Who says celebrities aren’t the brightest of people? I mean, don’t judge a book by its cover, and all that, right? Because here we present to you a list of celebrities with IQs that might surprise you.
For reference, here’s the Current Wechsler IQ classification:
- 130 and above: very superior
- 120-129: superior
- 110-119: high average
- 90-109: average
- 80-89: low average
- 70-79: borderline
- 69 and below: extremely low
Now let’s see how these celebrities stack up. We’ve also added in some of the great minds of history for the sake of comparison! And before you ask, Albert Einstein’s IQ was 160.
1. Shaquille O’Neil: 101
He’s not only an NBA superstar but also a superstar when it comes to academics. Shaquille got his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University, an MBA from the online school of the University of Phoenix, and an Ed.D in Human Resources from Barry University.
2. Robin Williams: 140
Late Robin Williams was diagnosed with depression and a lot of people struggling with depression have a high IQ. His performances and brilliance in comedy were sheer representations of his intelligence. He was another celebrity who was a part of the Mensa.
3. Rowan Atkinson: 178
Now this man is a classic—may we say a smart classic? Everyone’s beloved “Mr. Bean” has a masters degree in mechanical engineering from Oxford University. He’s actually an Honorary Fellow at Oxford as of 2006.
4. Chris Pratt: 125
Pratt is a community college dropout and was even homeless at one point but it turns out that he’s one heck of a smart guy.
5. Alicia Keys: 154
This lady isn’t just a talented singer but she is also very good looking so she fits the celebrity bill just perfectly. But aside from her singing talent and beauty, she’s got a striking IQ!
6. Ashton Kutcher: 160
He may play a lot of airhead roles, but Ashton is actually quite the smarty! His IQ beats a lot of people, and his intelligence is not to be messed with. Ashton reportedly received a scholarship for MIT but apparently lost it after getting into trouble with the law.
7. Bill Gates: 160
Oh, this guy? He just co-founded Microsoft, the software company responsible for Windows, the operating system on nearly 90% of computers today. No big deal.
8. Cindy Crawford: 154
Cindy seems to be just perfect. She’s had a fulfilling career in which she has been in movies and TV shows, walked the runway ramps, and also been on numerous magazine covers. What sets her apart from the rest? Her intelligence and amazing IQ of 154!
9. Colin Firth: 153
This Oscar-award winner is best known for his role in “The King’s Speech”. Alongside his amazing choice of roles and the numerous awards he’s won, his smartness sets him apart from the rest!
10. Conan O’Brien: 160
Everyone may think he’s the average talk show host, but this man is a Harvard graduate. So you bet he’s intelligent! His shows are always full of wit, fun, and humor. May we dub him a comedic genius?
11. Dolph Lundgren: 160
He’s most famous for his fight against Rocky in “Rocky IV”. But Dolph is generally know to play characters that are buff and muscular, and don’t require that much of a brain. But in real life, Dolph is quite bright—he received a Fulbright scholarship to MIT and he has a Master’s degree in chemical engineering.
12. Garry Kasparov: 190
A lot of you may not know who Gary is—he’s a former World Chess Champion and is known to be one of the most intelligent chess players in the world. It’s a given that to play chess means you have to be smart, and Gary has the highest IQ on this list—190 is soaring high!
13. Geena Davis: 140
She just doesn’t have acting skills—Geena is an all-rounder. The characters she plays are endearing, and not to mention that she’s brighter than a lot of her co-stars with an IQ of 140.
14. James Franco: 130
He’s another example of someone who plays the idiot in all his movies, but in reality he’s far from it! James has an outstanding IQ of 130—maybe it’s his intelligence that helps him play his characters so well!
15. James Woods: 180
With 130 films and TV under his belt, James is quite an accomplished actor. He started off with Broadway before making his entry into Hollywood. He’s a great actor, and a brilliant person—his IQ of 180 says it all.
16. Jodie Foster: 132
She started her career in front of the camera at the age of 3 and never looked back. She became one of the most sought-after actresses in early 70’s and is a combination of talent, good looks, and brilliance.
17. Jordana Brewster: 120
Jordana is best known for her portrayal of Mia Toretto in “The Fast and Furious” franchise. Currently she’s keeping busy with two TV shows. She’s definitely a pretty lady with a very intelligent mind.
