11 Celebrities Who Have a PhD

When you think academia, you generally don’t think of people dressed head to toe in Prada or Miuccia’s quirkier brand, Miu Miu. However, once upon a time the fashion powerhouse was studying at the University of Milan, where she first got her doctorate in political science. Prada, who was a member of the Communist Party during her youth, was incredibly unwilling to take over the family business (founded by her grandfather, Mario Prada, in 1913). Fairly revolutionary and feminist, Prada initially thought her time could be better spent in other pursuits than fashion. She once told the Evening Standard: “I never actually decided to become a designer. Eventually I found that I was one.”

Comic actor Ken Jeong is best known for his role as Leslie Chow in The Hangover series. He hadn’t intended to become an actor, and is in fact a licensed physician in California. He has a PhD in medicine. Having graduated in 1995, he worked as a doctor for quite a few years, until his wife Tran Ho, who is also a registered family physician, persuaded him to take up acting full time. Ken never looked back.