Dunia Tanpa Sekolah: 2011

"Saksikan" juga "episode" sebelumnya: The College Dropouts Hall of Fame

Dropouts with last names starting with G

Clark Gable, Oscar-winning actor. High school dropout.
Lady Gaga, aka Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, rock singer and songwriter. Dropped out of NYU to pursue her music career full time.
Melody Gardot, singer and songwriter. At the age of 19, while studying fashion at the Community College of Philadelphia, she was injured in a serious automobile accident that left her unable to continue college.
Brad Garrett, actor, comedian. Left UCLA after six weeks to do standup comedy.
Bill Gates, billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, one of the richest men in the world, philanthropist. Dropped out of Harvard after his second year to work with Paul Allen on the venture that became Microsoft. As he noted, “I realized the error of my ways and decided I could make do with a high school diploma.”
Richard Gere, Golden Globe-winning actor. Dropped out of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst after two years.
David Geffen, billionaire founder of Geffen Records and co-founder of DreamWorks. Dropped out of the University of Texas at Austin after his freshman year. Also flunked out of Brooklyn College. Admittedly, “I was a lousy student.” Started work by sorting mail at the William Morris Agency.
Alan Gerry, billionaire cable TV executive, philanthropist. Dropped out of high school during World War II to join the Marines. Trained as a TV repairman on the GI bill. Launched his cable business with $1,500 in 1956.
George Gershwin, songwriter, composer. High school dropout.
J. Paul Getty, billionaire oilman, once the richest man in the world. Failed to graduate from the University of Southern California, Berkley, or Oxford University.
Rosetta Millington Getty, model, fashion designer (Rosetta Millington Kids), and artist (Riser Goodwyn). By the time she was 15, she was modeling full time. Did not finish high school.
Amadeo Peter Giannini, multimillionaire founder of Bank of America. High school dropout.
William Gibson, science fiction novelist, first to use the word cyberspace. Was orphaned at the age of 18. To avoid the draft and the war in Vietnam, he moved to Canada where he worked odd jobs. Years later he finally finished his first novel, Neuromancer. Never attended college.
Daniel Gilbert, psychology professor at Harvard University. Dropped out of high school but later earned an equivalency diploma.
Dizzy Gillespie, musician, songwriter. Dropped out of high school but later received an honorary diploma from the high school he attended.
Jackie Gleason, actor and comedian. With 36 cents in his pocket, he left home after his mom died while he was still in his teens. He soon moved beyond amateur night shows and began working as a professional. He never finish high school.
John Glenn, astronaut, U.S. senator. Did not finish at Muskingum College in Ohio. According to Wikipedia, “In April 1959, despite the fact that Glenn failed to earn the required college degree, he was assigned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as one of the original group of Mercury astronauts.”
Whoopi Goldberg, Oscar-winning actress, comedienne, talk show host. Dropped out of high school after getting hooked on heroin. Got cleaned up at the age of 20. Worked as a bricklayer and trained as a beautician before hitting it big as a comedienne.
Hyman Golden, multimillionaire cofounder of Snapple. A high school dropout and one-time window washer.
Barry Goldwater, U.S. senator and presidential candidate. He dropped out of the University of Arizona after one year to take over the family department store.
Benny Goodman, clarinetist, bandleader. Dropped out of high school.
Bob Goodson, CEO, YouNoodle.com. Dropped out of Oxford University where he was studying for a master's degree in medieval literature and philosophy.
Alex Gordon, professional baseball player. “What would I do if I weren’t a ballplayer? I would have finished college. I went to Nebraska, and I’m good with animals, so being a veterinarian would have been cool. I looked into it in college, but I was so busy with baseball that I didn’t have time for it.”
Lew Grade, producer. Dropped out of high school.
John Graden, author of Black Belt Management. Dropped out of high school.
Steffi Graf, tennis star. Turned professional in her teens when she ran out of players good enough to challenge her. Never attended college.
Kelsey Grammar, actor. Attended Juilliard for two years but was kicked out for poor attendance. Went on to acting success in Cheers, Frasier, and Back to You television shows.
Cary Grant, Oscar-winning actor. High school dropout. Left home at the age of 16 to become an acrobat and later an actor.
W.T. Grant, multimillionaire founder of W.T. Grant department store chain. High school dropout.
Pat Gray, radio talk show host. He originally got a job in radio as a teenager in order to save money for college, but when it was time to go to college, he realized he was already doing something he loved and was making a living at it. So he stayed with it.
Horace Greeley, newspaper editor and publisher, U.S. congressman, presidential candidate, co-founder of the Republican Party. Dropped out of high school.
David Green, billionaire founder of Hobby Lobby, religious philanthropist. Did not attend college. Started the Hobby Lobby chain with a $600 loan.
Mart Green, multimillionaire founder of Mardel retail stores, CEO of Bearing Fruit Communications (aka EthnoGraphic Media), CEO and executive producer for Every Tribe Entertainment, chairman of the board of Oral Roberts University. Dropped out of college after one year. Founded Mardel at the age of 19.
Philip Green, billionaire retail mogul, Topshop. Dropped out of high school to apprentice with a shoe importer.
Ashley Greene, actress. After graduating from high school, she immediately moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actress. has not attended college.
Bob Guccione, Penthouse publisher. Did not attend college.
Arlo Guthrie, singer and songwriter. Dropped out of Rocky Mountain College.

Dropouts with last names starting with H

Gene Hackman, actor. Discharged after six years in the Marines, he entered college as a journalism major but after six months he dropped out for good. Since then he's earned an Academy Award for best actor (The Conversation) and an Academy Award for best supporting actor (Unforgiven).
Aviv Hadar, CEO of Think Brilliant web-development studio and the tech brains behind SoulPanckage. Dropped out of college.
Thomas Haffa, billionaire German media mogul. Dropped out of high school.
Jerry Hall, supermodel. A few weeks before her 17th birthday, she flew to Paris to pursue a modeling career. Latter married rock stars Bryan Ferry and Mick Jagger. Never attended college.
Joyce C. Hall, founder of Hallmark. Started selling greeting cards at the age of 18 while living at a YMCA in Kansas City. Did not attend college.
Josh Halloway, actor. Did not attend college.
Dorothy Hamill, Olympic ice skater. Did not attend college.
Harold Hamm, billionaire oil wildcatter, Continental Resources, Hiland Holdings. Left home at the age of 17, finished school a year later. Became a gas jockey before becoming a wildcatter. Never attended college.
Armie Hammer, actor, born into wealth. Did not graduate from
college: "I tried college at UCLA. I gave it a fighting effort and I just couldn't do it."
Chelsea Handler, TV host, producer, comedienne, bestselling author. Moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19 to pursue a career as an actress.
Tom Hanks, Oscar-winning actor. Dropped out of CalState University after a few years to work as an intern at the Great Lakes Theater Festival.
William Hanna, cartoonist, Hanna-Barbera. He briefly attended college but dropped out at the beginning of the Great Depression.
Sean Hannity, radio and TV talk show host. Spent three years in college, but when the money ran out, he dropped out of school and went into the construction business.
Beck Hansen, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist. Dropped out of high school to pursue his musical career.
Elizabeth Hardwick, literary critic and co-founder of The New York Review of Books. Graduated from the University of Kentucky but dropped out of a Columbia University doctoral program.
Martha Matilda Harper, business entrepreneur, founder of the Harper Hair Salons. At the age of seven, she was sent to work as a domestic servant. Worked as a servant for 22 years before saving enough money to start a hair salon. Never attended college.
Ciara Princess Harris, crunk & B singer, songwriter, and actress. Signed with LaFace Records at the age of 16. Has not yet attended college.
Melissa Joan Hart, actress, singer, director, producer, candy store operator. Started acting at the age of 3. Appeared in hundreds of commercials before getting the job of acting in the Sabrina TV show. Attended New York University for two years but deferred further studies when she got the TV show.
Sheldon Harvey, Navajo artist, winner of the Best of Show at the 2008 Santa Fe Indian Market. Dropped out of high school to care for his wife and son. "When I dropped out of school, no one in my family thought it was the end of the world. My grandparents were from the old school, traditional people who didn't think an education was necessary to make your way in the world." He later convinced the people at Dine Community College to let him attend even though he had not graduated from high school. He took classes there but apparently did not graduate.
Anne Hathaway, actress, The Princess Diaries. Began acting professionally at the age of 16. Briefly attended Vassar and New York University, but has not graduated from either.
Leif Hauge, inventor. Never finished college.
Louise Hay, one of the bestselling authors in history and founder of Hay House. Of other famous women authors, Levine Breaking News has noted, "They did not change the spiritual landscape of America and several of its Western allies. They were not pregnant at 15 and they did not lack high-school diplomas." Louise Hay did.
Amber Heard, actress. Quit a Catholic high school during her junior year to move to Hollywood to become an actress. She quickly landed a small role in Friday Night Lights.
William Randolph Hearst, newspaper publisher and movie producer, was thrown out of Harvard for poor grades (apparently due to heavy partying).
Richard Heckmann, billionaire investor, CEO of U.S. Filter, founder of Heckmann Corporation. Went to college in Hawaii but did not graduate. "I went to Vietnam in '65 and was assigned to the 33rd Air Rescue Squadron. When I came back in '66, I wasn't in any mood to go back to school. I got a job selling insurance." He later attended the Harvard Business School small-company management program.
Christina Hendricks, model and actress. At the age of 18, she moved to New York to become a model. Has not yet attended college.
Diane Hendricks, billionaire co-founder of ABC Supply, the largest supplier of roofing and siding materials to contractors. Never attended college.
Kenneth Hendricks, billionaire co-founder of ABC Supply, the largest supplier of roofing and siding materials to contractors. Dropped out of high school, never attended college, and eventually joined the family roofing company.
Kevin Hendricks, roofing store operator. Skipped college to go into the roofing business. His high school graduation present was $100, a nail bag, and a roofing hammer. Later, he turned a money-losing store into ABC Supply's biggest profit center.
Jimi Hendrix, rock 'n roll guitarist. A high school dropout.
Lance Henriksen, actor. He dropped out of the eighth grade and ran away from home. He barely learned to read. After a stint in the Navy, he did odd jobs such as picking fruit and shrimping. As he began acting, he taught himself to read.
Patrick Henry, Virginia governor, revolutionary patriot. Home schooled. Later studied on his own and became a lawyer.
John Henton, actor, comedian. Never finished at Ohio State University. "I never ended up going back to Ohio State. I just wanted to be a comedian, you know, and I was getting a good response."
Tony Hillerman, mystery novelist. In 1943, he dropped out of college to enter the army. He later returned to college to get his degree and also earn a master's degree.
Paris Hilton, model, realty show star, singer, professional celebrity, socialite, fashion designer. Expelled in her senior year from the Canterbury Boarding School for violating school rules. Later earned her GED. Never attended college.
Cheryl Hines, actress and director. Never attended college. Had a short stint in beauty school.
Adolph Hitler, Nazi leader. Did not graduate from high school. For some people, staying in school might actually be good for you.
Stanley Ho, billionaire casino operator, King of Gambling. Dropped out of college.
Lillian Hochberg, founder of Lillian Vernon catalog. Did not attend college. Started the catalog out of her home.
Amanda Hocking, self-publisher, novelist, blogger. A few months of college.
I went to college, but I only went to my writing class, so I dropped out after a semester. A few years later, I went to college again, but I only went to my English class, so I dropped out after a semester.
Eric Hoffer, longshoreman, philosopher, and author. A self-educated philosopher, he was at various times a dishwasher, lumberjack, gold prospector, migrant farm worker, and longshoreman. He is author of The True Believer, Working and Thinking at the Waterfront, and Reflections on the Human Condition.
Dustin Hoffman, two-time Oscar-winning actor. Enrolled at Santa Monica College, caught the acting bug after taking an acting class for an easy grade, then left after a year to join the Pasadena Playhouse.
Ernest Holmes, founder of the Science of Mind churches and author of The Science of Mind, ended his formal schooling when he was fifteen.
Katie Holmes, actress. Her acceptance letter for Columbia University came a week after she did the pilot for the Dawson's Creek TV show. She spent the next six years acting in the TV series. She now admits that going to college as a celebrity would be very difficult. "But," she says, "Maybe I could hire a cute professor to home-school me."
Odetta Holmes, the queen of American folk music, singer, songwriter, actress, and human rights activist. Studied music at night at the Los Angeles City College, but did not graduate.
Dustin Hoffman, Oscar-winning actor, director. Dropped out of college in his first year. Worked odd jobs such as fragrance tester, coat checker, typist, and lei stringer between building a career as an actor.
Dennis Hopper, actor. Did not attend college, but did study acting at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego and the Actors' Studio in New York City. When people asked him what school he went to, he would reply "Warner Bros."
Vanessa Hudgens, actress and singer. Homeschooled during high school. Did not attend college. Homeschooling was great for her: "It was nice to stay away from all the drama. I'm not good with catty girls. I'm too laid-back."
John Hughes, director, producer, and screenwriter. Dropped out of Arizona State University in his junior year.
D. L. Hughley, sales manager, actor, comedian. Never finished high school. He got his job as a sales manager by paying "a guy I knew at Cal State Long Beach $100 to tell personnel that I was just a few credits short of graduating from college."
H. Wayne Huizenga, billionaire founder of WMX garbage company, builder of Blockbuster video chain, owner of Miami Dolphins. Skipped college to join the Army. Later dropped out of Calvin College after three semesters. Started business in 1962 with a used garbage truck.
Haroldson Lafayette Hunt, billionaire oilman. Only had a fifth grade education. Worked as a farmhand until he invested $50 in an Arkansas oil field.
John Huston, Oscar-winning director, actor. High school dropout.
Gary Hustwit, author and publisher, Incommunicado Press. Dropped out of San Diego State.
Lauren Hutton, first supermodel, actress. Attended Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans while working at a bar. Met Steve McQueen and got into acting. Dropped out of college.

