150 Fun Facts About Celebrity

Who is the only actor with three Best Actor Oscars?

Daniel Day-Lewis won for My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood and Lincoln; on the first he stayed in his wheelchair off camera and had the crew spoon-feed him.

The 2003 hit 'Crazy in Love', the lead single from Dangerously in Love, featured which rapper?

Jay-Z turned up at the studio around 3 a.m. and improvised his guest verse in about ten minutes; five years later he married the song's singer.

Which celebrity couple is known as 'Bennifer'?

'Bennifer' is Ben Affleck & Jennifer Lopez: the press coined it during their 2002–04 romance and revived it as 'Bennifer 2.0' when they reunited and married in 2022.

Who was Alex Russo on Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place?

Selena Gomez, born in Texas, was named after the Tejano singer Selena; she played Alex Russo from 2007 to 2012 and later starred in Only Murders in the Building.

Which NBA player legally changed his name to Metta World Peace in 2011?

Ron Artest, then a Los Angeles Laker, legally became Metta World Peace in September 2011; after marrying he changed it again in 2020 to Metta Sandiford-Artest.

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow starred together on which 1990s sitcom?

Friends saw its six leads bargain as a group from season three; by the last two seasons each of them earned $1 million an episode.

Which debut single gave Lady Gaga her first Billboard Hot 100 number one in January 2009?

'Just Dance' was a sleeper hit: released in April 2008, it spent almost five months on the Hot 100 before reaching the top; 'Poker Face' followed as her second straight number one.

Which actor played Tony Stark / Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Robert Downey Jr. got the part only after director Jon Favreau overcame Marvel's opposition to casting him; he played Stark from Iron Man (2008) to Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Which rapper first found fame playing wheelchair-using Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation?

Drake spent seven years as Jimmy, a basketball star shot by a classmate, and self-released his first mixtape in 2006 while still in the cast.

Who hosted 'The Tonight Show' for 30 years before retiring in 1992?

Johnny Carson moved The Tonight Show from New York to Burbank, California, in 1972 to be nearer Hollywood's stars.

Which athlete became the first person to pass 1 billion combined social media followers?

Cristiano Ronaldo passed the mark in September 2024, a week after scoring his 900th career goal, and told followers: 'We've made history'.

Which actress won an Oscar for her role in 'Black Swan' (2010)?

Natalie Portman trained in ballet for months before filming and met choreographer Benjamin Millepied on the set; the two married in 2012.

Which Kardashian-Jenner family member's cosmetics brand launched with sold-out Lip Kits in November 2015?

Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics, started as Kylie Lip Kits with Seed Beauty, sold its first liquid-lipstick-and-liner kits on 30 November 2015; Coty bought a 51% stake in 2019.

After his first NBA retirement in 1993, Michael Jordan tried to make it professionally in which other sport?

Baseball was the dream Jordan's father, murdered months earlier, had held for him; he hit .202 for the minor-league Birmingham Barons, then returned to the Bulls in 1995.

Which singer is known as the 'Queen of Pop'?

Madonna has told how she quit college and landed in New York in 1978 with $35 in her pocket, after her first plane trip and her first taxi ride.

Which celebrity chef is famous for the phrase 'Bam!'?

Emeril Lagasse is said to have started shouting 'Bam!' to keep his studio crew awake while taping several shows a day; it became his signature on Emeril Live.

Will Smith famously slapped which presenter at the 2022 Academy Awards?

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the 94th Academy Awards in March 2022 after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith won Best Actor later that evening.

Which K-pop star sang 'Dreamers' at the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar?

Jungkook of BTS opened the tournament in a black suit, ringed by dancers; Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi joined him midway through the song.

Which actress played Katniss Everdeen in 'The Hunger Games' film series?

Jennifer Lawrence took three days to say yes to Katniss, intimidated by the size of the production; she then trained in archery, climbing and combat for the part.

Which song spent a then-record 19 straight weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019?

Old Town Road was built on a beat Lil Nas X bought online for $30; Billboard dropped it from its country chart as not country enough, weeks before its record run began.

Which royal couple gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey in March 2021?

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle said an unnamed royal had voiced concerns about how dark their son's skin might be; the Palace replied that 'some recollections may vary'.

