Some of these celebrities had to drop out of school to help support their families; others quit because they didn't fit in with kids their own age, despised homework, or were desperate to begin their pursuits of stardom.
| Lucille Ball (comedienne, actor) |
Drew Barrymore (actor) |
| Beck (singer) |
Robert Blake (actor) |
| Peter Bogdanovich (director) |
Sebastian Cabot (actor) |
| Michael Caine (actor) |
George Carlin (comedian, actor) |
| Jim Carrey (comedian, actor) |
Cher (singer, actor) |
| Sean Connery (actor) |
Gary Cooper (actor) |
| Tom Cruise (actor) |
Roger Daltrey (singer, musician) |
| Johnny Depp (actor) |
Bo Derek (actor) |
| Federico Fellini (director) |
Carrie Fisher (actor, writer) |
| Redd Foxx (comedian, actor) |
Aretha Franklin (singer) |
| Jackie Gleason (comedian) |
Whoopi Goldberg (comedienne, actor) |
| Cuba Gooding, Jr. (actor) |
Gene Hackman (actor) |
| George Harrison (singer, musician) |
Lena Horne (singer, actor) |
| Billy Joel (singer, musician, composer) |
Tom Jones (singer) |
| Garson Kanin (writer) |
Eartha Kitt (singer, actor) |
| Sophia Loren (actor) |
Loretta Lynn (singer) |
| Dean Martin (singer, actor) |
Lee Marvin (actor) |
| Rod McKuen (poet) |
Robert Mitchum (actor) |
| Marilyn Monroe (actor) |
Demi Moore (actor) |
| Olivia Newton-John (singer, actor) |
Peter O'Toole (actor) |
| Al Pacino (actor) |
Joe Pesci (actor, comedian) |
| Paula Poundstone (comedienne) |
Keanu Reeves (actor) |
| Harold Robbins (writer) |
Roseanne (comedienne, actor) |
| Sylvester Stallone (actor, writer, director) |
Quentin Tarantino (director, writer) |
| John Travolta (actor) |
Tracey Ullman (actor, comedienne) |
| Peter Ustinov (actor) |
Robert Wagner (actor) |
| Lawrence Welk (bandleader, musician) |
Bruce Willis (actor) |