Dropouts with last names starting with I

Don Imus, national radio host, bestselling book author. Dropped out of college after a week.
Julie Inouye, actress, singer, health care advocate. Dropped out of Chico State University after dancer Harold Lang told her that she should be in New York or Los Angeles (after he had heard her sing).
Gregory Isaacs, reggae singer. Did not attend college.
Burl Ives, Oscar-winning actor, folk music singer. Dropped out of Eastern Illinois State Teachers College (now Eastern Illinois University) during his junior year. As he was sitting in an English class listening to a lecture on Beowolf, he realized he was wasting his time and walked out of the class and out of college.

Dropouts with last names starting with J

Andrew Jackson, U.S. president, general, attorney, judge, congressman. Orphaned at 14. Home schooled. By the age of 35 without formal education, he became a practicing attorney. Of the 43 people who served as president of the United States, 8 never went to college.
Reggie Jackson, baseball player. Attended Arizona State University for two years before he was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics.
Jane Jacobs, author, political activist, urban planner. After high school, she worked at a variety of office jobs and as a freelance writer. She studied for two years at Columbia University's extension school, but did not graduate.
For the first time I liked school and for the first time I made good marks. This was almost my undoing because after I had garnered, statistically, a certain number of credits I became the property of Barnard College at Columbia, and once I was the property of Barnard I had to take, it seemed, what Barnard wanted me to take, not what I wanted to learn. Fortunately my high-school marks had been so bad that Barnard decided I could not belong to it and I was therefore allowed to continue getting an education.
Brian Jacques, author of the Redwall children's book series, never attended college. At the age of 15, he signed up to be a merchant seaman and then went on to work as a truck driver, boxer, longshoreman, folk singer, and bobby. He was in his 40s when he wrote his first story. His Redwall books have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.
Micky Jagtiani, billionaire retailer, Landmark International. Flunked several exams and dropped out of accounting school in London. Started out cleaning hotel rooms and driving a taxi. Eventually started a retail business in the Middle East.
T. D. Jakes, pastor, bestselling novelist. Dropped out of high school.
Betty Mattas James, CEO, James Industry. Named the Slinky toy. Member of the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. She attended Pennsylvania State University but left when she married Richard James, who later invented the Slinky. More than 300 million Slinkies have been sold.
Josh James, multimillionaire co-founder of Omniture. Dropped out of Brigham Young University during his final semester to co-found MyComputer.com, which became Omniture.
Kevin James, aka Kevin George Knipfing, comedian and actor. Attended the State University of New York at Cortland but dropped out of college after his junior year (after taking a course in public speaking) to perform stand-up comedy.
Thomas Jane, actor. Dropped out of football at Thomas Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland to pursue acting. Got his high school degree, but never attended college.
Brandon Jennings, basketball player. He was the first high school player to skip collage and jump straight into pro basketball in Europe.
Peter Jennings, news anchor, ABC's World News Tonight. Failed the 10th grade. Left high school at 16 to work as a bank teller. He later attributed his failure in high school to boredom and laziness.
Chris Jericho, aka Chris Irvine, WWE world champion wrestler, actor, author, radio and TV host, rock musician. Never attended college.
Derek Jeter, baseball player, set a New York Yankee record as their all-time hit leader. Chose to become a professional baseball player rather than attend college.
Steve Jobs, billionaire co-founder of Apple Computers and Pixar Animation; Disney's largest shareholder. Dropped out of Reed College after six months and went to India before returning to Silicon Valley. As he said, “I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and how college was going to help me figure it out.”
Billy Joel, singer and songwriter. A high school dropout.
John Johannesson, founder of Bauger Group fashion retailing group, finished Commercial College in Iceland (the equivalent of something between high school and junior college in the U.S.) and then launched a discount grocery with his father.
Jon Lech Johansen, software programmer, developer of DoubleTwist. At the age of 15, he wrote a program to decrypt commercial DVDs. He dropped out of high school to continue working on additional anti-DRM software programs.
Andrew Johnson, U.S. president, vice-president. Never attended college. Of the 43 people who served as president of the United States, 8 never went to college.
Bruce Johnson, cosmetologist and owner of Avatar Salon & Wellness Spa. Dropped out of the University of Maryland 26 credits shy of an engineering degree to study cosmetology. “I wasn't loving engineering. I was just doing it. ... I don't think I would have been as stimulated by a career in engineering. I wanted to be happy and successful,” he says. “You're not supposed to leave college. It was a struggle. But my heart was in this.” Now his clients include Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Kenny Johnson, founder of Dial-A-Waiter restaurant delivery service. Dropped out of Wichita State University.
Samuel Jonas, chief operating officer, IDT. Dropped out of Rutgers and Ramapo College.
Alan Jones, founder of Check Into Cash, former CEO of Credit Bureau Services. Dropped out of Tennessee State University to work at his father's credit agency.
January Jones, model, actress. Left home three days after graduating from high school to go to New York to become a model. Later became an actress.
Jeremy Jones, snow boarder, film star. Did not attend college. Moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to pursue his passion as a snowboarder.
John Paul Jones, patriot, navy admiral. Home schooled. Went to sea early.