What was Elvis Presley's famous nickname?

The King of Rock and Roll was a title Elvis waved away: at a 1969 Las Vegas press conference he pointed to Fats Domino and called him the real king.

Which reality series about Kris Jenner's family premiered on E! in October 2007 and ran for 20 seasons?

Keeping Up with the Kardashians got its start on a home tape: Ryan Seacrest sent a cameraman to film the family's weekend barbecue, liked the tape and took it to E!.

Who was the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director?

Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Locker in 2010, beating a field that included her ex-husband James Cameron, nominated for Avatar.

Which man claimed a men's-record 24th Grand Slam singles title at the 2023 US Open?

Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev, the man who had ended his bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam in the same final two years earlier, to win his 24th major.

Which pop star's 2023–24 tour became the first to gross more than $1 billion?

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour grossed about $2 billion over 149 shows; dancing fans at her Seattle concerts shook the ground like a magnitude 2.3 earthquake.

Which actor played the Joker in the 2008 film 'The Dark Knight'?

Heath Ledger shut himself in a London hotel room for weeks to find the Joker's voice, keeping a diary in character; he died six months before the film opened.

Which former Disney Channel star released the hit song 'Drivers License' in 2021?

Olivia Rodrigo's debut single set Spotify's record for one-day streams of a non-holiday song within four days; weeks later Saturday Night Live built a sketch around it.

Which comedian and actor starred in 'Mrs. Doubtfire' and 'Good Will Hunting'?

Robin Williams improvised so freely on Mrs. Doubtfire that director Chris Columbus ran several cameras at once to catch his co-stars' reactions; Good Will Hunting won him an Oscar.

Which supermodel did Time magazine nickname 'The Body'?

Elle Macpherson turned the nickname into a business, selling a skincare line called The Body; she also holds the record of five Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers.

Which celebrity bought Twitter (now X) in October 2022?

Elon Musk agreed to pay $44 billion in April 2022, tried to pull out in July, and closed the deal that October only after Twitter sued to hold him to it.

Who played the title role in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1997 to 2003?

Sarah Michelle Gellar first tested for the part of Cordelia; creator Joss Whedon then asked her back to read for Buffy, the role she played for all seven seasons.

Which musician is known for hits like 'Purple Rain' and 'When Doves Cry'?

Prince swapped his name for an unpronounceable symbol in 1993 during a contract dispute with Warner Bros., and took the name back in 2000.

Which actor voiced Woody in the 'Toy Story' franchise?

Tom Hanks has voiced Woody in every Toy Story film since 1995; at his suggestion his sound-alike brother Jim voices the cowboy in video games, toys and theme-park rides.

Which quarterback won a record seven Super Bowl titles?

Tom Brady was only the 199th pick of the 2000 draft, yet won six Super Bowls with New England and one with Tampa Bay: more than any NFL franchise had won when he retired.

Which actress completed her EGOT at the 2022 Tony Awards, as a producer of the musical 'A Strange Loop'?

Jennifer Hudson finished only seventh on American Idol in 2004, then won an Oscar for Dreamgirls, two Grammys and a Daytime Emmy before the Tony completed the set.

Which famous couple starred together in 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' (2005) and later married?

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie married in 2014 at Château Miraval, the French wine estate they owned together; after they split, the sale of her share landed them in court.

Which streaming service produced the hit show 'Squid Game'?

Netflix picked up Squid Game about a decade after Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote it in 2009: Korean studios had turned the story down as too grotesque and unrealistic.

Which singer rewrote Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' for a 2024 country album?

Beyoncé's version on Cowboy Carter warns Jolene off where the original begs; Dolly Parton, who had said for years she wanted her to cover it, appears on the album as a radio DJ.

Which action star won California's historic 2003 recall election and served as the state's 38th governor until 2011?

Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his run on Jay Leno's late-night show, then topped a ballot of 135 candidates to replace the recalled Gray Davis.

Which British singer performed 'Someone Like You' at the 2011 BRIT Awards?

Adele wrote the song after learning her ex had got engaged to someone else; her BRITs performance, with only a piano, sent it to number one, her first UK chart-topper.

