once she finished that, Davis attended Boston Universty where she studied drama and eventually became the leading lady in Hollywood that we know today.

Tyra Banks – 120 IQ

When you’re a supermodel, the last thing people think of when they see you is your IQ. Take Tyra Banks for example, at one point in time she was the most popular model on Earth before branching out to television where she got her own talk show and then later created the hit show America’s Top Model. She attended Harvard where she earned a business degree and has continued to thrive ever since.

James Franco – 130 IQ

In most circumstances, if you’re a famous movie star making millions of dollars, the last thing you want to do is go back to school. Especially if you’re James Franco! But according to reports, Franco has spent a significant amount of his time continuing his education when he wasn’t working on a multi-million dollar movie. He attended UCLA where he earned an undergraduate degree, then went on to obtain a master’s in fine arts from Columbia University. His latest goal is to receive his Ph.D. in English from Yale University.

Mayim Bialik – 163 IQ

Have you ever wondered how Mayim Bialik plays the character of a genius so well on the hit show Big Bang Theory? Well, that’s because she actually is a genius in her real life. That’s right, the young actress that played Blossom in the 1990’s sitcom grew up to be a certified academic genius. She attended UCLA where she triple majored in Hebrew, Jewish Studies, and even more impressive, a Ph.D. in neuroscience.

Hillary Clinton – 140 IQ

Would it surprise you that former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has a near genius level IQ of 140? It really shouldn’t, considering she first graduated from Wellesley College before going on to graduate with a J.D. (Juris Doctor degree), from Yale Law School in 1973. This is where she would meet the love of her life, and future president, Bill Clinton. Hillary proved herself to be extremely intelligent and capable over the next four decades as both a politician and representative of the law.

Madonna – 140 IQ

Madonna may not have the same accolades as most people on this list, at least academically. But apparently, she has a genius level IQ of 140. She was known in middle school and high school for having a stellar grade point average and even received a scholarship to attend the University of Michigan for dance. However, she decided to drop out and move to New York City to pursue her music career, luckily for her she became an icon.

Shakira – 140 IQ

According to Forbes, Shakira is one of the most powerful women in the world today, not to mention one of the most successful singer/songwriters in the business. She’s not just a pretty face with incredible dance moves, she’s also quite the intellectual as well. Apparently, she was even considered an Oxford University honoree which puts her into a small group of people that include Albert Einstien and Mother Theresa. She’s also fluent in three different languages and can at least communicate in four more.

Shaquille O’Neal – 101 IQ

This one caught me by surprise even more so than Arnold, but Shaq apparently has a decently high IQ of 101! The big man attended Louisiana State University (LSU) where he earned his undergraduate degree and then went on to obtain his MBA from the online school, University of Pheonix. He then took it one step further by receiving his Ed.D. in human resources from Barry University.

Ivanka Trump – 140 IQ

The lovely Ivanka Trump is said to be as intelligent as she is attractive with an IQ of 140. After attending some of the top private schools in New York, she attended Georgetown University for two years before transferring to the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. There she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Economics before eventually going to work as Vice President at the family business.

Stephen Hawking – 160 IQ

Stephen Hawking being on this list really needs no explanation whatsoever. The English-born author, cosmologist, and Nobel prize winning theoretical physicist is considered to be one of the most brilliant minds on the planet. Unfortunately, he’s been plagued by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that’s nearly paralyzed him over the course of his lifetime. However, he hasn’t let that prevent him from achieving goals that most people couldn’t dream of.

Quentin Tarantino – 160 IQ

According to reports, Quentin Tarantino is a certified genius with an IQ of 160. This is rather impressive considering he dropped out of high school. He does have some of the most vivid and imaginative movies ever made, but who would’ve thought that would equate to a genius level IQ. He never even had formal education for his filmmaking abilities. After dropping out of high school at 15, he worked at a video rental store which inspired him to become a director.

Steve Martin – 142 IQ

Steve Martin attended Cal State with a major in philosophy long before he became the iconic comedian we all know and love today. He actually had aspirations towards being a professor until he started becoming involved in the world of theater. Before long he had transferred to UCLA with a major in theater which sent him along the path towards becoming a superstar.

Michael Jordan – 154 IQ

It must be nice to be considered the best basketball player of all time and have an IQ of 154. That’s exactly the life the Michael Jordan lives. He dropped out of the University of North Carolina during his junior year because he was drafted into the NBA. Although that didn’t stop Jordan from returning in 1986 to complete his degree in geography.

Tommy Lee Jones – 135 IQ

Tommy Lee Jones comes across as a very intelligent man in most of the characters he’s portrayed over the years. That’s probably because he has an IQ of 135 and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Harvard. Jones received a need-based scholarship to attend the highly acclaimed Ivy league school where he roomed across the hall from Al Gore. He also played offensive line for the football team during his time there.

Nicole Kidman – 132 IQ

Nicole Kidman has been one of Hollywoods leading ladies since the early ’80s. It turns out that she’s quite the intellectual, which shouldn’t be a surprise when you learn that her mother was a nursing instructor and her father was a clinical biologist and psychologist. She attended the Victorian College of the Arts briefly before eventually working at the Australian Theater for Young People which led to her becoming a world famous actress.

Natalie Portman – 140 IQ

Most of the world would know Natalie Portman as the lovely actress that starred in iconic films such as Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace. However, the scientists and doctors of the world may recognize her from her work that’s been published twice in scientific journals. Portman actually missed the premiere of Star Wars because she was studying for her high school finals. Upon completing that, she attended Harvard University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Emma Watson – 138 IQ

It’s not too much of a stretch to view Emma Watson as a genius because she’s most commonly known for her role as Hermione Granger, the know-it-all character in the Harry Potter series. Emma’s parents in real life are successful lawyers so it would seem as if intellect must run in the family. When she wasn’t working on her next big movie, Emma attended Brown University where she completed her degree in English.