Dropouts with last names starting with K

Louis C.K., actor, comedian, writer, director, producer. Did not attend college.
I thought about going to NYU film school--that was this ideal to me. But I didn't make any kind of grades in high school. My mother was a single mom, putting my three sisters through college, and I was such a bad student that I knew I had no right to take her money. But I loved classes and learning.
Henry J. Kaiser, multimillionaire founder of Kaiser Aluminum. High school dropout.
Rob Kalin, founder of Esty (a website that helps artisans sell handmade crafts and clothing). Flunked out of high school, briefly enrolled in an art school, and then faked an MIT student ID so he could take classes on the sly. His professors were so impressed that they helped him get into NYU where he learned out to build a website. Founded Esty with two classmates.
Jeffrey Kalmikoff, cofounder and chief creative officer of Treadless.com. Never graduated from college.
Dean Kamen, multimillionaire inventor of the Segway. Dropped out of Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Ingvar Kamprad, billionaire founder of IKEA, one of the richest people in the world. A dyslexic, he never attended college. When he was 17, his father gave him a reward for succeeding in his studies. He used this money to establish what became IKEA. As a child, he peddled matches, Christmas decorations, fish, and other sundries via his bicycle.
Garson Kanin, screenwriter, playwright, novelist, memoirist, director. A high school dropout.
David Karp, founder of Tumblr. At the age of 11 he taught himself how to write code. He dropped out of Bronx Science at the age of 15 to be homeschooled and work for his Davidville company. Did not attend college. At the age of 17, he moved to Japan and worked remotely for an American Internet company.
Alex Karras, football player, actor. Never graduated from college. As he pointed out, "I never graduated college, but I was only there for two terms - Truman’s and Eisenhower’s."
Li Ka-Shing, billionaire, one of the wealthiest investors in Asia, plastics manufacturer, real estate investor. Had to leave school at the age of 15 to support his family after his father's death.
Byron Katie, spiritual leader and author. Dropped out of the University of Northern Arizona before the end of freshman year to get married.
Ben Kaufman, serial entrepreneur, founder of Kluster (a virtual forum that allows consumers and businesses to collaborate on the design of products and services). Dropped out of college in his freshman year.
Elaine Kaufman, owner of Elaine's restaurant, a Manhattan cultural institution. She barely passed high school. Did not attend college.
George S. Kaufman, playwright and critic. After graduating from high school, he tried law school for three months, grew disenchanted, and went on to various odd jobs. Eventually he became a drama critic and later a playwright.
Michael Keaton (Michael John Douglas) actor. Dropped out of Kent State University after two years.
Toby Keith, country music singer. After high school, he joined his father to work in the oil fields. His biggest regret, though, is never having attended college.
Minka Kelly, actress, nurse. Attended one year of nursing school and became a surgeon's assistant. Went on casting calls in her free time. Finally got an acting job on the Friday Night Lights TV show.
Brad Kelley, billionaire landowner. Never attended college.
John F. Kennedy, U.S. president. He dropped out of Princeton University in 1935 but eventually graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1940.
Kirk Kerkorian, billionaire investor and casino operator, owner of MGM movie studio, Mirage Resorts, and Mandalay Bay Resorts. An eighth-grade dropout who trained fighter pilots during World War II.
Alicia Keys, singer and songwriter. Graduated from New York's Professional Performing Arts School at age 16. She enrolled at Columbia University but dropped out after a semester to sign with Columbia Records.
Jared Kim, founder of WeGame. Dropped out of the University of California at Berkeley halfway through the spring semester of his freshman year to devote himself full-time to starting the online gaming site WeGame.
B.B. King, blues musician, songwriter, and legend. Never finished high school. “I have two laptops. I didn't finish high school, so one is my tutor: I buy software on things I don't know. I write music with the other.” (People magazine)
Eartha Kitt, Emmy-winning actress, dancer, singer, author, and sex kitten. She dropped out of the High School of Performing Arts to take various odd jobs. Eventually landed a job with the Katherine Dunham dance troupe.
I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. - Eartha Kitt
Heidi Klum, German supermodel, actress, fashion designer, television producer, and host of Project Runway and Germany's Next Topmodel. One of Forbe's 2008 Celebrity 100, she makes $14 million per year. Became a model immediately after graduating from high school.
Keira Knightley, actress. Did not attend college, but wishes she had.
Allan Kornblum, author, poet, and publisher, Coffee House Press. Dropped out of New York University
Bruce Kovner, billionaire hedge fund operator, founder of Caxton Associates, chairman of Julliard. Dropped out of a Ph.D. economics program at Harvard to drive a taxi in New York City.
Jan Kramer, ice skater, actress, country singer. "The day I graduated from high school, I left for New York City," where she began acting in All My Children. Soon after, she left for Los Angeles to pursue her acting career, get parts on 90210, Entourage, and Friday Night Lights before getting a role on One Tree Hill.
Ray Kroc, multimillionaire founder of McDonald's. High school dropout.
Chad Kroeger, frontman for Nickelback rock group. In a Playboy magazine interview, he noted that “I didn't go to school. I mean, after the eighth or ninth grade, I don't remember going to school five days out of the week, ever.” He was a few credits short of
graduating from high school when he left school and took to the road.
Stanley Kubrick, movie director and producer, screenwriter, photographer. His poor high school grades made it impossible to attend college. He did take some photography classes at CCNY but never graduated from any college.
Mila Kunis, actress. She briefly attended college, but had an epiphany: "I decided I wasn't going to take [my career] seriously and make my job who I am. I just want to be happy with my life."
During the production of That '70s Show, she had attempted to go to college but soon realized that L.A. traffic made it virtually impossible to go to school at 6:00 a.m. and still make it to work at 10:00 a.m. She was the first person in her family not to become a college graduate.
Olga Kurylenko, model, actress, Bond girl. Began modeling at the age of 14 in Moscow, Russia. Soon moved to Paris, France for more modeling work. Then moved on into acting.

Dropouts with last names starting with L

James Lafferty, actor. Has not yet attended college. But he did note in an interview that if he weren't an actor, he'd "be a junior in college."
Don LaFontaine, voice-over artist who narrated more than 350,000 commercials, thousands of TV promos, and more than 5,000 movie trailers. After graduating from high school and serving in the Army, he went into business as a voice-over artist. He never attended college.
Peter La Haye, Sr., inventor of plastic replacement lenses for cataract patients, owner of La Haye Laboratories and Neoptx. Dropped out of high school.
Frederick “Freddy” Laker, billionaire airline entrepreneur. Dropped out of high school.
Sharmen Lane, millionaire mortgage wholesaler, life coach, motivational speaker. A high-school dropout.
Cathy Lanier, Chief of Police of Washington, DC. A 14-year-old pregnant high school dropout.
Angela Lansbury, Tony and Golden Globe award-winning actress. She was contracted by MGM while still a teenager and nominated for an Academy Award for her first film, Gaslight, in 1944. Her Broadway stage work earned her four Tony Awards in sixteen years for Mame, Dear World, Gypsy, and Sweeney Todd. But she never won an Emmy for her work on the Murder, She Wrote television series. She also won six Golden Globes and was nominated for 18 Emmys and 3 Academy Awards. She never attended college.
Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere, aka Cher, singer, Oscar-winning actress. Dropped out of high school in the 11th grade and started taking acting lessons. At 16, she moved out of her house. Soon she met Sonny Bono and they formed Sonny and Cher, created many hits, and started in The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.
Ring Lardner, sportswriter and short story writer. Began his career as a teenager writing for the South Bend Tribune. He continued writing for many other newspapers, eventually landing a nationally syndicated column for the Chicago Tribune.
Albert Lasker, advertising pioneer, CEO of Lord & Thomas. After graduating from high school, he started at an advertising agency as an entry-level salesman.
Tommy Lasorda, baseball manager. Dropped out of high school.
Jillian Lauren, author. Quit New York University during her freshman year to become a party guest for a wealthy Singapore businessman. Went on to live in the harem of the prince of Brunei for a year-and-a-half. Wrote about her experiences.
Ralph Lauren, billionaire fashion designer, founder of Polo. Left the City College of New York business school (Baruch College) to design ties for Beau Brummel. Launched Polo later that same year.
Avril Lavigne, singer, songwriter, actress, fashion designer. Dropped out of high school.
Peter Lawford, actor. Never finished high school.
Mike Lazaridis, billionaire founder of Research in Motion. "Two months before I graduated from college, I answered a request for proposal from General Motors with a five-page pitch to develop a network computer control display system. They offered me a half-million dollar contract.... I went to the president of the university to get his permission to take a leave of absence. He tried to persuade me to finish out my year, but when I told him about the contract, he wished me the best of luck." Since that time, he hasn't had time to go back and finish.
David Lean, Oscar-winning director. Dropped out of high school.
Harper Lee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, To Kill a Mockingbird. Dropped out of college during her senior year. Moved to New York to become a writer.
Sandra Lee, TV show host, entrepreneur, cookbook author, magazine editor. Spent three years at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse before founding a craft company.
Stan Lee, comics creator, Marvel Comics (Spiderman, The Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four). Started working when he was still in high school. Never attended college.
Anna-Lou "Annie" Leibovitz, portrait photographer, cover photographer for Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone magazines. Attended the San Francisco Art Institute, but apparently did not graduate. As she has said, "I was very lucky, in working for these magazines, to learn by doing, but I always regretted not having a formal education. I had to teach myself."
Tim Leiweke, CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group. Skipped college to get into sports management.
Tia Leoni, actress. Dropped out of Sarah Lawrence College as a 20-year-old to model and act.
James Leprino, billionaire, Leprino Foods. Joined family business at the age of 18. Turned business into the world's largest mozzarella producer.
Doris Lessing, novelist. At the age of 14, she chose to end her formal schooling. She then worked as a nanny, telephone operator, office worker, stenographer, and journalist. Her first novel was published when she was 31. She won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007.
Aaron Levie, software developer, founder of Box.net. Dropped out of the University of California in 2005 to create Box.net.
Jerry Lewis, comedian, actor, singer, humanitarian. High school dropout.
Joe Lewis, billionaire businessman. Dropped out of high school.
Juliette Lewis, actress, singer, musician. At the age of 14, she left her parents and went to live with actress Karen Black, a family friend. She then dropped out of high school.
Rush Limbaugh, multi-millionaire media mogul, the most popular radio talk show host ever. bestselling book author. Dropped out of college after being required to take ballroom dancing.
Abraham Lincoln, lawyer, U.S. president. Finished barely a year of formal schooling. He self-taught himself trigonometry (for his work as a surveyor) and read Blackstone on his own to become a lawyer. Of the 43 people who served as president of the United States, 8 never went to college.
Charles Lindbergh, aviator, first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Quit the University of Wisconsin after two years to learn how to fly an airplane.
Carl Lindner, billionaire investor, founder of United Dairy Farmers. Dropped out of high school at the age of 14 to deliver milk for the family store during the Depression.
Meg Lindsay, model. Has not yet attended college. Began working fulltime as a model at the age of 17.
Blake Lively, actress. Started acting while still in high school. Has not yet attended college, but has expressed a strong desire to do so.
John Llewellyn, labor leader, president of the United Mine Workers. Dropped out of high school.
Hank Locklin, country singer. Never attended college.
Marcus Loew, multimillionaire founder of Loews movie theaters, co-founder of MGM movie studio. Dropped out of elementary school.
Lindsay Lohan, actress. Never finished high school.
Dan Lok, multi-millionaire business mentor, founder of Quick Turn Marketing. College dropout. His CreativitySucks website notes: A former college dropout, Dan Lok transformed himself from a grocery bagger in a local supermarket to a multi-millionaire. Dan came to North America with little knowledge of the English language and few contacts. Today, Dan is one of the most sought-after business mentors on the Web, as well as a best-selling author. His reputation includes his title as the World's #1 Website Conversion Expert.
His books include:
How to Publish Your Own Best-Selling eBook in 21 Days or Less Without Writing
The Niche Formula: How to Quickly and Easily Find Hidden Niche Markets You Can Profit from Now
Turn Knowledge into Money: How to Get Rich Selling Information - Even if You Hate to Write or Aren't an Expert on Anything
Turn Words into Cash: How to Write a Sales Letter That Will Make You Rich
Jack London, bestselling novelist. Dropped out of high school to work. Later was admitted to the University of California but left after one semester.
Julie London, singer, actress. Dropped out of high school.
Sophia Loren, Oscar-winning actress, author, model. Dropped out of elementary school.
Joe Louis, boxer. Dropped out of high school.
Nat Love, member of the National Cowboys of Color Hall of Fame, known as Deadwood Dick, one of the first American cowboys to write his autobiography. Born into slavery. After being emancipated, he won a horse in a raffle and headed west to become a cowboy.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazilian president. With a fifth grade education only, he shined shoes on the streets of Sao Paulo as a kid but later became a steelworker union leader.
Sidney Lumet, film director. Dropped out of Columbia University after one year.
Barbara Lynch, chef, owner of a $10 million group of restaurants in Boston. Dropped out of high school to be a runner for local bookies. Later worked for celebrity chef Todd English. "I started my first business venture in high school, placing bets for some of my teachers with bookies in Southie.... I never did homework. I was failing everything. Senior year, they said I would have to go to summer school. There was no way I was doing that, so I dropped out."
Susan Lyne, journalist, editor in chief, Hollywood executive, multimedia mogul. Never finished college at the University of California at Berkeley. As he noted, "The lure of taking a job in the grown-up world was greater."
Mary Lyon, education pioneer, teacher, founder of Mount Holyoke College (America's first women's college). Dropped out of high school. Started teaching at the age of 17.