Which social media star boxed Floyd Mayweather in a 2021 exhibition match?

Logan Paul had lost his only professional fight, to fellow YouTuber KSI, yet lasted all eight rounds with the unbeaten Mayweather; no winner was announced.

Which actress played Elle Woods in 'Legally Blonde'?

Reese Witherspoon played Elle Woods in 2001 and 2003, then built Hello Sunshine to make female-led stories; the company was sold in 2021 for about $900 million.

Who took over CBS's The Late Show from David Letterman in September 2015?

Stephen Colbert dropped the mock-conservative pundit he had played on The Colbert Report to host as himself; CBS retired The Late Show altogether with his last episode in May 2026.

Which rapper ran for President of the United States in 2020 on a 'Birthday Party' ticket?

Kanye West said he chose the name because 'when we win, it's everybody's birthday'; he made the ballot in twelve states and drew about 70,000 votes.

Which actress starred in both 'Mean Girls' and 'The Notebook'?

Rachel McAdams first read for the heroine Cady in Mean Girls but was judged a bit too old and cast as queen bee Regina George; The Notebook opened the same year.

Which Spice Girl went on to marry footballer David Beckham?

Posh Spice, Victoria Adams, married Beckham at an Irish castle in 1999; at the wedding dinner the couple sat on golden thrones on a raised platform.

Which Oscar-winning director is known for films like 'Inception,' 'The Dark Knight,' and 'Oppenheimer'?

Christopher Nolan won his first directing Oscar for Oppenheimer in 2024; he restaged its Trinity bomb test with real explosives instead of computer graphics.

What was the name of Michael Jackson's famous estate and amusement park?

Neverland Ranch took its name from Peter Pan's island; offered for $100 million in 2015, it sold in 2020 to billionaire Ron Burkle for $22 million.

Who holds the record of four Best Actress Academy Awards?

Katharine Hepburn won for Morning Glory, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter and On Golden Pond, and never once attended the ceremony to collect a statuette.

Rihanna was born and raised on which Caribbean island nation?

Rihanna was born in Saint Michael, Barbados, and grew up in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown, helping her father sell clothes at a street stall before fame.

Before wrestling and Hollywood, Dwayne Johnson played college football for which school?

University of Miami won the 1991 national title with Johnson mostly a backup; cut by the Calgary Stampeders two months into the 1995 season, he took up wrestling the next year.

Which Hollywood star's legal surname at birth was Mapother?

Tom Cruise was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in Syracuse, New York; his cousin William Mapother kept the surname, became an actor too and has appeared in five of his films.

Which singer was born with the first names Destiny Hope?

Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus in 1992; her parents' nickname 'Smiley' for the grinning baby was shortened to Miley, which she made her legal name in 2008.

Which Hollywood star was born in Beirut?

Keanu Reeves was born in Beirut in 1964, where his mother, a costume designer, was working when she met his Hawaiian father; his parents divorced two years later and he grew up in Toronto.

Which performer earned a record 21st Academy Award acting nomination for The Post in 2018?

Meryl Streep's 21 nominations are the most of any performer; after her first win, for Kramer vs. Kramer, she left the statuette behind in the ladies' room.

Which film finally earned Leonardo DiCaprio his Academy Award for Best Actor?

The Revenant (2015) won Leonardo DiCaprio his Best Actor Oscar; playing Hugh Glass he ate raw bison liver, slept in an animal carcass and learned some Pawnee and Arikara.

Whose 2011 marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries lasted just 72 days before she filed for divorce?

Kim Kardashian's wedding had aired as a two-part E! special only weeks earlier; the divorce then took until June 2013 to finalise, far longer than the marriage.

Which pop star was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara?

Katy Perry, born Katheryn Hudson to two Pentecostal pastors, adopted her mother's maiden name Perry to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson.

Justin Bieber grew up busking outside a theatre in which Ontario town?

Stratford's Avon Theatre was Bieber's busking spot at twelve; manager Scooter Braun, who clicked on one of his YouTube videos by accident, traced him through the theatre and his school.

Ariana Grande played the dimwitted Cat Valentine on which Nickelodeon sitcom?

