Rhode Island is a very small state indeed. That means there's a much smaller field to choose from when we're looking for native stars, but a small field doesn't mean no star quality. After all, they do have an Oscar-winning movie director to celebrate! Damien Chazelle was the man in the chair for 'La La Land,' which almost swept the board at the 2017 Oscars, and was involved in a memorable controversy when the name of the film was read out as the 'Best Picture' winner instead of 'Moonlight,' who were the intended winners. Chazelle would have been satisfied with his 'Best Director' award when all was said and done, though.
Both of Chazelle's parents are considered notable enough to have their own Wikipedia entry, and his father in particular is a highly-regarded professor at Princeton University. Their son likely hasn't had a single thing to worry about from the moment he was born in Providence in 1985. He initially wanted to be a musician, but was put off by an intense and antagonistic teacher - an experience that inspired the movie 'Whiplash.'
Most of your favorite celebrities either studied acting in college or went straight from high school into a life of the arts. But, hey, not all of them. Some celebrities actually have advanced college degrees.
Turns out Mayim Bialik is just as much of a genius as the one she plays on The Big Bang Theory. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, focusing on obsessive compulsive disorder among people with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare condition in which the hypothalamus malfunctions.
Little known fact: Natalie Portman skipped the premiere of Star Wars: Phantom Menace because she was studying for her high school exams. She had two papers published in scientific journals while she was still in high school, and graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Psychology.
Before he was looking for answers on X-Files, David Duchovny was just trying to find the answers for English finals at Princeton University90. David graduated from Princeton in 1982 with a B.A in English. He continued to feed his love of literature by receiving a master’s degree in English Literature at Yale University. David was an excellent writer and poet. His work consistently received praise by his fellow classmates and teachers at Yale. His writing was even nominated for a college prize by the Academy of American Poets.
Sigourney Weaver graduated from Stanford University in 1971 with a bachelor’s in Literature. It was while studying at Stanford that Sigourney realized her true passion in life was to become an actress. Shortly after graduation, she attended Yale for their well-known drama program. She would go on to receive a master’s in Acting from Yale University and become friends with fellow famous actress Meryl Streep.
Meryl Streep is considered one of the most successful actresses of all time. She is also one of the most highly educated. Before collecting an array of Oscars, Meryl collected diplomas. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in 1971. Meryl has a habit of being unsatisfied with impressive accomplishments as her acting career has shown, so she attended Yale University and earned a master’s degree in Acting.