NEXT:The Best College Movies, From Sorority Boys To House Bunny. After getting his B.A. Award-winning author, Hilary Mantel, was a student of law at Sheffield in the 1970s. After graduating from the University of Glasgow with honors in 1992, he fell into a fellowship with a prestigious law firm in Edinburgh before eventually following his heart and pursuing an acting career. Comedian John Cleese is probably best known as one of the six members of the comedy group Monty Python, though his role as co-writer and star of the sitcom Fawlty Towers probably comes a close second. Like Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro became involved in politics while studying Law but it took him in a somewhat different direction. 8. Though he retired from career #1 in 1999, Young isnt making use of his J.D. She was still working on Desperate Housewives when she started taking classes with Dr. Rodolfo Acua, whose book Occupied America "changed [her] life.". Being a community organiser is about politics at its most fundamental grassroots level: engaging people about what could be improved in their community and getting it changed, which can involve mobilising people who previously didnt believe change to be achievable. The former Fox News personality scored her degree from the Albany School of Law in 1995 after completing undergrad at Syracuse University. As a lad, the future Monty Python member and Fawlty Towers star read law at Downing College, Cambridge, earning his degree in 1963. He was a student at Cambridge School of Law where he pursued a law degree. 20 Famous People With Law Degrees - Business Insider She then had an appearance in the sketch comedy program The Wedge. Danielle also had a few internships, where she wrote online articles for Broken Records magazine, in addition to handling social media and writing blogs for an independent record label called AudioFilms Recordings. He started off as an attorney for Puerto Rican activists. He achieved notoriety with the Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults. From there, his political career went from strength to strength. He was offered a position coaching the White Sox farm team right around the same time. Amanda Edwards /. 20 Famous People Who Went to Law School - Ranker Score another one for child actors who grew up to be responsible, well-adjusted adults. He became leader of the Labour Party in 1994, and won a landslide victory to become Prime Minister in 1997, giving Labour their largest ever parliamentary majority. The legal experts at BPP University Law School compiled a list of celebrities with law degrees that might surprise you. After receiving his J.D. At university, Castro became involved in violent activism, received death threats, and took to carrying a gun. "I thought what's the point of spending the next eight years in school if the justice system is that broken?" For instance, Cleese is a keen supporter of the human rights organisation Amnesty International, and in 1976 he co-founded the Secret Policemans Ball, a series of benefit shows to raise money for the work of Amnesty International. He then became a professor at Clevelands Case Western Reserve University School of Law. After getting his law degree from Northwestern in 1968, Springer got a job as a campaign aide to Robert Kennedy. As a conservative Fox News host, Geraldo Rivera became well-known and hosted a daytime chat show before signing on with the network. Another actor-turned-attorney, the Wonder Years alum majored in political science at Yale University and graduated in 1998. Summer School 2023 is filling up fast. While he was studying at the University of Pisa, Bocellis parents wanted him to pursue the field of law. Rebel claims that when fighting malaria in Africa years ago, she hallucinated that she had won an Oscar, which led her to believe that acting was what she was supposed to do instead of law. Upon receiving a law degree from the UCLA School of Law in 2000, Cohen and Gardner were co-founded in Beverly Hills two years later. After giving law a chance, he chose to pursue music, which paid off in massive way. After graduating from university Fry went on to become of the most famous English . What we might not realize about the celebrities we think we know is many of them are smarter than they seem. She has also written for websites such as TheTravel, contributing travel and vacation articles, and TheRichest, where she wrote celebrity and entertainment content until it stopped publishing in the Fall of 2018. Iglesias eventually completed his law degree in 2001. in theatre and performance studies and a Bachelor of Laws. Well, he got involved in local politics and became a small-scale celebrity, which earned him a radio show in the 80s. Eventually, he followed his acting dreams. The husband-and-wife team met when they were both attending Yale Law School. Yara Shahidi began studying interdisciplinary sociology and African American studies at, Eva Longoria earned her master's degree in Chicano studies from, Dominique Charriau / WireImage / Via Getty, John Legend earned his bachelors degree in English with an emphasis on African American literature from the, Lionel Richie earned an economics degree from, Lupita Nyongo earned her bachelor's in film and African studies from, Cole Sprouse earned a degree in archeology from, Mayim Bialik earned her doctorate in neuroscience from, Taraji P. Henson earned a drama degree from, 2 Chainz earned a bachelor's in psychology from, Spike Lee graduated with a bachelor's in mass communications from, Bridgit Mendler is pursuing her PhD from the, Jamie Foxx earned a degree in classical music and composition from, And