Ariana Grande played Cat Valentine on Victorious (2010–13) and its spin-off Sam & Cat; dyeing her hair red every other week for the role damaged it so badly she turned to wigs and extensions.

Who became the first person born in the 21st century to win an Academy Award?

Billie Eilish, born in December 2001, won Best Original Song in 2022 for the Bond theme 'No Time to Die', which she and her brother Finneas wrote in three days on tour in Texas.

Who became the youngest winner of the Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy, for 'Euphoria'?

Zendaya won at 24 for playing the teenage addict Rue Bennett, taking a record Jodie Comer had set only a year earlier; she gave her speech remotely, like every winner at that pandemic-year ceremony.

Which Australian Oscar winner was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii?

Nicole Kidman was born in Honolulu in 1967 while her Australian father was studying in the United States, giving her dual citizenship; she won Best Actress for The Hours (2002).

George Clooney co-founded which tequila brand, sold to Diageo in 2017?

Casamigos, 'house of friends', began as a tequila Clooney and a friend made purely for themselves; they started selling it in 2013, and Diageo paid up to $1 billion for the brand.

Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling all starred as kids on which show?

The Mickey Mouse Club's Disney Channel revival had all three in its cast from 1993, alongside Christina Aguilera; Spears and Timberlake went on to date from 1999.

Which screen icon was born Norma Jeane Mortenson in 1926?

Marilyn Monroe took the name in 1946: studio executive Ben Lyon picked 'Marilyn' after Broadway star Marilyn Miller, and 'Monroe' was her mother's maiden name.

Which music legend was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex?

Elton John built his stage name from two Bluesology bandmates, saxophonist Elton Dean and singer Long John Baldry, and made it his legal name in 1972.

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on which island?

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town, Zanzibar, in 1946; his Parsi family fled to England after the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution.

Who was the first person People magazine named 'Sexiest Man Alive', in 1985?

Mel Gibson inspired the title itself: as People's editors planned a story on him, one exclaimed that he was the sexiest man alive, and it became the cover line.

Clint Eastwood served two years as mayor of which California town from 1986?

Clint Eastwood was mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea from 1986 to 1988 on a $200-a-month salary; his council overturned the town's ban on selling take-away ice-cream cones.

Which 'Full House' actress served prison time over the 2019 college admissions scandal?

Lori Loughlin and her husband paid $500,000 to get their two daughters into USC as rowing recruits, though neither rowed; she served two months in prison in 2020.

Which lifestyle mogul served five months in federal prison and was released in March 2005?

Martha Stewart went to prison over a 2001 stock sale that spared her a loss of about $45,000; she was convicted not of the trade itself but of lying to investigators about it.

Gwyneth Paltrow's 2023 ski-collision trial concerned a crash at a resort in which state?

The 2016 collision happened at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah; Gwyneth Paltrow countersued for one dollar plus legal fees and the 2023 jury found the other skier, Terry Sanderson, at fault.

Nicolas Cage changed his surname to avoid trading on which famous director uncle?

Nicolas Cage was born Nicolas Coppola, nephew of Francis Ford Coppola; he took 'Cage' partly from the comic hero Luke Cage, and his cousin Sofia Coppola won an Oscar for Lost in Translation.

Which rock star is nicknamed 'the Boss'?

Bruce Springsteen is said to have earned the name in his club days by collecting his band's nightly pay and sharing it out; another story credits Monopoly games with other Jersey Shore musicians.

Kobe Bryant died in a January 2020 helicopter crash in which California city?

The helicopter went down in hilly terrain in Calabasas on 26 January 2020, killing Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others; the NBA renamed its All-Star Game MVP trophy for him.

Which company bought Dr. Dre's headphone brand Beats for about $3 billion in 2014?

Apple paid about $2.6 billion up front plus $400 million vesting over time, then its largest purchase; before it was announced, Dre boasted on video of being hip-hop's first billionaire.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed a takeover of which Welsh football club in February 2021?

Wrexham AFC's supporters' trust approved the Reynolds–McElhenney takeover in November 2020 and it completed in February 2021; the club's revival became the Emmy-winning series Welcome to Wrexham.

Emma Watson earned her English literature degree from which Ivy League school in 2014?