Dropouts with last names starting with M

Andie MacDowell, Golden Globe-winning actress and model. Dropped out of Winthrop College during her sophomore year.
John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods and developer of Conscious Capitalism. Dropped out of the University of Texas six times. Never took a business course.
Harry Macklowe, billionaire real estate developer. Dropped out of college to become a real estate broker.
Steve Madden, shoe designer. Dropped out of college to sell shoes on Long Island.
Ivory Madison, comic book author and founder of the Red Room social network for authors. Dropped out of school at the age of 13. Eventually went to law school without finishing high school or attending college.
John Major, British prime minister. High school dropout.
Howie Mandel, comedian, game show host. Was expelled from Toronto's Northview Heights secondary school for practical jokes gone too far. Finally got his GED in 2010.
Henning Mankell, author of 40 books. At the age of 16, he made a decision to go to the university of life. He left school and left for Paris to become a writer. During the next few years, he worked at a musical instrument shop, a merchant marine ship, and an African theater company.
Isaac Marion, author of Warm Bodies novel, installer of heating ducts, guard of power plants, supervisor of parental visits for foster children, etc. Did not attend college.
Bruno Mars, singer, songwriter, music producer. After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles and signed with Motown Records. He later wrote songs for other singers and release a bestselling record with Elektra.
Clancy Martin, ethics professor, novelist. Dropped out of high school, but later graduated from college. Dropped out of graduate school.
Dean Martin, singer, actor, comedian. Never finished high school.
Steve Martin, comedian, actor. Dropped out of Long Beach State College. He became disillusioned upon reading Wittgenstein's view that “all philosophical problems can be reduced to problems of semantics.”
Manuel Marulanda, aka Pedro Antonio Marin, leader of the revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The son of a peasant farmer, he had only a sixth-grade education.
Robert Maxwell, billionaire publisher. Dropped out of high school.
John Mayer, Grammy-winning singer and songwriter. Left the Berklee College of Music after two semesters to pursue a singing career in Atlanta, Georgia. “I've already won one of the biggest gambles of all time, which was to forgo an education so I could pursue a real all-or-none scenario.”
Martina McBride, country music singer. After high school, she traveled around Kansas playing and singing with various bands. Did not attend college.
Craig McCaw, billionaire founder of McCaw Cellular. Dropped out of college.
Billy Joe (Red) McCombs, billionaire founder of Clear Channel media empire, car dealerships, real estate investor. Dropped out of law school to sell cars in 1950. He owned his first automobile dealership by age 25.
Malachy McCourt, actor, author. Dropped out of school at the age of 13.
Gardner McKay, actor, novelist. Dropped out of Cornell University after two years.
Rod McKuen, poet, songwriter. Elementary school dropout.
Kenneth Wayne McLeod, Ponzi schemer. After graduating from high school, he went into the insurance business. Never attended college.
Leighton Meester, actress. Dropped out of high school after her junior year (but had enough credits to get her diploma). "I was very passionate about pursuing my acting career; as opposed to the daily routine of high school, which bored me to death. It was a chore - I wasn't in any after-school clubs. The only thing I did after school was go to auditions." (Seventeen magazine)
Hendrik Meijer, founder of Meijer grocery stores. Worked as a barber during the depression. Did not attend college.
Herman Melville, novelist, Moby Dick. High school dropout.
Karl Menninger, psychiatrist. Dropped out of Washburn College in Kansas after two years.
Daniel Merriweather, singer and songwriter. Dropped out of high school.
Bret Michaels, rock singer, reality TV show star. Graduated high school with a GED degree. Has not attended college.
Jillian Michaels, fitness expert, reality TV star, book author. She dropped out of California State University at Northridge to be a bartender. When her boyfriend suggested she get a real job, she faked a college diploma to get a position at the ICM talent agency.
Alyson "Aly" Michalka, actress, singer, songwriter (part of duo Aly &AJ, now known as 78violet). Has not yet attended college.
Amanda Joy "AJ" Michalka, model, actress, singer, songwriter (part of duo Aly &AJ, now known as 78violet). Has not yet attended college.
Lea Michele, singer, actress. Has not attended college.
James Middleton, founder of a cake kit company, brother of Kate Middleton of England. Dropped out of college.
Liza Minnelli, Oscar-winning actress, singer. High school dropout.
Hellen Mirren, Oscar-winning actress. Left home at the age of 17 to go to London to become a professional actress. Did not attend college.
Robert Mitchum, actor. High school dropout.
Moby, author, rock star, tea-shop proprietor. Sold more than 15 million albums. A college dropout.
Claude Monet, painter. Elementary school dropout.
Marilyn Monroe, aka Norma Jeane Baker, actress, greatest blonde of all time (according to at least one poll). Left high school to marry James Dougherty (primarily to avoid going back to an orphanage). Became one of the best comic actresses of all time. Never finished high school.
Arthur Ernest Morgan, flood control engineer, book author, college president, director of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Left high school after three years. Later attended the University of Colorado for six weeks.
Ed Morrisey, blogger at Captain's Quarters and HotAir.com. “I never finished college. I attended three or four different colleges at different times for different reasons. I never did get a degree.”
Chris Morrison, co-founder of PLP Digital Systems (software company). Earns more than $500,000 per year. Dropped out of high school.
Matthew Morrison, actor and singer. Attended New York University for two years before landing a role in the Broadway production of Footloose.
Dustin Moskovitz, billionaire co-founder of Facebook social network. Dropped out of Harvard.
Kate Moss, multi-millionaire model. Attended a little bit of college, but never graduated.
Kathryn Bridget Moynahan, model, actress. Attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, but dropped out during her freshman year to pursue her modeling career. Since she had to borrow money from her parents to hit the big city, she agreed that if her career did not take off after a year, she'd go back to school.
Charlotte Kemp Muhl, singer, songwriter, model, member of the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger group. Moved to New York City alone at the age of 14 to become a model. Has not yet attended college.
Charles Munger, billionaire right-hand man to Warren Buffett in Berkshire Hathaway. Dropped out of the University of Michigan to join the Air Force as a meteorologist. Later got a law degree from Harvard.
David Murdock, billionaire investor, real estate tycoon, chairman of Dole Foods. Funding a $1.5 billion health research campus in North Carolina. Dropped out of high school. Drafted into the army in 1943.
Justin Murdock, investor, son of David. A college dropout and goth musician.
Ted Murphy, founder, Izea Entertainment, social media marketing company. Dropped out of Florida State University to start Think Creative ad agency.
Bill Murray, Golden Globe-winning actor, comedian. Dropped out of Regis University after being arrested for possession of marijuana.