18. Kate Beckinsale: 160
Kate is the reason why the “Underworld” series have been such a big hit! She’s perfect in every way—beautiful, talented, and smart!
19. Ken Jeong: 130
Oh man, “The Hangover” franchise definitely wouldn’t have been the same without Ken, or should we say Chow. He’s one of the best comedians of his time, and always plays characters that seem just a bit out of it. But in real life this man is very intelligent. With an IQ of 130, Ken is also a licensed physician.
20. Kesha: 140
Here’s another example of someone who’s uber talented, pretty, and brilliant! Kesha stands tall with an amazing singing career and an IQ of 140!
21. Lisa Kudrow: 154
Lisa is another example of an actress who plays the airhead (Pheobe from “Friends”, the one we can’t stop watching over and over again?). But let’s not judge her by her performances ladies and gentlemen, because this woman is quite the intelligent person.
22. Matt Damon: 160
He’s know to be the guy who usually needs help or rescuing in all his movies. In one of his movies he plays an unrecognized genius, and we’re sure that was easy for him to play, given that his IQ is 160!
23. Mayim Bialik: 150
Best known for her character Amy in “The Big Bang Theory”, it’s safe to say that Mayim is pretty close to her on-screen persona, Amy. Amy play a neuroscientist in the show, and in real life Mayim isn’t less of a genius with that IQ.
24. Meryl Streep: 143
Here’s a lady who grew more beautiful with age. She’s been in the industry for years and still blows every performance out of the water. But it’s not only her performances that are striking. Her mind is sitting at an IQ of 143 and that’s brilliant!
25. Natalie Portman: 140
Natalie is what people call the perfect woman—she’s successful, beautiful, a strong activist, and with an IQ of 140, very intelligent!
26. Stephen Hawking: 160
Who doesn’t know Stephen Hawking? He’s contributed so much to the field of science, and is one of the most renowned theoretical physicists in the world. It’s no surprise he makes this list.
27. Aisha Tyler: 156
She was first known for her role in the popular sitcom “Friends”. More recently though she’s been picking up steam with her performances in a few other TV shows. And along with her talent comes a whole lot of IQ.
28. Asia Carrera: 156
Asia Carrera is quite opposite what her career may personify her as. Although she works in the adult industry, it doesn’t go to say that she’s not a smart cookie. With an IQ of 156, she’s definitely intelligent!
29. Ben Stein: 150
Aside from his film personas, Ben is known for his talks on political and economic topics. He’s an actor, speaker, as well as a speech writer. All in all, this explains his high IQ!
30. Tyra Banks: 120
She is a former supermodel, and unlike many others, fully maximized on all the opportunities that came her way—she’s now a talk show host. And not to mention that she also earned a degree from Harvard. Impressive!
31. Madonna: 140
She is a superstar in all the write means! She has one of the best voices in the industry. But many people don’t know that she pursued a dance scholarship at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, but later dropped out to move to NYC.
32. Shakira: 140
This woman is a sheer genius. Not only does she have such a high IQ, but she’s also helping children in her country pursue higher levels of education. She’s even given speeches at Oxford.
33. Quentin Tarantino: 160
Quentin is surprisingly a high-school dropout but that doesn’t go to say that he doesn’t deserve to be on this list. He’s a self-taught genius, and an amazing filmmaker.
34. Sharon Stone: 148
It’s unbelievable, but true, that Sharon got a scholarship from the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania just at the age of 15. After completing that she entered the glamour world and hasn’t looked back since!
35. Nicole Kidman: 132
Academics run in Nicole’s family. Her father was a researcher and it seems like that’s where she’s got her intelligence from because an IQ of 132 is absolutely amazing!
36. Nolan Gould: 150
He’s not REALLY that goofy kid of “Modern Family”. Nolan is actually brilliant! He graduated from high school at age 13 and is also a part of Mensa. He plays double bass and banjo as well!
37. Sylvester Stallone: 160
He has to be one of the smartest celebrities in the history, and not to mention the fame and face of “Rocky”.
38. Steve Martin: 142
He may be the funny guy, but this comedic actor is also a part of the Mensa. He’s a talented actor, a musician, and an overall brilliant man.
39. Brad Pitt: 126
He’s talented and dashing, but a lot of people don’t know that he’s also a very smart man. He pursued a degree for journalism at the University of Missouri in 1982 but left just 2 weeks before earning the degree. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.