Shaquille O'Neal earned a doctorate in education from, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. And for more on the secret lives of celebrities, here are 30 Celebs with Amazing Hidden Talents. The blind tenor studied law at the University of Pisa, working for one year as a lawyer before he turned to musica passion of Bocellis since he was a child. In 1969, Rivera graduated from Brooklyn Law School with a law degree. in Business Administration from UC Berkeley - and becoming president of the student body under the campaign slogan Chunk for President - the Goonies actor earned his law degree from the UCLA School of Law. Obama started his law school journey in 1988 and became the first black Harvard Law Review president in the school's 104-year history. in psychology from Mount Holyoke, Elizabeth went to Boston University for her LLB. The world-famous singer loved music from a very early age but his parents had other plans for their son. Seven dating tips for university students, 12 Reasons why you'll never forget your university roommates. Rebel Wilson, Gerard Butler and more stars tried their hand at studying and practicing law before they made it big in Hollywood. Probably it is better for many clients that I changed my direction! he joked in a 2015 interview. Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. RELATED:10 Celebs Who Went To Ivy League Schools (& What They Majored In). I thought Id become an excellent lawyer or politician, she recalled in 2011. A law degree is five years total and I was already on Australian television by, like, year two. Growing up, Jeff decided that he didn't want to pursue an acting career after all. 1 / 30. Several former child stars went on to become successful lawyers. He organized a radio show to help promote the latter and ended up being a natural at interviewing. For a few years after graduation, she worked as a procurement officer for the National Security Agency. [jwplayer vqBIaAWD-zhNYySv2] We all know Gerard Butler as an actor, however, there was also a time that he was a lawyer. and got a federal job working in missile defense while getting his J.D. Studied Law at: Downing College, University of Cambridge. Studied: Law at the University of Havana She worked her way through school as a Pentagon secretary and a cruise ship performer. He graduated from the University of the Pacifics McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California, in 1998 and currently works for the Oak View Law Group (https://www.ovlg.com/attorneys/lyle-david-solomon/) in California as a principal attorney. Fidel Castro. Josh Saviano. Natalie is one of Hollywood's smartest stars. Forum Member. 23 Celebrities With An English Major That May Or May Not - Zippia He eventually left law school to pursue a career in music, however, his parents wanted him to complete his law degree. Kim is not the first famous face to study law, though. List of artists and entertainers with advanced degrees This is a list of artists and entertainers with advanced degrees (PhDs and other academic degrees leading to the title of Doctor ). Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. What can I do with an engineering degree. Josh Saviano. The "Crazy Rich Asians" actress graduated from Oxford University with a law degree. Studied Law at: Brooklyn Law School in 1969. Born in East Germany, Merkel is the first citizen of the German Democratic Republic and the first woman in German history to hold the position of chancellor. He was a poverty lawyer in New Haven, trade regulation lawyer for the FTC, and he even taught law and economics at UV, Santa Cruz, and Pepperdine. Nelson Mandela. Law was his second choice of career; he initially tried to become a rock music promoter, and after abandoning this to go to university, joined a band there. When they ran into each other years later, the successful actor introduced the professor to his friends as "the only teacher to ever buy me a beer.". "I had to learn about. Some celebrities have educational backgrounds apart from their IMDB ratings, including law degrees. The two most common law degrees available in the UK are Bachelor of Law (LLB) and Master of Laws (LLM). Henri Matisse. "He got off and I couldn't believe it," the Angie Tribeca star explained in February 2014. She later switched sections to become one of the features and entertainment editors. Will Shortz. The Delegacy of Local Examinations opened local exams to schoolgirls in 1870 . Jerry Springer. There was no international copyright law at the time, and like many writers Irving lost sales through pirated versions of his books. The beloved Monty Python actor attended law school at Downing College of Cambridge University, where he met his future comedy writing partner Graham Chapman. But rather than take it, Chan enrolled at the Drama Centre London, where she was spotted by the film producer Damian Jones. His first attempt to gain a degree, at the University of Fort Hare, ended in failure when he was suspended for organising a boycott against the quality of food. How about you guys? In 1930, Ozzie Nelson graduated from Rutgers with a law degree. But it took me so long to get into law school, you have to study really hard, so I thought I may as well finish it even though I was already kind of famous." Her critically acclaimed novel, Wolf Hall, won the Man Booker Prize in 2009. Excluded are honorary degrees . As a lad, the future Monty Python member and Fawlty Towers star read law at Downing College, Cambridge, earning his degree in 1963. Her application included a letter of recommendation from former first lady Michelle Obama. In 2015, he launched the Jerry Springer