Dropouts with last names starting with N

George Naddaff, founder of Boston Chicken and UFood Grill. Never attended college. As he put it, “School and I did not work out. So at age 17 and a half, I joined the Army.” And, when he got out of the Army, his dad said if you're not going to college, you get a job. He did. The next day.
Walter Nash, prime minister of New Zealand. Dropped out of high school.
Patricia Neal, actress. After two years as a drama major at Northwestern University, she dropped out and headed to New York City where she performed summer stock before becoming a Broadway star at the age of 20.
David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue airlines. Dropped out of the University of Utah after three years.
Jack Nelson, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Never attended college. After high school, he went to work for the Biloxi Daily Herald. Later he opened the Atlanta bureau of the Los Angeles Times and later became the Times bureau chief in Washington, D.C.
Richard John Neuhaus, theologian, Lutheran minister, Catholic priest, author, civil rights activist. He took pride in the fact that he never graduated from high school.
Donald Newhouse, billionaire publisher, Advanced Publications. Dropped out of Syracuse University.
Jim Newton, founder of TechShop (the nation's first full-service gym for the tinkering crowd), science advisor for Discovery Channel's MythBusters series. Dropped out of college.
Olivia Newton-John, singer, actress, author. Dropped out of high school.
Jake Nickell, cofounder and CEO of Treadless.com. Never graduated from college.
Florence Nightingale, nurse. No formal education. Home schooled.

Dropouts with last names starting with O

Rosie O'Donnell, comedienne, talk show host. Dropped out of Dickinson College and Boston University.
George Alan O'Dowd, aka Boy George, singer, songwriter, fashion designer, photographer. High school dropout. Never attended college.
David Ogilvy, advertising copywriter and executive. Was thrown out of Oxford University at the age of 20 in 1931 during the Great Depression. Began working as a lowly cook in a hotel restaurant. Eventually became a world-class chef. Left that job to sell upmarket kitchen stoves, which led to a job in advertising.
Ashley Olsen, actress and fashion designer. Has not yet attended college.
Mary-Kate Olsen, actress and fashion designer. Has not yet attended college.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. first lady, book editor. Dropped out of Vassar before eventually graduating from George Washington University.
Timmy O'Neill, climber, guide, comedian, percussionist, slackliner, mountain biker, class V paddler, BASE jumper, backcountry skier. Started climbing at the age of 19. Did not graduate from college.
Yoko Ono, artist, singer. Dropped out of Sarah Lawrence College.
David Oreck, multimillionaire founder of The Oreck Corporation that builds those wonderful vacuum cleaners. When the U.S. entered World War II, he quit college to enlist in the Army Air Corps. After the war, college seemed to tame to him, so he started working as a salesman at a Manhattan appliance distributor. That job eventually led him to founding his own company.
Amancio Ortega, fashion retailer, Spain's richest man, billionaire. Dropped out of high school.
George Orwell (aka Eric Blair), author of Animal Farm and 1984. Instead of attending university after graduating from Eton, he joined the Imperial Police and worked in Burma. When he returned, he worked in restaurant kitchens, slept in homeless shelters, and eventually documented the condition of miners. All the time, he was writing reviews, essays, novels, and a regular newspaper column. His Animal Farm has sold more than 10 million copies.
Joel Osteen, TV pastor and host of the most-watched inspirational TV show in the U.S. Dropped out of Oral Roberts University after one year to care for his mother (who was recovering from cancer). Has sold more than 4 million copies of Your Best Life Now.

Dropouts with last names starting with P

Dan Panoz, founder of Panoz Auto Development car design firm. Dropped out of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Gainesville College.
Larry Page, billionaire co-founder of Google. Dropped out of Stanford Ph.D. program in computer science to start Google in 1998 working out of a friend's garage. He did earn a masters degree.
Sean Parker, billionaire co-creator of Napster, founding president of Facebook.com. He barely finished high school (he was not interested in school).
Rosa Parks, civil rights pioneer. Dropped out of high school.
Kevin Paul, founder of KPaul, an Inc. 500 company. Joined the army straight out of high school.
Harvey Pekar, comic book author. Dropped out of Case Western Reserve University. His reason? He quit "when the pressure of required math classes proved too much to bear."
Nelson Peltz, billionaire leveraged buyout investor. Dropped out of Wharton Business School.
Robin Wright Penn, actress. Never attended college. She was already modeling in high school and had a steady acting job at the age of 19 in the soap opera Santa Barbara.
Pinetop Perkins, blues pianist. Left school after the third grade.
Andrew Perlman, co-founder of GreatPoint. Dropped out of Washington University to start an Internet communications company, Cignal Global Communications, when he was 19.
Katy Perry, singer. Left home at the age of 17 to make it on her own in Los Angeles. Did not attend college. Worked various crappy jobs and sank into debt until she signed a deal with Capitol Records and released her bestselling album, One of the Boys.
John Pestana, multimillionaire co-founder of Omniture. Dropped out of Brigham Young University during his final semester to co-found MyComputer.com, which became Omniture.
Phosphorescent, country singer. Left home at 18 to tour the Southwest. Lived out of his pickup for six months.
Mary Pickford, Oscar-winning actress, co-founder of United Artists. Six months of formal education. Home schooled.
James A. Pike, Episcopal bishop. Dropped out of the University of Santa Clara after his sophomore year.
Brad Pitt, actor, left the University of Missouri two credits short of graduating so he could begin his acting career in California.
Sidney Poitier, Oscar-winning actor. Only finished a few grades. Could only read at the fourth-grade level until a friend taught him how to read better when he was a struggling actor in New York City.
Sydney Pollack, movie director, producer, and actor. Skipped college and enrolled at the Neighborhood Playhouse, where he studied under drama coach Sanford Meisner.
Ron Popeil, multimillionaire founder of Ronco, inventor, infomercial pitchman, and producer. Dropped out of college. He did, though, receive the Ig Nobel Award for Consumer Engineering. Inventor of the Solid Flavor Injector, Mr. Microphone, Showtime Rotisserie, and more.
Dean Potter, climber and slack-liner. Enrolled at the University of New Hampshire and joined the rowing team, but quit soon thereafter. "I didn't fit in," he has said. "I wanted to destroy everybody on my team and establish my dominance, and that's all I cared about."
William J. Powell, developer and owner of the Clearview Golf Club, the first U.S. golf course designed, owned, and operated by an African American; also competed in the first U.S. interracial collegiate golf match. Left Wilberforce University early because he had an enlarged heart.
Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro. Dropped out of Stanford University to rush home to India to take care of his family after his father died. Built Wipro into a multibillion company. Many years later he completed his Stanford degree via correspondence course. "If my father had not died, I probably would have stayed in the U.S. and completed my master's degree."
Seth Priebatsch, chief ninja of scvngr.com and founder of PostcardTech. Dropped out of Princeton University after one year.
Jeff Probst, host, Survivor TV show. Dropped out of college after three and a half years to pursue a career as a singer in a rock 'n roll band.
Bob Proctor, success speaker, bestselling author of You Were Born Rich, teacher of The Secret, and co-founder of Life Success Publishing. Went to high school for two months.
Wolfgang Puck, chef, owner of 16 restaurants and 80 express bistros. Quit school at the age of 14 and got a job as a cooking apprentice at a hotel. When he told his father, he said, "Well, you're good for nothing. Cooking is for women."
David Putnam, Oscar-winning producer. Dropped out of high school.

Dropouts with last names starting with Q

Dennis Quaid, actor. Dropped out of the University of Houston to pursue an acting career in Hollywood.
Ashley Qualls, founder of Whateverlife.com, left high school at the age of 15 to devote full time to her website business where she made more than a million dollars by the age of 17.
Anthony Quinn, Oscar-winning actor. Dropped out of high school.