40. Michael Jordan: 154
Michael dropped out of the University of North Carolina when he was drafted into the NBA. But he didn’t choose to end his academic career there. He went back to finish his degree in geography in 1986.
41. Dave Duchovny: 147
He’s another star that’s known as a smart talent in the industry. He completed his bachelor’s at Princeton University and went on to get do his masters in English Literature from Yale University. He ditched his PhD studies when he booked a beer commercial. Interesting right?
42. Gene Simmons: 127
Many people know him for his band, KISS. But a lot of us don’t know that he went to 2 years of college to pursue a program in education and then went a got a degree Richmond College. And his estimated IQ is impressive!
43. Sasha Grey: 140
Sarah is quite the talented young woman. She’s been to numerous high schools because she wasn’t ever satisfied with any. She moved on to Sacramento City College for classes in acting, film, and dance.
44. Tommy Lee Jones: 135
He’s an Academy Award winner who graduated graduated from St. Mark’s School of Texas with a scholarship. He is also affiliated with Harvard.
45. Anderson Cooper: 123
This man is born into one of the richest families in New York City. Not many know that Anderson suffered from Dyslexia as a child, but he went on to get a degree in Political Science and International Relations from Yale University. He even spent 2 summers as an intern at the CIA—impressive!
46. Dexter Holland: 160
Dexter is just one step away from being Dr. Dexter. He has a masters in molecular biology but decided to forego a shot at earning a PhD to pursue punk rock.
47. Edward Norton: 134
He’s an actor, producer, director, and writer. Edward got a degree in History from Yale and went on to work for his grandfather’s not-for-profit company in Japan before entering the industry. He also speaks Japanese!
48. Jerry Springer: 150
Jerry’s career has been quite diverse. Before he got into the talk show business, he was heavily involved in politics and even served as Mayor of Cincinnati from 1971-1974. He has a J.D. in law fromNorthwestern University.
49. Angela Bassett: 130
Angela is a power house. Not only is she a powerful actress, she’ also U.S.’s ambassador for UNICEF. She’s got a degree in African American Studies from Yale as well as a Masters in Fine Arts.
50. Ron Jeremy: 130
For anyone that knows Ron, it’s good to also know that he’s more than just his (adult) screen persona. He was a teacher before deciding to join the industry and has a Masters from Queens College.
51. Goldie Hawn: 130
Yet again, another example of someone who plays goofy onscreen characters, but really is a genius in real life. Goldie has a whopping IQ of 130 and it’s not to be messed with!
52. Claire Danes: 140
Claire is a member of the Mensa—isn’t that enough to prove her intelligence? Although she started her career at the age of 11, she didn’t completely become serious about until after she earned a degree in psychology from Yale.
53. Scott Levy: 143
Who says a wrestler can’t be smart? Scott is the perfect example—he has a degree in Criminal Justice and originally set out to be a lawyer.
54. Reggie Jackson: 160
Reggie made the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993 and is known as one of the best players in the game. He led 2 teams to the 5 World Championships and it’s all a result of his skill as well as his through-the-roof IQ.
55. Lupita Nyong’o: 140
She started off a production assistance, but today Lupita is an Oscar award winner and that’s nothing less than impressive. To add to her list of accomplishments, she got a degree in Film and Theatre, and a Masters of Fine Arts from Yale.
56. Caitlyn Jenner: (Estimated) 125
Caitlyn has fought many battles in life and she’s come on top of them all. Many people aren’t aware that she was diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD as a child. But she conquered that with her love for sports and went on to will a gold medal at the Olympics.
57. Aaron Rodgers: 130
Aaron is known as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and that doesn’t come without a smart mind. Associated with the Green Bay Packers his IQ is at 130, and that’s quite something.
58. Francis Ford Coppola: 127
Who knew that Francis was more inclined towards music before he became a genius, award-winning director in Hollywood?
59. Kobe Bryant: 124
It definitely takes a high IQ to win 5 NBA Championships, and with Kobe being the brilliant man that he is, there’s no doubt he could’ve made it happen. He even had an SAT test score of 1080 so he could have picked any college to attend!
60. Debbie Reynolds: (Estimated) 150
She’s an actress, singer and activist so Debbie has got to be one of the smartest women in the industry. There’s no proven record of her IQ but her career goals and graph speak volumes for the estimated number of 150.
