Successful celebrities who never finished high school

Whether it be due to poor grades, bullying, or simply to pursue a dream, many of our favorite Hollywood stars did not finish high school. While education is important, these celebs prove that having a diploma doesn't always determine success.

Click through to find out which stars were high school dropouts.

0 / 60 Fotos

Johnny Depp - You might be surprised to learn that this famous actor actually dropped out of high school to pursue a music career.

1 / 60 Fotos

Jim Carrey -

Carrey dropped out of high school at the age of 15 when his family fell on hard times. He worked as a janitor with the rest of his family to help pay bills.

2 / 60 Fotos

Cameron Diaz -

After receiving a modeling contract, Diaz left Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Soon after, she debuted in 'The Mask' alongside Jim Carrey.

3 / 60 Fotos

Katy Perry - The chart-topping pop princess dropped out of Santa Barbara Don Pueblos High School at the age of 15 to follow her dreams of becoming a singer.

4 / 60 Fotos

Tom Cruise -

Cruise originally went to school in hopes of becoming a priest. However, when he caught a case of the showbiz bug he dropped out of high school and moved to New York to pursue his acting career.

5 / 60 Fotos

Nicolas Cage - At the age of 16, Cage dropped out of Beverly Hills High School to pursue acting.

6 / 60 Fotos

Eminem - The rap legend failed out of the ninth grade three times before dropping out of Lincoln High School at the age of 17.

7 / 60 Fotos

Robert Downey Jr. - The 'Iron Man' actor made his film debut as a child star and eventually dropped out of high school at 16. He moved to New York to continue his acting career.

8 / 60 Fotos

Jay-Z - Growing up in one of the projects of Brooklyn, the rapper dropped out of high school and started drug dealing.

9 / 60 Fotos

Michelle Williams - The 'Dawson's Creek' actress attended several different high schools, but decided to get her GED instead so that she would have more time for acting.

10 / 60 Fotos

Christina Applegate - Applegate dropped out of high school to pursue acting. Not long after, she landed a part on the show 'Married with Children.'

11 / 60 Fotos

Matt Dillon - When Dillon was a middle school student, he got a part in the 1978 movie 'Over the Edge.' He was not able to attend school while the movie was being filmed. He later went to Mamaroneck High School where he had to drop out for other acting opportunities.

12 / 60 Fotos

Christina Aguilera - After being relentlessly bullied by children at her high school in Pennsylvania, Aguilera dropped out in the ninth grade and was homeschooled by her mother.

13 / 60 Fotos

Charlie Sheen - Just weeks before graduation, Sheen was expelled from his high school because of poor attendance and low grades.

14 / 60 Fotos

Demi Moore - At the age of 16, Moore dropped out of high school to become an actress.

15 / 60 Fotos

Seth Rogen - Rogen dropped out of high school to ironically play a high school student on TV. The actor was cast in his breakout television role on the show 'Freaks and Geeks.'

16 / 60 Fotos

Drake - Similarly, the Canadian musician dropped out of high school to star in 'Degrassi: The Next Generation,' a teen drama about high school students.

17 / 60 Fotos

John Travolta - Travolta dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles to become an actor.

18 / 60 Fotos

Chris Rock - When Rock was a teenager, he attended an all-white school where he was ruthlessly bullied. He subsequently dropped out in the 10th grade and got his GED.

19 / 60 Fotos

Kristen Stewart - The 'Twilight' actress was struggling in school and failing several classes before she dropped out at the age of 13. She was homeschooled instead and received her GED.

20 / 60 Fotos

Lindsay Lohan - Lohan's career took off early on with her roles in 'The Parent Trap' and 'Herbie Fully Loaded.' She dropped out of high school and eventually received her degree through homeschooling.

21 / 60 Fotos

Whoopi Goldberg - Goldberg has openly said that she dropped out of high school because it was too challenging. It wasn't until later in life that she found out that she was actually dyslexic.

22 / 60 Fotos

Jessica Simpson - It is unsurprising that the gorgeous actress was crowned homecoming queen twice in high school, but she was also relentlessly bullied by other girls. Simpson dropped out after being signed to Columbia Records and later received her GED.

23 / 60 Fotos

Mark Wahlberg - After getting involved with drugs and alcohol at a young age, Wahlberg eventually dropped out of high school.

24 / 60 Fotos

Al Pacino - The legendary actor and filmmaker struggled in high school with poor grades and eventually dropped out to follow his dreams of stardom.