Dropouts with last names starting with R

Daniel Radcliffe, actor. On being asked if he planned to go to college, he replied, “No, I don't. I am continuing my education. I have two weekly tutorials with a friend of mine.”
Stewart Rahr, billionaire founder of Kinray pharmacy distributor, philanthropist. Graduated from New York University but later dropped out of law school in 1975 to take over family pharmacy.
Lew Ranieri, financier, the father of mortgage-backed bonds. Dropped out of college.
James Arthur Ray, inspirational author and speaker. Dropped out of junior college to work as a telemarketer.
Rachael Ray, TV chef, cookbook author. Dropped out of Pace University after two years to work and save money.
Usher Raymond IV, quadruple platinum singer. He won the Star Search male teen vocalist competition when he was 18. He was signed to a music label immediately thereafter.
Robert Redford, actor, producer, founder of the Sundance Institute. He was booted from the University of Colorado for drinking too much. Then spent a year in France trying to become a success as a painter. Returned to New York where he studied drama and landed his first acting role in the theater.
Keanu Reeves, actor. Dropped out of high school to pursue acting.
Kamilla Reid, book author. A high school dropout.
Silvestre Reyes, U.S. representative from Texas. Got a two-year degree from El Paso Community College.
Burt Reynolds, actor, number-one box-office attraction for five straight years (1978-82). Dropped out of Florida State University after football and automobile accident injuries ended his football career. Then took some classes at Palm Beach Junior College where an acting class where his teacher pushed Reynolds into acting.
Dane Reynolds, world class surfer, video documentarian. Dropped out of school at the age of 16 to surf, something he called “kind of a stupid decision.”
Ryan Reynolds, actor. Moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19 to become an actor. Never attended college.
Trent Rezner, musician, Nine Inch Nails. Dropped out of Allegheny College after one year to pursue a career in music.
Charlie Rich, Grammy-winning country and blues singer and songwriter. Dropped out of the University of Arkansas to join the Air Force.
Marc Rich, billionaire commodities investor, built Philbro into the world's largest commodities firm, founded Marc Rich & Co. Dropped out of NYU to take a job in the mail room of Philipp Brothers on Wall Street.
Rihanna, aka Robyn Rihanna Fenty, singer, actress. At the age of 15, she formed a singing trio in Barbados. At the age of 16, she went to live with songwriter Evan Rogers and his wife in Connecticut. Has not yet attended college.
Amber Riley, singer, actress. Has not attended college.
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (see Shakira).
Leandro Rizzuto, billionaire founder of Conair. Dropped out of college to found Conair with a $100 investment and the invention of a hot-air hair roller invention.
Emma Roberts, actress. Because of her work schedule as a young actress, she switched to being home-schooled. As she noted, "My friends joke that I've only been to high school in a movie." She has been accepted at Sarah Lawrence College, but has not yet attended.
Julia Roberts, actress. After high school, she headed to New York City where she pursued an acting career. Has never attended college.
Pernell Roberts, actor (Bonanza and Trapper John). Attended Georgia Tech and the University of Maryland, but at both schools, as he noted, "I distinguished myself by flunking out."
Andrew Robl, millionaire online poker player. Started playing poker during high school but turned professional after the second semester of his freshman year at the University of Michigan.
Chris Rock, comedian, actor. Dropped out of high school.
John D. Rockefeller Sr., billionaire founder of Standard Oil, philanthropist. History's first recorded billionaire. Dropped out of high school two months before graduation. Took some courses at a local business school.
Michelle Rodriguez, actress. Was expelled from five different schools during high school (for fighting and for questioning her teachers). She dropped out of high school but later earned her GED. Briefly attended business school before quitting to pursue her career as an actress. Never attended college.
Seth Rogan, actor, comedian, and screenwriter. Dropped out of high school.
Roy Rogers, aka Leonard Slye, singing cowboy, actor. Dropped out of high school. As he noted, I did pretty well “for a guy who never finished high school and used to yodel at square dances.”
Will Rogers, humorist, author, actor, entertainer. High school dropout.
Kjell Inge Rokke, billionaire Norwegian businessman. No secondary or college education. Started out as a fisherman at the age of 18.
Ray Romano, actor, Everybody Loves Raymond. Went to college for seven years but never graduated. “I would get my student loans, get money, register and never really go. It was a system I thought would somehow pan out.”
Rebecca Romijn, actress, model. Deferred her studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz to pursue a modeling career in Paris, France.
George Romney, automotive executive, Michigan governor, presidential candidate. Spent only a year at the University of Utah.
Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. president. Attended school only for a few months. Was tutored at home. Teddy eventually graduated from Harvard University but he did not complete his law degree at Columbia University.
Kevin Rose, founder of Digg.com, TechTV host. Dropped out of the University of Las Vegas during his sophomore year to code software. He wrote his first software program in the second grade and was building his own machines by the beginning of high school. He started Digg with $1,200 and launched the site out of his bedroom.
Alvin Roth, systems engineer, game theorist, book author. Dropped out of Van Buren High School (Queens, New York) during his junior year. His explanation: He was understimulated. Applied to college and graduated with an engineering degree from Columbia University and a doctorate in operations research from Stanford University.
Asher Roth, hip hop artist, I Love College hit song. Dropped out of West Chester University after being signed.
Karl Rove, presidential advisor. Left the University of Utah after two years to work for the college Republicans.
J.K. Rowling, bestselling novelist (Harry Potter series), first billionaire author. Never attended college.
Frederick Henry Royce, multimillionaire co-founder of Rolls-Royce, automotive designer. Elementary school dropout.
Michael Rubin, founder of Global Sports. Dropped out of Villanova University after six months. He admits, “If I had to do it over again, I would have gone to college. I missed out on that. The business responsibilities weighted hard on me in my late teens and early 20s.”
Phillip Ruffin, billionaire casino operator. Dropped out of Wichita State to flip burgers. With the money he saved, he invested in oil and real estate. Eventually got into casinos. The best day of his life? August 10, 2007. The day he put $1.24 billion into his checking account.
Jane Russell, actress. Howard Hughes discovered her when she was 19 and cast her in the Western, The Outlaw. She did not attend college.
Leon Russell, aka Charles Russell Bridges, singer, rock musician. Moved to Los Angeles, California from Oklahoma at the age of 17. Never attended college.
Rene Russo, model, actress. After a year at Burroughs High School in Burbank, California, she dropped out. At the age of 17, she took a job inspecting lenses in an eyeglass factory, but was soon discovered by a model agent.