Brown University came after a gap year spent filming the last two Harry Potter films; Watson then mixed study with acting, with a year at Worcester College, Oxford, and graduated in 2014.

Who is the youngest person ever to win a competitive Academy Award, at age ten?

Tatum O'Neal won Best Supporting Actress for Paper Moon, playing a child con artist opposite her father Ryan; she beat co-star Madeline Kahn, nominated for the same film.

Halle Berry's history-making Best Actress Oscar came for which 2001 film?

Monster's Ball made Halle Berry the first Black woman to win Best Actress; three years later she collected a Razzie for Catwoman in person, holding her Oscar in the other hand.

Sidney Poitier became the first Black Best Actor Oscar winner for which 1963 film?

Lilies of the Field cast Poitier as a handyman who builds a chapel for nuns; born two months early while his Bahamian parents were in Florida selling tomatoes, he was a US citizen by birth.

Meghan Markle played paralegal-turned-lawyer Rachel Zane on which legal drama?

Suits kept Markle for seven seasons, until 2018; five years on, its reruns topped Nielsen's streaming chart for a record 12 straight weeks.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen took turns playing which character on 'Full House'?

Michelle Tanner was shared by the twins from the age of nine months; for years the credits read 'Mary Kate Ashley Olsen' so viewers would think one girl played her.

Which actor is the centre of a famous 'six degrees' parlour game about movie connections?

Kevin Bacon at first disliked the 1994 game, thinking it mocked him, then embraced it: in 2007 he launched the charity SixDegrees.org.

Which entertainer held the Guinness record for the longest TV career by a woman?

Betty White first appeared on an experimental TV broadcast in 1939; in 2010 a Facebook campaign made her, at 88, the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live.

Steve Harvey mistakenly crowned which country's contestant Miss Universe 2015?

Harvey announced Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutiérrez, as Miss Universe 2015 after misreading the card; she was the first runner-up, and Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach was crowned minutes later.

Which sporting icon was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky?

Muhammad Ali took up boxing at 12 after his bicycle was stolen: he told a policeman he would 'whup' the thief, and the officer, Joe Martin, told him to learn to box first.

What is the real name of the YouTube giveaway star known as MrBeast?

Jimmy Donaldson broke through in January 2017 with a video of himself counting aloud to 100,000, an ordeal that took him about 40 hours.

Supermodel Cindy Crawford's model daughter goes by what name?

Kaia Gerber landed her first campaign at ten, for Young Versace, and at fourteen shared a Vogue Paris cover with her mother.

Shakira and Sofía Vergara were both born in which city?

Barranquilla, a Caribbean port, has put up two statues of Shakira, in 2006 and 2023; Sofía Vergara was born there five years before her.

Which talk-show host married eight times, to seven women?

Larry King reached eight marriages with seven wives by marrying Alene Akins twice in the 1960s; his last marriage, to Shawn Southwick, began in 1997.

Which actress was arrested in 2001 for shoplifting $5,500 of designer goods from Saks Fifth Avenue?

Winona Ryder was arrested in Beverly Hills in December 2001; after she wore Marc Jacobs to her court hearings, the designer put her in his Spring 2003 campaign.

Which British comedian holds a master's degree in electrical engineering from Oxford?

Rowan Atkinson developed Mr. Bean while studying for his master's at The Queen's College, Oxford, where he also met his long-time writing partner Richard Curtis.

Which film won Best Picture at the 2017 Oscars after 'La La Land' was named by mistake?

Moonlight was named the winner only after La La Land's producers had begun their speeches: presenter Warren Beatty had been handed the envelope for Emma Stone's Best Actress win.

Whose 'Castle on the Hill' recalls a Suffolk childhood?

Ed Sheeran was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, but grew up in Framlingham; its castle is the one in the song, which has been called a love letter to Suffolk.

Which golfer won the 1997 Masters by a record 12 strokes?

Tiger Woods began the 1997 Masters with a shaky 40 on his first nine holes, then played the rest so well that, at 21, he won by the largest margin in the tournament's history.

Who co-starred with Paris Hilton on the reality show 'The Simple Life'?