25 / 60 Fotos

Cher - The iconic singer and actress struggled to keep good grades in school due to severe dyslexia. She eventually dropped out of California's Fresno High School at the age of 16.

26 / 60 Fotos

Robert De Niro - Like many others in his field, De Niro dropped out of school at an early age to pursue an acting career.

27 / 60 Fotos

Pink - Pink had a troubled adolescence consumed with petty theft and substance abuse. She overdosed at the age of 15, dropped out of school, and earned her GED.

28 / 60 Fotos

Steven Tyler - Though Tyler never earned his high school diploma, he did become one of the most iconic rock stars of his time.

29 / 60 Fotos

Jessica Chastain - The 'Zero Dark Thirty' actress had too many absences to graduate high school because she would skip class to read Shakespeare in her car.

30 / 60 Fotos

Emma Stone - Stone had to leave high school when she was presented with an opportunity to star in her breakout film 'Superbad.'

31 / 60 Fotos

Michael J. Fox -

The 'Back to the Future' actor dropped out of high school despite protests from his teacher who said Fox would be "making a big mistake," according to USA Today.

32 / 60 Fotos

Arnold Schwarzenegger - The former California governor and actor left school to become a bodybuilder.

33 / 60 Fotos

David Bowie - This rock star quit school to pursue his glam rock music dreams.

34 / 60 Fotos

Ryan Gosling - This Canadian actor was once suspended from school for throwing knives at kids on the playground! He was bullied as a child and was homeschooled for a bit. Eventually he dropped out of school at 17 to focus on acting.

35 / 60 Fotos

Avril Lavigne - Once she signed a record deal as a teenager, she left school to work on her debut album 'Let Go.'

36 / 60 Fotos

Charlize Theron - The actress was bullied in school by mean girls who would make fun of her. She eventually dropped out of high school.

37 / 60 Fotos

Nicole Kidman - Kidman left school at the age of 16 to follow her acting dreams.

38 / 60 Fotos

Jude Law - The actor chose to leave school at 17 to star in the soap opera 'Families.'

39 / 60 Fotos

Gisele Bündchen - The Brazilian supermodel started modeling at just 14 and she subsequently left school to focus on modeling full-time.

40 / 60 Fotos

Ozzy Osbourne - The musician suffered from several learning disabilities, which made school difficult for him as a kid. He eventually left at 15 to work odd jobs.

41 / 60 Fotos

Kelly Osbourne - Like father like daughter. Osbourne also dropped out of school in pursuit of a career in entertainment.

42 / 60 Fotos

Keanu Reeves - The Canadian actor was expelled at the age of 16 from his high school. He and the principal apparently did not see eye to eye.

43 / 60 Fotos

Simon Cowell - The former 'American Idol' judge dropped out of school at the of 16 and worked a series of odd jobs.

44 / 60 Fotos

Catherine Zeta-Jones - This actress dropped out of high school and moved to London when she was 15 to pursue her acting career.

45 / 60 Fotos

Kate Winslet - Winslet left school at 16 and began working at a deli in order to save money to catch the train to go on auditions.

46 / 60 Fotos

Russell Crowe - Ironically, Crowe dropped out of high school at 16 and began working as an actor to save money in order to go back to school: he wanted to attend the National Institute for Dramatic Art in Australia. But acting was going so well that in the end he decided not to attend after a colleague told him it'd be a waste of time.

47 / 60 Fotos

Colin Farrell - Farrell quit school and has had an extremely successful career since, having starred in films like 'Minority Report,' 'Phone Booth,' 'The Recruit,' and 'Daredevil.'

48 / 60 Fotos

Elton John - The icon left school at the age of 17 to chase his music aspirations.

49 / 60 Fotos

Harry Styles - Styles chose his band One Direction over education.

50 / 60 Fotos

Naomi Watts - The actress was definitely too cool for school, having failed to graduate high school and ended up working a string of odd jobs before her big break.

51 / 60 Fotos

Pierce Brosnan - At the mere age of 16, Brosnan quit high school. However he did go on to study at Drama Centre London instead.

52 / 60 Fotos

Daniel Radcliffe - After the release of the first 'Harry Potter' film, keeping up with school became a challenge for the actor. He decided to finish his schooling with on-set tutors.

53 / 60 Fotos

Princess Diana - Lady Diana dropped out of school by the age of 16 after failing her O-level examinations—twice.

54 / 60 Fotos

Rihanna -

In an interview with GQ, the singer said that her intention was to finish and graduate from high school, but she became too busy.