Dropouts with last names starting with S

Haim Saban, billionaire producer of Power Rangers TV show, owns stake in Univision and Paul Frank Industries. Never attended college.
William Safire, columnist for the New York Times. Dropped out of Syracuse University to take a job as a researcher for a column.
Edmond Safra, billionaire banker, philanthropist. High school dropout.
J.D. Salinger, novelist, Catcher in the Rye (with over 60 million copies sold so far). Briefly attended Ursinus College and New York University before publishing short stories in Collier's and Esquire.
Carl Sandburg, poet, historian, Pulitzer Prize winner. Had little formal education but later attended Lombard College and graduated.
Colonel Harlan Sanders, multimillionaire founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Elementary school dropout but later earned a law degree via correspondence course.
Sankaralingam, social and political reformer, founder Land for Tiller's Freedom. A member of the high caste in India, he quit college to join Gandhi's movement for India's freedom.
Jose Saramago, Nobel Prize-winning novelist. Graduated from trade
school and then studied literature mostly on his own.
David Sarnoff, radio and TV producer. High school dropout.
William Saroyan, Oscar-winning screenwriter, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. High school dropout.
Vidal Sassoon, multimillionaire founder of Vidal Sassoon hairstyling salons and hair-care products. High school dropout.
Al Schneider, founder of Schneider National freight company. Had an eighth-grade education.
Maria Schneider, actress. Left home at the age of 15 to pursue a career as a model. At the age of 19, she was cast in the movie, Last Tango in Paris.
Richard Schulze, billionaire founder of Best Buy. After high school, he sold electronics for his father's distribution company and later opened a car-stereo shop. Did not attend college.
Ryan Seacrest, multimillionaire radio and TV host. He turned a high school internship at a local radio station into his own show. At 19, he dropped out of the University of Georgia and headed to Hollywood to build a career in radio and TV.
Seal, aka Seal henry Olusugun Olumide Adeola Samuel, R&B singer and songwriter. He received a two-year associate's degree in architecture. He struck out on his own at the age of 15.
Ke$ha Rose Sebert, singer and songwriter. Quit high school weeks before graduating and passed on a scholarship to Barnard College to go to Los Angeles to break into the music business.
Kyra Sedgwick, actress. Briefly attended Sarah Lawrence College and the University of Southern California before dropping out to act full time.
Tom Selleck, actor. Left USC three classes short of a degree to become a contract player for 20th Century Fox. “I started out at about $35 a week, so it was a pretty big risk to leave college to do that. But it's like my dad always said: Risk is the price you pay for opportunity.”
Doug Selsam, inventor of The Sky Serpent wind generator and heavy metal guitarist. Attended the University of California at Irvine, but never graduated.
Drew Sementa, founder, Premier Payment Systems. Left the University of Central Florida after his junior year to join a dot-com.
Amanda Seyfried, actress. Walked out of Fordham University on her first day of classes in 2004. As she notes, "You can learn more on your own."
William Shakespeare, playwright, poet. Only a few years of formal schooling.
Shakira, aka Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Grammy-winning singer and songwriter who has sold more than 50 million albums. Attended a modeling school for awhile. Never attended college, but founded Pies Descalzos to provide educational opportunities to thousands of Colombia's poorest children and Barefoot, a nonprofit organization to provide schooling opportunities for millions of children around the world.
Adam Shankman, dancer, choreographer, director, producer, reality show judge. Dropped out of Julliard to return to Los Angeles to pursue a choreography career.
George Bernard Shaw, playwright, author. High school dropout.
Charlie Sheen, actor. Never finished high school.
Martin Sheen (Ramon Gerard Estevez), actor. Never attended
college until he went for a few months in 2006.
J. Earl Shoaff, the Millionaire Maker, never graduated from high school.
Walter Shorenstein, billionaire real estate investor, Shorenstein Properties. Dropped out of the University of Pennsylvania. Began buying commercial property after serving in the military during World War II.
Alan Sillitoe, novelist. He left school at the age of 14 to work in a bicycle plant.
Russell Simmons, multi-millionaire co-founder of Def Jam records, founder Russell Simmons Music Group, creator of Phat Farm and Baby Phat fashions, foounding partner of UniRush Financial Services, creator of Global Grind website, bestselling author, movie and TV producer. Left City College of New York to begin promoting local rap music acts (which he eventually signed to his music label) and producing records.
Harper Simon, musician son of singer/songwriter Paul Simon. Enrolled at the Berklee College of Music but quit before graduating.
Maggy Simony, author of Traveler's Reading Guide. Never attended college.
John Simplot, billionaire potato king. Dropped out of 8th grade and left home at the age of 14. He sorted potatoes and raised hogs before saving enough money to buy his first potato field. Became a millionaire by the age of 30.
Ashley Simpson, actress and singer. When she turned 18, she move out of her parent's house. Has not yet attended college.
Jessica Simpson, singer and actress. Left high school at the age of 16 to pursue a singing career. Later got her GED. Never attended college.
Frank Sinatra, singer, Oscar-winning actor. Never finished high school.
Isaac Merrit Singer, sewing machine inventor, multimillionaire founder of Singer Industries. Dropped out of elementary school.
Christian Slater, actor. Dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.
Alfred E. Smith, governor of New York and presidential candidate. Left school at the age of 14 to help his family after his father died. He would later joke that he received his FFM degree from the Fulton Fish Market in New York City.
Elinor Smith, aviatrix, the Flying Flapper. By the time she was 17, she was ferrying passengers on short hops from Roosevelt Field in Long Island. By 18, she had her own sight-seeing business. Never attended college.
O. Bruton Smith, billionaire. “I didn't attend college, but still had a good time. I think I probably had more fun than any human deserves a right to have.”
Patti Smith, poet, visual artist, songwriter. Dropped out of teacher's college to start life as an artist in New York City.
Walter L. Smith, president of Florida A&M University. Dropped out of high school but later earned an equivalency diploma at the age of 23.
Will Smith, Grammy-winning rapper, actor. Did not attend college. As the Fresh Prince, he and DJ Jazzy Jeff released their first album before he finished high school. They received the first Grammy for a hip-hop act. Due to the success of that first album, Smith decided to forgo college for show business.
Edwin "Duke" Snider, Hall of Fame baseball player. Went into the military after high school and then signed a minor league baseball contract. Never attended college.
Phoebe Snow, singer, songwriter. Dropped out of college to perform in clubs and coffeehouses.
Daniel Snyder, billionaire owner of Snyder Communications and Red Zone Capital, owner of the Washington Redskins. Dropped out of the University of Maryland.
Kevin Sorbo, actor, director, producer, and model. Left Moorhead State University early to pursue a career in acting.
Shannyn Sossamon, actress, dancer. Left her hometown of Reno, Nevada, the day after graduating high school. Headed to Los Angeles to pursue dance.
Angelo Sotira, multimillionaire founder of DMusic and deviantART. Founded DMusic while still in high school. Never attended college.
James Spader, actor. Dropped out of high school. As he noted, "I left high school with the option of returning whenever I wanted. The high school was tremendously gracious in that way. They said, Any time you want to come back, we'll welcome you. Maybe I should take them up on it. I'd probably make great use of it."
Britney Spears, singer, actress, youngest woman to have five albums debut at #1 on the Billboard list. Dropped out of high school.
Jamie Lynn Spears, actress. Dropped out of high school.
Steven Spielberg, billionaire movie director and producer, co-founder of DreamWorks. Rejected by the best film schools, he enrolled in and then dropped out of Cal State Long Beach. Received a degree in 2002.
Lysander Spooner, abolitionist, attorney, and author. Did not attend college. In 1835, he challenged the law that kept those without college degrees from setting up as an attorney without five years of apprenticeship.
Rick Springfield, singer and actor. Never attended college.
Bruce Springsteen, Grammy-winning and Oscar-winning singer and songwriter. Never attended college.
Ringo Starr, drummer for the Beatles. He did not attend college.
Jason Statham, actor, model, diver. At the age of 15, he dropped out of school to work confidence games. Later dived for the British National Team. Became a model and then an actor.
Gwen Stefani, singer and songwriter, No Doubt. Struggled in school. Never attended college. "School was just really hard for me. I didn't want to fail. I wanted to be smart! But I was really dreaming. ... It makes me sad when I think about it. I still have nightmares about tests."
Hiram Stevens, engineer, inventor. Dropped out of high school.
Kristen Stewart, actress. Dropped out of school in the seventh grade to study independently. “That was a necessity. When I would go away to work, my teachers would only give me a portion of my schoolwork, and I would come home and they'd fail me. I was very happy to leave.”
Patrick Stewart, actor, producer, director, writer. Dropped out of high school.
Ben Stiller, actor, director, and producer. Went to the UCLA film school for nine months and then headed for Broadway. As he noted, "I was the guy who dropped out and moved back in with his parents."
Dean Stockwell, actor and artist. Was a child movie star. Dropped out of acting at one point to work as a laborer. Never attended college.
Eric Stoltz, actor and producer. Dropped out of the University of Southern California in his junior year and joined a repertory acting company in Edinburgh, Scotland. Moved to New York City in 1981, studied with Stella Adler and Peggy Feury, and soon got his first film role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Emma Stone, actress. At the age of 15, she gave her parents a PowerPoint presentation about ditching high school to pursue a career as an actress. Her mother accompanied her to Hollywood so she could become an actress. Has not yet attended college.
Edward D. Stone, architect. Dropped out of the University of Arkansas.
Sharon Stone, Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-winning actress,
producer, and model. Dropped out of Edinboro State University.
W. Clement Stone, multimillionaire insurance businessman, founder of Success magazine, and author of a number of books on positive mental attitudes. At the age of six, he sold newspapers on the south side of Chicago. By the age of 13, he owned his own newsstand. He continued to work odd jobs until his mother bought a small insurance agency, where he helped her by selling insurance. At the age of 21, with $100 in his pocket, he established the Combined Registry Company insurance business which he built into a multi-million dollar business. He dropped out of elementary school but later attended high school night courses and some college.
Hilary Swank, actress, swimmer, gymnast. Dropped out of South Pasadena High School to act professionally. When she was 15, she and her mother headed to Los Angeles with $75 in their pockets. They lived out of their Oldsmobile Delta '88 until she found work in TV.
"I did leave high school my sophomore year, but I got my GED. I wouldn't ever recommend not going to school. I think it's case by case. But what's really important is not just to have a diploma but also to experience life. I'm certainly not very book smart, but I started traveling at 16, and it has enriched me in ways I could never begin to explain." (Time magazine)
Taylor Swift, singer and songwriter. Released her first album at the age of 16. Has not yet attended college.
Mark Sykes, art dealer, gambler, bookie, gentleman, and rogue. Attended Oxford University for 18 months (primarily running highly profitable card games); then dropped out to gamble professionally.
Jessica Szohr, model, actress. Graduated from high school a semester early and moved from Wisconsin to Los Angeles to work as a model, but she soon was cast in a number of TV shows. Has not attended college.

Dropouts with last names starting with T

R.F. “Rawley” Taplett, founder of R.F. Taplett Fruit & Cold Storage Company, multi-millionaire investor. Had only a high school diploma.
Channing Tatum, actor. Washed out of college in West Virginia at the age of 18. Became an actor after stints as a construction work, perfume spritzer, and model.
Alfred Taubman, billionaire chairman of Sotheby, real estate investor, mall operator. Dropped out of the University of Michigan. Made his first fortune investing in shopping malls.
Jack Crawford Taylor, billionaire founder of Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Dropped out of Washington University to serve as a fighter pilot in the Navy during World War II. Sold cars after the war before starting a car leasing company.
Noel Taylor, costume designer (stage and movies). Dropped out of school at the age of 16 to work in the theater, first as an actor.
Zachary Taylor, U.S. president, general. Little formal schooling. Home schooled. Of the 43 people who served as president of the United States, 8 never went to college.
Timmy Teepell, chief of staff for Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal. A product of home schooling, he never attended college.
Kelly Thiebaud, model and actress. Her mother made her finish high school, but she never attended college. As she noted about
staying in high school, "At the time I hated it. There's so much opportunity out there! But I'm thankful for it now, because the experience helped me stay grounded."
Danny Thomas, actor, producer, humanitarian. Dropped out of high school.
Dave Thomas, billionaire founder of Wendy's. As a youngster his family moved around a lot. While working as a busboy at the age of 15, he refused to move once again with the family. Instead, he dropped out of high school and went to work full time in a restaurant (moving in with the family that owned the restaurant).
Billy Bob Thornton, actor. After taking some classes at Henderson State University in Arkansas, he dropped out and headed for New York City to become a rock star. Four years later, he headed to Los Angeles to become an actor.
Kip Tindell, founder of the Container Store. Dropped out of the University of Texas. As he noted, "I crammed a four-year program into about eight years."
Ashley Tisdale, singer and actress. Has not yet attended college.
Leo Tolstoy, count, novelist (War and Peace, Anna Karenina). Dropped out after three years at the university.
Marisa Tomei, Oscar-winning actress. Transferred from Boston University after one year to attend New York University, but dropped out within a year to continue her career as an actress.
Adam and Matthew Toren, founders of YoungEntrepreneur.com. As they noted on their website, Entrepreneurs at an early age, Matthew and I had already started six (toot toot) businesses by the time we graduated high school. We were both offered college scholarships, but turned them down – it was clear to us that college was not in our future. Within a week of graduating high school, we bought a bar/café/billiards location, which we overhauled, re-branded and turned into a hot spot; and on the 12-month we sold it for a great profit.
Nina Totenberg, radio show host. Dropped out of Boston University.
Doris Eaton Travis, a Ziegfield Follies girl, actress, singer. Started at the Follies the day she finished eighth grade. Earned her high school diploma at the age of 77. Finally graduated from college at the age of 88.
John Travolta, actor. His parents allowed him to drop out of Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, New Jersey for one year to pursue a theatrical career. He never returned.
Derek Trucks, singer and musician. Attended high school on the road while playing for the Allman Brothers Band. Never attended college.
Harry Truman, U.S. president. Never went to college.
Isaac Tshuva, billionaire builder, industrialist, and hotelier. At the age of 12, he started working as a laborer to support his family while attending school at night. After three years in the army, he skipped college to begin working in construction.
Harriet Tubman, abolitionist, former slave, humanitarian, spy, nurse, suffragist. Did not attend college. A big promoter of education even though she was illiterate.
Frederick Tudor, the Ice King. Dropped out of school at the age of 13. After loafing for a few years, he retired to his family's country estate to fish, farm, and hunt. Eventually, he began shipping ice from his Massachusetts pond to tropical countries for use in cooling drinks and making ice cream.
Ted Turner, billionaire founder of CNN and TBS, owner of Atlanta Braves, philanthropist, America's largest landowner with 1.8 million acres. Was asked to leave Brown University during his fourth year. Got suspended twice, once for having a girl in his room and he doesn't remember the second reason. “I'm down to a little more than a billion. You can get by on that if you really economize and don't buy a lot of planes and yachts and stuff.”
Fred Tuttle, dairy farmer, actor. Dropped out of school in the 10th grade and spent most of his life as a farmer. Became a celebrity as a 77-year-old actor in the movie Man with a Plan.
Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens), printer, riverboat pilot, prospector, newspaper reporter, humorist, bestselling novelist. Left school a year after his father's death, never went beyond the fifth grade. Nonetheless, he still wrote the first great American novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Jamie Tworkowski, surfer and founder of To Write Love on Her Arms. College drop-out. Also dropped out of high school but eventually went back to finish. "It wasn't my choice to walk away from school. I was hanging around with guys older than me, and I'd skip school to play with them. I kept missing more and more school, and I got busted for it finally. But I went back. I felt like I'd be a real stooge if I didn't at least finish high school."
Mike Tyson, heavyweight champion boxer; the first boxer to hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles at the same time. Made his professional boxing debut at the age of 18. Never attended college.

