Two big names of the entertainment industry, Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silbersteinare are the people to be thanked for the woman we know and love, Tracee Ellis Ross. From Girlfriends to Black-ish, Ross always conquers the screen.
She attended Brown University, with a theatre degree, and in 2015 Ross was granted an Honorary Doctorate Degree from her alma mater, making her the youngest and only person of color chosen to receive this honor.
Mara Wilson Has a Degree in Creative Writing
Mara Wilson had her big break playing the lead in the film Matilda, in which her character was a child with supernatural powers. Later on in life, however, she chose to focus less on acting and more on writing.
She went to NYU Tischs School of the Arts and majored in creative writing. When asked about the shift in passions she said that she does act sometimes in her friends' projects for fun, and that she now views acting as more of a hobby rather than a job.
Martha Stewart's Surprising Double Major
Martha Stewart, America's beloved homemaker, attended Barnard College of Columbia University. She originally planned to major in chemistry, but then switched to art history, and later to architectural history. She eventually graduated with a double major degree in History and Architectural History. Would you have ever guessed that?
This also may surprise you, to help pay her college tuition, she modeled for Chanel.
Other than great natural talent for acting, Cumberbatch is such a pro thanks to an M.A. he has in Classical Acting. He got this degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After receiving his degree, Cumberbatch started putting his skills to work, first in theater, then in film and TV.
Leonard Nimoy Was an Avid Educator
Another studious sci-fi legend is none other than Leonard Nimoy, AKA Spock. His showbiz career includes acting, singing, directing, writing, and more, but he had an academic side too.
Nimoy studied for two years in order to complete his M.A. in Education at Antioch College. He was also given an Honorary Doctorate from the same establishment for activism in Holocaust remembrance, the environment, and the arts. Another Honorary Doctorate of human letters was given to him by Boston University.