55 / 60 Fotos

Orlando Bloom - Bloom said goodbye to his classmates at 16 and went on to do acting.

56 / 60 Fotos

Ringo Starr -

This former Beatle dropped out of school due to major life-threatening illnesses he suffered from as a child, which prevented him from attending classes.

57 / 60 Fotos

Boy George - He was kicked out of school at 15 years old and he started working odd jobs, including a runner at printing firm and working on a fruit farm.

58 / 60 Fotos

Richard Branson -

Struggling with dyslexia and poor grades, the business mogul dropped out of high school at 15. Today, the investor is extremely successful, with a net worth of US$5.1 billion.

59 / 60 Fotos

Successful celebrities who never finished high school -

0 / 60 Fotos

Johnny Depp - You might be surprised to learn that this famous actor actually dropped out of high school to pursue a music career.

1 / 60 Fotos

Jim Carrey -

Carrey dropped out of high school at the age of 15 when his family fell on hard times. He worked as a janitor with the rest of his family to help pay bills.

2 / 60 Fotos

Cameron Diaz -

After receiving a modeling contract, Diaz left Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Soon after, she debuted in 'The Mask' alongside Jim Carrey.

3 / 60 Fotos

Katy Perry - The chart-topping pop princess dropped out of Santa Barbara Don Pueblos High School at the age of 15 to follow her dreams of becoming a singer.

4 / 60 Fotos

Tom Cruise -

Cruise originally went to school in hopes of becoming a priest. However, when he caught a case of the showbiz bug he dropped out of high school and moved to New York to pursue his acting career.

5 / 60 Fotos

Nicolas Cage - At the age of 16, Cage dropped out of Beverly Hills High School to pursue acting.

6 / 60 Fotos

Eminem - The rap legend failed out of the ninth grade three times before dropping out of Lincoln High School at the age of 17.

7 / 60 Fotos

Robert Downey Jr. - The 'Iron Man' actor made his film debut as a child star and eventually dropped out of high school at 16. He moved to New York to continue his acting career.

8 / 60 Fotos

Jay-Z - Growing up in one of the projects of Brooklyn, the rapper dropped out of high school and started drug dealing.

9 / 60 Fotos

Michelle Williams - The 'Dawson's Creek' actress attended several different high schools, but decided to get her GED instead so that she would have more time for acting.

10 / 60 Fotos

Christina Applegate - Applegate dropped out of high school to pursue acting. Not long after, she landed a part on the show 'Married with Children.'

11 / 60 Fotos

12 / 60 Fotos

Christina Aguilera - After being relentlessly bullied by children at her high school in Pennsylvania, Aguilera dropped out in the ninth grade and was homeschooled by her mother.

Getty Images

13 / 60 Fotos

Charlie Sheen - Just weeks before graduation, Sheen was expelled from his high school because of poor attendance and low grades.

14 / 60 Fotos

Demi Moore - At the age of 16, Moore dropped out of high school to become an actress.

15 / 60 Fotos

Seth Rogen - Rogen dropped out of high school to ironically play a high school student on TV. The actor was cast in his breakout television role on the show 'Freaks and Geeks.'

16 / 60 Fotos

Drake - Similarly, the Canadian musician dropped out of high school to star in 'Degrassi: The Next Generation,' a teen drama about high school students.

17 / 60 Fotos

John Travolta - Travolta dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles to become an actor.

18 / 60 Fotos

Chris Rock - When Rock was a teenager, he attended an all-white school where he was ruthlessly bullied. He subsequently dropped out in the 10th grade and got his GED.

19 / 60 Fotos

Kristen Stewart - The 'Twilight' actress was struggling in school and failing several classes before she dropped out at the age of 13. She was homeschooled instead and received her GED.

20 / 60 Fotos

21 / 60 Fotos

Whoopi Goldberg - Goldberg has openly said that she dropped out of high school because it was too challenging. It wasn't until later in life that she found out that she was actually dyslexic.

22 / 60 Fotos

23 / 60 Fotos

Mark Wahlberg - After getting involved with drugs and alcohol at a young age, Wahlberg eventually dropped out of high school.

24 / 60 Fotos

Al Pacino - The legendary actor and filmmaker struggled in high school with poor grades and eventually dropped out to follow his dreams of stardom.

25 / 60 Fotos

Cher - The iconic singer and actress struggled to keep good grades in school due to severe dyslexia. She eventually dropped out of California's Fresno High School at the age of 16.

26 / 60 Fotos

Robert De Niro - Like many others in his field, De Niro dropped out of school at an early age to pursue an acting career.