Dropouts with last names starting with U

Albert Ueltschi, billionaire founder of FlightSafety International pilot training schools. Dropped out of the University of Kentucky to follow his passion, flying planes. After flying for PanAm for ten years, he founded FlightSafety.
Donald Eugene Ulrich, aka Don Rich, country music guitarist and fiddler. Quit college to join The Buckaroos. The band had 19 #1 country hits during the 1960s.
Leon Uris, bestselling novelist. Dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to join the U.S. Marines.
Peter Ustinov, Oscar-winning actor. Dropped out of high school.

Dropouts with last names starting with V

Jay Van Andel, billionaire co-founder of Amway (now Alticor). Served in the Army after high school. Founded Amway along with his best friend Richard DeVos.
Martin Van Buren, U.S. president. Little formal education. Began studying law at the age of 14 while apprenticing at a law firm. Of the 43 people who served as president of the United States, 8 never went to college.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, railroad magnate and one of the wealthiest Americans of the mid-1800s. Had little formal schooling. Was considered uncouth and illiterate until he became too rich to ignore.
Anton van Leeuwenhoek, microbiologist, microscope maker, discoverer of bacteria, blood cells, and sperm cells. Dropped out of high school.
Jesse “The Body” Ventura, wrestler, actor, Minnesota governor. Dropped out of North Hennepin Community College after one year.
Kat Von D, aka Katherine Von Drachenberg, reality TV star, tattoo artist, skateboard designer, developer of makeup line. Dropped out of school at the age of 14.
Frank Vos, advertising executive, Frank Vos Agency. Did not finish college. But, when he retired, he sold his company and got a B.A. and M.A. in American history from Columbia University.

Dropouts with last names starting with W

Andy Wachowski, screenwriter, director, The Matrix. Dropped out of Emerson College.
Larry Wachowski, screenwriter, director, The Matrix. Dropped out of Bard College.
Donnie Wahlberg Jr., singer (New Kids on the Block), actor, music producer. Never attended college. Started his singing career at the age of 15.
Mark Wahlberg, rapper (as Marky Mark), model, actor, producer. Dropped out of school for good at the age of 16.
Theodore Waitt, billionaire founder of Gateway Computers. Dropped out of the University of Iowa one semester short of a degree to start Gateway with his older brother in 1985.
Alfred Russel Wallace, naturalist, co-discover of evolutionary theory. Left school at the age of 14 to go to work to support his family. Wallace was self-taught, via frequent visits to libraries and workingman's institutes, while working as a land surveyor, a builder, and a school teacher.
DeWitt Wallace, founder and publisher of Reader's Digest, philanthropist. Dropped out of Macalester College after one year. Dropped out of the University of California at Berkeley after the second year.
Kate Walsh, actress. Dropped out of the University of Arizona at the age of 19 to pursue a career in acting.
Alexander Wang, fashion designer. Dropped out of fashion school.
Y.C. Wang, billionaire founder of Formosa Plastics. Never attended high school.
Ty Warner, billionaire developer of Beanie Babies, hotel owner, real estate investor. Dropped out of college to go on the road selling plush toys.
K'naan Warsame, aka K'naan the Skinny, Somali refugee, rapper, and rock star. Dropped out of high school after the 10th grade. Was featured in a $300 million worldwide advertising campaign by Coca-Cola.
George Washington, U.S. president, general, plantation owner. Ended his education after a few years of elementary school. Of the 43 people who served as president of the United States, 8 never went to college.
Keith Waterhouse, journalist, comic novelist, Billy Liar. Was inspired to drop out of school and become a writer after reading Mark Twain and P.G. Wodehouse.
John Wayne, actor, attended the University of Southern California for two years on a football scholarship. He dropped out to work as a propman and stuntman for movie studios.
Lil Wayne (Dwayne Carter), rapper. Never attended college.
Michael Weatherly, actor, Dark Angel and NCIS. Dropped out of American University at the age of 21 to pursue acting full time.
Charlie Weaver, see Cliff Arquette.
Sidney Weinberg, managing partner of Goldman Sachs, aka Mr. Wall Street. Dropped out of the seventh grade in Brooklyn.
Jerry Weintraub, movie and music producer. Joined the Air Force instead of going to college. Later studied acting at Manhattan's Neighborhood Playhouse.
H.G. Wells, science fiction author. Dropped out of high school to help support his family. Eventually completed high school and went on to college.
Daria Werbowy, model. Has not yet attended college. Became the new face of Prada at the age of 19.
Kanye West, rapper. Had a hit album called The College Dropout.
Leslie Wexner, billionaire founder of Limited Brands. Dropped out of Ohio State law school. Started the Limited with a $5,000 loan from an aunt.
Dean White, billionaire hotelier and billboard magnate. Dropped out of the University of Nebraska to join the Merchant Marine Academy. Served during World War II. Then took over family business after the war and built it into a billboard and real estate empire.
Shawn White, multi-millionaire Olympic snowboarder and X-Games skateboarder. Did not attend college. Turned pro in skateboarding at the age of 16.
Walt Whitman, poet, self-publisher. Elementary school dropout.
Kristen Wiig, comedienne, actress. Took an acting class her freshman year at the University of Arizona, got the acting bug, dropped out after one year and headed to Los Angeles to make it as an actress.
Michelle Williams, actress. Was legally emancipated at the age of 15 from her family. Never went to college.
Bruce Willis, actor. Dropped out of the theater program of Montclair State University after his junior year. He asserts that a college diploma "is just a trophy. I have some bowling trophies I think would be worth about the same thing."
Gretchen Wilson, country singer. Quit school after the eighth grade. Finally earned her GED equivalency degree in 2009. "I've wanted to go back and get my GED for years, ever since I quit school after the eighth grade. I had a troubled childhood and I just wanted to get out of the house and on with life as quickly as possible. And back then I thought it wasn't important to have a high school diploma to chase my music dreams. But I always knew that finishing high school would make me feel a little more complete." (Redbook magazine)
Kemmons Wilson, multimillionaire founder of Holiday Inns. Dropped out of high school.
Owen Wilson, actor, screenwriter. Dropped out of the University of Texas.
Woodrow Wilson, U.S. president, college president. Dropped out of Davidson College, but eventually graduated from Princeton University.
Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief, Vogue magazine. Did not attend college.
Reese Witherspoon, Oscar-winning actress and model. Starred in her first film at the age of 14. Enrolled in Stanford University but dropped out to pursue acting full time.
Tyrone Wood, director of Scream Gallery, son of Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood. Education: "The school of life."
Tiger Woods, golfer. Turned pro at the age of 20 after attending Stanford University for a year or two.
Steve Wozniak, billionaire co-founder of Apple. Dropped out of
college.
Frank Lloyd Wright, architect, interior designer, leader of the Prairie School of architecture. Voted as the greatest American architect of all time by the American Institute of Architects. Attended a high school in Madison, Wisconsin, but apparently never graduated. He was admitted to the University of Wisconsin as a special student and took classes part-time for two semesters. He left school without getting a degree. He left to work at an architectural firm in Chicago, Illinois.
Orville Wright, inventor of the airplane. Dropped out of high school in his junior year to open a printing business.
Jerry Yang, billionaire co-founder of Yahoo! Dropped out of Stanford University PhD program to create Yahoo!
Jay-Z (Shawn Carter), rapper, entrepreneur, owner of Rocawear clothing, co-owner of New Jersey Nets basketball team. Never attended college. "I'm a thinker. I figure things out. I don't have a high level of education, but I'm practical--and I have great instincts."
Babe Didrikson Zaharias, golfer, basketball player, Olympic track and field star. Did not attend college.
Frank Zappa, rock musician. Probably dropped out of college. As he noted in liner notes for his Freak Out album, "Drop out of school before your mind rots from our mediocre educational system."
Catherine Zeta-Jones, actress. Dropped out of school at the age of 15 to join a touring production of The Pajama Game.
Emile Zola, French novelist. Failed his baccalaureate, which I believe is the French way of saying he did not graduate from college.
Mark Zuckerberg, billionaire founder of Facebook. Dropped out of Harvard to continue working on the social networking website he founded in his dorm room in 2004. Facebook has more than 300 million users.

Artikel tambahan:
http://terselubung.blogspot.com/2011/10/10-orang-paling-sukses-akibat-dropout.html

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Selasa, 01 November 2011

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Rabu, 21 September 2011

The College Dropouts Hall of Fame part 2