61. Elisabeth Shue: 140
She’s not the only celebrity who had intentions of becoming a lawyer, but boy are we glad Elisabeth chose entertainment instead. She’s best known for her role in “The Karate Kid” and has a degree from Harvard.
62. Megyn Kelly: 133
One simple fact on this journalist/political commentator: her iQ is higher that 99% of the American citizens.
63. Tila Tequila: 120
Who doesn’t know Tila? She’s a Vietnamese social media and TV personality.
64. Tito Ortiz: 90
Tito is a former Light Heavyweight UFC Champion and now the CEO of a clothing line company.
65. Miley Cyrus: 120
Miley is definitely a rebel child and has done some seriously questionable things in her past. But that doesn’t mean to say that she’s not a smarty!
66. Kanye West: 125
Who doesn’t know this genius and his musical talent? People might think he’s slightly “out there” with his outlandish ways but Kanye’s intelligence is quite visible through his music.
67. Paris Hilton: 120
Maybe no one expected this celebrity to be on the list but Paris is definitely there. Makes us think that maybe the “dumb” act is all just a persona? Because that IQ says something else!
68. Will Smith: 115
He’s everyone’s favorite and another definite that many of us were expecting on this list. Apparently he’s got an AMAZING SAT score and his career graph screams how intelligent he is.
69. Seth Rogen: 110
He may play the role of the “stoner” majority of the time, but lets not judge him based on his reel life persona. This Canadian-America actor is actually quite smart—he started up as a stand up comedian and made his way up the ladder.
70. Angelina Jolie: 120
Angelina is known as the “most beautiful woman in the world” and perhaps rightfully so. But her IQ is also up there at 120. She’s smart, talent, and drop dead gorgeous.
71. Tom Cruise: 125
Tom thinks that Sciencetology is to credit for his smartness. He’s up there with a lot of his counterparts on the intelligence graph!
72. Mike Tyson: 105
People in his school thought that Mike was mentally challenged, and that perhaps his IQ was even lower than that of a gold fish. But this number puts all those speculations to rest.
73. Britney Spears: 100
She’s had quite the successful career, and her IQ is above average. So, regardless of her actions in the past, it’s safe to say that this woman is definitely in the “smart” books.
74. Mariah Carey: 95
Although Mariah is known to say some unintelligent things, her IQ says otherwise.
75. Arnold Schwarzenegger: 135
This former Mr. Universe is known to be one the most famous action star of all times. And perhaps rightfully so. But the Governor of California should also be commended on his intelligence—it’s quite up there!
76. Chris Brown: 85
Chris has got an amazing voice, and it’s needless to say why and how he’s been so successful. But his actions have shown that he really lacks a sense of emotional intelligence. He’s constantly in trouble with the cops for assaulting others and even pleaded guilty to assaulting ex-girlfriend, Rihanna.
77. Kourtney Kardashian: 95
She’s another celebrity who’s known to make some seriously silly remarks but an IQ of 95 is well thin the average range.
78. Tori Spelling: 85
Tori once claimed to never sweat or drink any water. Interesting.
79. Emma Watson: 138
No biases here, but this one was a given, no? Our beloved Hermione Granger stole the hearts of many with her acting skills in the Harry Potter series. The speaker for women’s right, is not only a marvellous actress but a bright young lady as well.
80. Charles Darwin: 165
This naturalist and geologist is best known for the Darwin Theory and The Origin of Species. He has come up with major theories that are at the foundation of science today.
81. Leonardo da Vinci: 220
“The Mona Lisa” is his finest work of art, and he’s known as the best painter in the world. But he was quite the genius otherwise as well—he mastered anatomy, science, and mathematics.
82. Lil Wayne: (Estimated) 96
Rumor has it that Lil Wayne’s IQ is 110, which means he’s in the high average when he comes to his intelligence!
83. Ariana Grande: 105
The singer, songwriter, and actress may not have a reported genius level IQ but I think it’s safe to say that she’s doing more than okay for herself.
83. Jennifer Lawrence: 120
Lawrence is one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood and was also named one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world. She’s also incredibly intelligent and has been using her smarts to be an advocate for good causes!
Note that IQs have been found from sources around the internet and may not have been verified. Sources: likeitviral.com, Hyperactivz, hollywood.com, iqtestprep