Podcast. Smartyyyy pants. Congenital glaucoma caused him to be visually impaired from birth, and at the age of 12, a football accident caused a brain hemorrhage that caused Bocelli to go entirely blind. Studied: Law with Judge Josiah Ogden Hoffman, in New York. Andrea Bocelli. Wassily Kandinsky. Gerald Norman Springer is a British-American journalist, actor, producer, former politician, and broadcaster. She was classmates with actor Meryl Streep and playwright Christopher Durang. In the 1990s, he was a famous child actor most remembered for playing the Kid in the "Dick Tracy" film adaptation, "What About Bob," and Jack Banning in "Hook.". Studied: Political Science at Columbia University, then Law at Harvard Law School. As a student, he also performed at comedy clubs. After his successful career as a child actor, the Goonies star decided to put his studies first. American lawyer and former child actor Jeffrey Bertan Cohen is best known for playing Chunk in the 1985 Steven Spielberg film "The Goonies.". Here's a list of celebrities who attended law school. Celebs at Law: 14 Celebrities Who Have Law Degrees (Photos) 30. You go, Siggy Marvin. 27. Rappers with Degrees | List of Hip Hop Artists with College Diplomas After that accident, the guitarist spent many years mastering the guitar before launching a lucrative music career. Scroll down to see which celebrities have pursued and obtained law degrees! Rashida Jones had lofty ambitions of becoming a lawyer while she was a student at Harvard University, but admitted to The Independent several years later that she lost faith in the law during the infamous O.J. Still, he was able to combine his lawyerly knowledge with his famous writing flair in 1807, when Aaron Burr was tried for Alexander Hamiltons murder and Irving served as a trial spectator. But when a friend found him a job as an articled clerk in a law firm, Mandela became connected to a hive of political activity by attending Communist talks and parties that he was invited to by his colleagues. By 1952, he had moved away from his struggling career in Law and sought election to congress, but then a military dictator, Batista, seized power, and Castro lost faith in democracy altogether. Had the famous crooner not been in a car accident, he might never have pursued a singing career. In My Genes, her senior thesis film, was featured at the 2010 New York African Film Festival. Blair, however, became a barrister instead, joining the Labour Party shortly after graduating from Oxford. The most famous people to graduate from British universities - iNews.co.uk We all know about the infamous O.J Simpson case that made Robert Kardashian the most recognised lawyer of the time during the trial of the century.. The former president's years at Harvard Law School were the first steps to preparing him for a much bigger role later in life. 29. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Many childactors went on to study law. In fact, there are a number of celebrities who have studied to become a lawyer and have passed and practiced law successfully. It will surprise no one that brainiac Ben Stein started his professional life as a lawyer. It's as simple as that.. 10. But like Julio Iglesias, Andrea Bocelli did not allow his physical disability to prevent him from succeeding in his career. She handled the magazines social media and helped manage its website. Fry also met his future comedy collaborator Hugh Laurie at Cambridge and starred alongside him in the Footlights. Her degree is similar to the one her Big Bang Theory character Amy Farrah Fowler a neurobiologist holds. "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" ran from 1952 to 1966. The fascinating man was involved in a car accident whilst studying the subject in Spain, which left him paralysed for three years. This no doubt came in handy when he negotiated the first-ever "noncancellable ten-year contract, an agreement with ABC that gave the Nelsons a salary for 10 years, even if they werent working. "I think I would have been quite . Studying law in the early 19th century USA didnt necessarily require attending a university: Irving studied privately with Judge Josiah Ogden Hoffman, a lawyer and politician. Josh Saviano is an American attorney and former child actor who appeared in "The Wonder Years" on ABC. Rebel ultimately decidedthat she wanted to go with her love of acting and pursue a career in entertainment. It's clear from the diversity of job paths people have chosen after studying law, from musicians to comedians, there are many alternatives available after earning this degree; you aren't limited to being an attorney or a barrister. 30 Celebrities With Surprising University Degrees - ELLE Simpson murder trial in the 1990s. A thread running through both Clinton and Obamas stories is the use of law to help people in need. San Francisco 49er Steve Young managed to check both of those things off of his bucket list in 1994. I am hoping that some showbiz experts out there can help me! Jeffrey Chodorow. Passionate about music, entertainment, and writing, Danielle has put her love for them together, and specializes in music and entertainment journalism. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. Before gaining television fame, he worked on the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy and even went on to serve on Cincinnati's city council, and later was elected mayor in 1977. Instead, he decided that he wanted to go to law school. Despite eschewing the bar, Shortz believes his schooling was helpful. While we always knew she was smart, we didn't know that she acted as the musical director of the university's a capella group.