Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise has starred in blockbuster films throughout his career. Born in 1962 in Syracuse, New York, he suffered from dyslexia and a nomadic childhood due to his parents’ divorce. At the age of 18 he moved to New York to pursue his dream of being an actor, without having finished high school. His first important role was in Francis Ford Coppola’s Rebels (1982), and his consecration came with Tony Scott’s Top Gun (1986). Since then he has worked with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg, and has been nominated three times for an Oscar. He is also known for his affiliation with Scientology.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp was born in 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky, and is the son of an engineer and a waitress. He is of French, Irish and Cherokee descent. As a child he was interested in music and played guitar in several rock bands. At the age of 15 he moved to Los Angeles to devote himself to show business, but left high school without finishing high school. His film debut was in 1984 with Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street. His career took off definitively after two collaborations with director Tim Burton: Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Ed Wood (1994). He has been nominated three times for an Oscar and has won a Golden Globe.
Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey was born in 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, and is the son of an accountant and a housewife. He had a difficult childhood due to his family’s economic problems, which forced him to work as a cleaner in a tire factory. As a child he became interested in comedy and impersonation, and participated in comedy competitions in Toronto. At the age of 19 he moved to Los Angeles to devote himself to show business, but left high school without finishing high school. His film debut was in 1984 with Looking for Dad’s Girlfriend, but his breakthrough came in 1994 with Ace Ventura, which made him a worldwide star. He has won two Golden Globes for The Truman Show and Man on the Moon.
Jay-Z
Jay Z was born in 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, and is the son of a single mother who raised him and his three brothers. As a child he was interested in music and hip hop, and was friends with other rappers such as Notorious B.I.G. To devote himself to rap, Jay Z dropped out of high school without finishing high school. His first album was Reasonable Doubt (1996), which established him as one of the best rappers of all time. He has also founded his own record label, Roc-A-Fella Records, and has been the CEO of Def Jam Recordings and Roc Nation. He has been married to singer Beyoncé since 2008.
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate was born in 1971 in Los Angeles, California, and is the daughter of a singer and a producer. From the age of three months she appeared in television commercials and at the age of nine she made her film debut. Her most famous role was that of Kelly Bundy in the series Marriage with Children (1987-1997). To pursue acting, Christina dropped out of high school without finishing high school. She has won an Emmy Award and has overcome breast cancer.
Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen is the son of actor Martin Sheen and brother of Emilio Estevez, Ramon Estevez and Renée Estevez. He was born in 1965 in New York and showed interest in acting since he was a child. At the age of nine, he debuted as an extra in one of his father’s films. To pursue his artistic career, Charlie dropped out of high school without graduating. His first important role was in Red Dawn (1984), and since then he has had a career full of successes and scandals.
Katy Perry
Demi Moore
Demi Moore was born in 1962 in Roswell, New Mexico, and had a difficult childhood due to her parents’ divorce and her family’s economic problems. At the age of 16, she ran away from home and married musician Freddy Moore, from whom she took her artistic surname. In order to devote herself to film, Demi dropped out of high school without getting her diploma. Her first important role was in St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), and since then she has worked with directors such as Rob Reiner, Adrian Lyne and Ridley Scott.
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz was born in 1972 in San Diego, California, and is the daughter of a father of Cuban origin and a mother of German and English origin. She has an older sister, Chimene. She began her career as a model at the age of 16, working for brands such as Calvin Klein, Coca-Cola and Levi’s. Her film debut was in 1994 with the comedy The Mask, alongside Jim Carrey. To devote herself to film, Cameron dropped out of high school without finishing high school. She has been nominated four times for the Golden Globe and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage was born in 1964 in Long Beach, California, and is the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola. His real name is Nicolas Kim Coppola, but he adopted the surname Cage to avoid nepotism. He became interested in acting as a child and trained at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. At the age of 17 he moved to Los Angeles to devote himself to film, but left high school without finishing high school. His first important role was in The Law of the Street (1983), by his uncle Coppola.
Eminem
The rapper, producer and actor Eminem was born in 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri, and is the son of a single mother who raised him in precarious conditions. As a child, he became interested in rap and participated in rhyming battles in Detroit, where he moved at the age of twelve. To devote himself to music, Eminem dropped out of high school without finishing high school. His first album was Infinite (1996), but his success came with The Slim Shady LP (1999), which launched him to worldwide fame. He has sold more than 90 million records and has won 15 Grammy Awards and an Oscar.
Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon was born in 1964 in New Rochelle, New York, and is the son of a stockbroker and a housewife. He has five siblings, including actor Kevin Dillon, and is the great-nephew of Flash Gordon creator Alex Raymond. At the age of 14, he was discovered by a casting director and debuted in Over the Abyss (1979). To pursue his artistic career, Matt dropped out of high school without graduating. He has won an Independent Spirit Award and a Donostia Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera was born in 1980 in Staten Island, New York, and since she was a child she showed her vocal talent in television programs such as Star Search and The Mickey Mouse Club. In 1998 she recorded the song «Reflection» for the movie Mulan, and the following year she released her eponymous debut album, which included hits such as «Genie in a Bottle» and «What a Girl Wants». To pursue a career in music, Christina dropped out of high school without earning a degree. Her career has spanned genres such as pop, R&B, soul and blues, and she has won five Grammy Awards and a Latin Grammy.
Seth Rogen
Seth Rogen was born in Vancouver and showed a talent for comedy at an early age. At the age of 16 he entered a stand-up contest and came in second place. That same year he moved to Los Angeles to act in the series Freaks and Geeks, created by Judd Apatow, who became his mentor and collaborator. To pursue acting, Seth dropped out of high school without finishing high school. He has since written and starred in several successful sitcoms and has been nominated for an Emmy.
Robert Downey Jr
Robert Downey Jr. was born in 1965 in New York to a family of actors and filmmakers. As a child he appeared in films directed by his father, Robert Downey Sr., and studied classical ballet in England. At the age of 17 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, but left high school without finishing high school. His career has been marked by his talent and versatility, but also by his problems with drugs and the law, which landed him in jail and rehab several times. He has been nominated twice for an Oscar and has won three Golden Globes.