Brad Pitt – 126 IQ

Brad Pitt is currently one of the leading men in Hollywood but according to reports, he came very close to walking down a different path in life. He attended the Universty of Missouri where he majored in journalism and minored in advertising. Apparently, just two weeks away from graduation he suddenly had a change of heart. After realizing his love for film was more important to him he packed up and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor.

Melania Trump – 135 IQ

It’s not very often that we have a former model become the first lady to the most powerful man in the United States, and possibly the world. Melania Trump started modeling when she was just 5 years old and was in commercials by the time she was 16. According to reports, she can fluently speak six different languages and attended the University of Ljubljana to study photography and design. With an IQ of 135 as well, it’s easy to see what Donald saw in her.

Nolan Gould – 150 IQ

Nolan Gould may be a child actor on the hit show Modern Family, but he’s also rocking an IQ of 150 which is well into the genius category. He apparently became a member of Mensa in 2012 when he was just 12 years old, and by that time the young actor had already accelerated through 10 grades in school! Next time you see him on the show acting as the goofy little brother, you might just look at him differently.

Sylvester Stallone – 160 IQ

Sylvester Stallone is one of those actors that tends to get cast in action movies where intelligence isn’t high on the priority list. Although, according to reports, he’s got just as much brain as he does brawn, if not more thanks to an IQ of 160. Again, that’s genius status coming from Rocky Balboa and Rambo! Let’s face it, prior to knowing that you’d rather have Sly on your paintball team than your trivia team.

Conan O’Brien – 160 IQ

Conan O’Brien may come across as a goofy late night talk show host, but underneath all that red hair is a man with a genius level intellect. His father was a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School so it was only fitting that Conan followed in his footsteps, at least partially. Although Conan did graduate magna cum laude from Harvard, he focused on literature and history instead of medicine and used all his free time working with comedy groups around campus.

Sharon Stone – 148 IQ

When you’ve reached legendary status like the lovely Sharon Stone, petty things like your IQ won’t be high on the priority list. However Ms. Stone is somewhat of the total package because not only is she an extremely successful and talented actress that happens to be quite easy on the eyes, but she’s approaching a genius level of intelligence with an IQ of 148.

Sasha Grey – 140 IQ

Sasha Grey is a former adult film star that has morphed her career into becoming a model, actress, musician, and even an author. While she may not have degrees and higher education accolades to speak of, she does have an IQ of 140 according to reports. She’s apparently published articles on topics such as German expressionism and existentialism that would compete with the best of what you’d find from most undergraduate classes.

Matt Damon – 160 IQ

It may sound like a scene straight out of the movie Good Will Hunting, but according to reports, Matt Damon did attend Harvard for a short time before dropping out. And during his time there he wrote the initial script for the movie Good Will Hunting as an assignment for his English class. With an IQ of 160, maybe the character he plays in that movie might be a glimpse into how Matt is in real life.

Ashton Kutcher – 160 IQ

This might be the most shocking addition to the list so far, but according to reports, Ashton Kutcher is classified as a genius with a staggering IQ of 160. Apparently, he had a scholarship to MIT but ran into trouble with the law that prevented him from attending. He later attended the University of Iowa where he studied biochemical engineering before being discovered as a model which led to him becoming a star.

David Duchovny – 147 IQ

Actor David Duchovny was well on his way to his doctorate in English literature when he decided to change gears completely and shift his focus towards becoming an actor. He had already earned his bachelor’s degree from Princeton and then his masters from Yale. Interestingly he abandoned his entire academic career after booking a single beer commercial.

Gene Simmons – 117 IQ

It might seem silly for a man that wore face paint and dressed up in a ridiculous costume for a living to have an IQ of 117. Although in the case of KISS front man, Gene Simmons, most people wouldn’t consider him silly at all. The rock legend apparently earned his degree in education, which is quite impressive for a rock star, even if it was at a community college.

Anderson Cooper – 123 IQ

Anderson Cooper started his journalism career as a fact checker on the teen-based news program, Channel One, that’s broadcast in junior high’s and high schools all over the country. However, prior to that he attended Yale University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science. While still in school, he also worked as an intern at the CIA.

Dexter Holland – 160 IQ

What might be the most shocking addition to the list thus far, is Dexter Holland. You may not recognize his name, but his band The Offspring will likely ring a few bells. Holland apparently earned his masters in molecular biology, and bachelors in biology from the University of Southern California before becoming the lead singer of a punk band. He’s since retired and is currently enrolled as a doctoral student at the Laboratory of Viral Oncology and Proteomics Research.

Bill Clinton – 137 IQ

Being a former President of the United States, Bill Clinton obviously has quite an impressive academic background. He utilized his 137 IQ to study at both Georgetown and Yale Universty before eventually attending Yale Law School where he met his wife Hillary. He went on to become Attorney General for the state of Arkansas before serving as a two-term president.

Rowan Atkinson – 178 IQ

Rowan Atkinson is most commonly know for his role as the silly Mr. Bean character that would rank very low on the intelligence scale if he were a real person. However, according to reports Atkinson, himself is the complete opposite in everyday life. With a mind-blowing IQ of 178, he’s beyond the level of genius. He used that to his advantage to earn a degree in electrical engineering from Newcastle University.