27 / 60 Fotos

Pink - Pink had a troubled adolescence consumed with petty theft and substance abuse. She overdosed at the age of 15, dropped out of school, and earned her GED.

28 / 60 Fotos

Steven Tyler - Though Tyler never earned his high school diploma, he did become one of the most iconic rock stars of his time.

29 / 60 Fotos

Jessica Chastain - The 'Zero Dark Thirty' actress had too many absences to graduate high school because she would skip class to read Shakespeare in her car.

30 / 60 Fotos

Emma Stone - Stone had to leave high school when she was presented with an opportunity to star in her breakout film 'Superbad.'

31 / 60 Fotos

Michael J. Fox -

The 'Back to the Future' actor dropped out of high school despite protests from his teacher who said Fox would be "making a big mistake," according to USA Today.

32 / 60 Fotos

Arnold Schwarzenegger - The former California governor and actor left school to become a bodybuilder.

33 / 60 Fotos

David Bowie - This rock star quit school to pursue his glam rock music dreams.

34 / 60 Fotos

35 / 60 Fotos

Avril Lavigne - Once she signed a record deal as a teenager, she left school to work on her debut album 'Let Go.'

36 / 60 Fotos

Charlize Theron - The actress was bullied in school by mean girls who would make fun of her. She eventually dropped out of high school.

37 / 60 Fotos

Nicole Kidman - Kidman left school at the age of 16 to follow her acting dreams.

38 / 60 Fotos

Jude Law - The actor chose to leave school at 17 to star in the soap opera 'Families.'

39 / 60 Fotos

Gisele Bündchen - The Brazilian supermodel started modeling at just 14 and she subsequently left school to focus on modeling full-time.

40 / 60 Fotos

Ozzy Osbourne - The musician suffered from several learning disabilities, which made school difficult for him as a kid. He eventually left at 15 to work odd jobs.

41 / 60 Fotos

Kelly Osbourne - Like father like daughter. Osbourne also dropped out of school in pursuit of a career in entertainment.

42 / 60 Fotos

Keanu Reeves - The Canadian actor was expelled at the age of 16 from his high school. He and the principal apparently did not see eye to eye.

43 / 60 Fotos

Simon Cowell - The former 'American Idol' judge dropped out of school at the of 16 and worked a series of odd jobs.

44 / 60 Fotos

Catherine Zeta-Jones - This actress dropped out of high school and moved to London when she was 15 to pursue her acting career.

45 / 60 Fotos

Kate Winslet - Winslet left school at 16 and began working at a deli in order to save money to catch the train to go on auditions.

46 / 60 Fotos

47 / 60 Fotos

Colin Farrell - Farrell quit school and has had an extremely successful career since, having starred in films like 'Minority Report,' 'Phone Booth,' 'The Recruit,' and 'Daredevil.'

48 / 60 Fotos

Elton John - The icon left school at the age of 17 to chase his music aspirations.

49 / 60 Fotos

Harry Styles - Styles chose his band One Direction over education.

50 / 60 Fotos

Naomi Watts - The actress was definitely too cool for school, having failed to graduate high school and ended up working a string of odd jobs before her big break.

51 / 60 Fotos

Pierce Brosnan - At the mere age of 16, Brosnan quit high school. However he did go on to study at Drama Centre London instead.

52 / 60 Fotos

Daniel Radcliffe - After the release of the first 'Harry Potter' film, keeping up with school became a challenge for the actor. He decided to finish his schooling with on-set tutors.

53 / 60 Fotos

Princess Diana - Lady Diana dropped out of school by the age of 16 after failing her O-level examinations—twice.

54 / 60 Fotos

Rihanna -

In an interview with GQ, the singer said that her intention was to finish and graduate from high school, but she became too busy.

Getty Images

55 / 60 Fotos

Orlando Bloom - Bloom said goodbye to his classmates at 16 and went on to do acting.

56 / 60 Fotos

Ringo Starr -

This former Beatle dropped out of school due to major life-threatening illnesses he suffered from as a child, which prevented him from attending classes.

Getty Images

57 / 60 Fotos

Boy George - He was kicked out of school at 15 years old and he started working odd jobs, including a runner at printing firm and working on a fruit farm.

58 / 60 Fotos

Richard Branson -

Struggling with dyslexia and poor grades, the business mogul dropped out of high school at 15. Today, the investor is extremely successful, with a net worth of US$5.1 billion.

59 / 60 Fotos