Nicole Richie, Lionel Richie's daughter and Paris's childhood friend, was the co-star; for the 2003 first season the pair lived with a family in rural Altus, Arkansas.

Margot Robbie got her start playing Donna Freedman on which Australian soap?

Neighbours meant Donna Freedman to be a guest character, but Robbie was promoted to the regular cast and stayed until 2011, when she left for the United States and the series Pan Am.

Which Star Wars actor was a self-taught carpenter when George Lucas hired him to read lines at auditions?

Harrison Ford took up carpentry to support his wife and two young sons. His line readings won Lucas over, and the stand-in became Han Solo.

Which Beatle narrated the first two series of the children's television show about Thomas the Tank Engine?

Ringo Starr also played Mr. Conductor in the first season of the show's American spin-off, Shining Time Station.

Which actress won a Razzie for All About Steve the night before her Best Actress Oscar for The Blind Side?

Sandra Bullock turned up to accept the Razzie in person. Only a composer and a screenwriter had ever won both awards in one weekend before her.

Which British action star competed for England in diving events at the 1990 Commonwealth Games?

Jason Statham spent twelve years on Britain's national squad. Modelling work for French Connection later brought him to director Guy Ritchie, who needed a streetwise con artist.

Which NBA Hall of Famer earned a doctorate in education from Barry University in 2012?

Shaquille O'Neal wrote his capstone project on 'The Duality of Humor and Aggression in Leadership Styles'. He began the degree toward the end of his playing career.

Which footballer's first Barcelona contract was written on a paper napkin because no other paper was at hand?

Lionel Messi was 13 and on trial in 2000 when director Carles Rexach wrote out the deal, after Barcelona were given an ultimatum to prove their commitment.

Which Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid star co-founded a food brand that gives all its profits to charity?

Paul Newman started Newman's Own in 1982 with writer A. E. Hotchner, beginning with a salad dressing. Pasta sauce, lemonade and popcorn followed.

Which Olympic sprint champion began training with Australian football club Central Coast Mariners in 2018?

Usain Bolt scored twice in a friendly for the Mariners and was offered a contract. He had just turned down a two-year deal from Maltese club Valletta.

Which celebrity chef had a teenage trial with Rangers before a serious knee injury ended his football hopes?

Gordon Ramsay smashed his knee cartilage in training. At 19 he got serious about cooking rather than be known as 'the football player with the gammy knee'.

Which Guardians of the Galaxy star was discovered waiting tables at a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant in Maui?

Chris Pratt was homeless at the time, living out of a van and a tent on the beach. Actress and director Rae Dawn Chong spotted him and cast him in a short horror film.

Which actress became the first to be paid $20 million for a film, for playing Erin Brockovich?

Julia Roberts also won the Best Actress Oscar for the role, a real-life campaigner who took on Pacific Gas and Electric.

Which That '70s Show actor planned to study biochemical engineering to cure his twin brother's heart ailment?

Ashton Kutcher enrolled at the University of Iowa in 1996 with that plan. He later became a venture capitalist, co-founding the firm A-Grade Investments.

Which actress co-founded the Honest Company, a seller of baby, personal and household products, in 2011?

Jessica Alba launched the range in January 2012 with business partner Christopher Gavigan, starting with household goods, diapers and body care products.

Which actor served as an usher at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral while a student at Morehouse College?

Samuel L. Jackson was a Morehouse cheerleader who first planned to study marine biology. A year after the funeral he helped hold the college's trustees hostage to demand reform.

Which Baywatch star was discovered when a stadium screen showed her in a Labatt's T-shirt at a BC Lions game?

Pamela Anderson was then hired briefly by the brewery as a spokesmodel. Her boyfriend at the time turned her image into a poster called the Blue Zone Girl.

Which tennis champion won the 2017 Australian Open while roughly eight weeks pregnant?

Serena Williams revealed that April that she was 20 weeks pregnant, which dated the pregnancy to before the tournament. She missed the rest of the season.

Which swimmer won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, one of them by a hundredth of a second?

Michael Phelps broke a record of seven golds that had stood since 1972. His 100-meter butterfly win was so close that the Serbian delegation filed a protest.

Which singer won the first season of American Idol with 58% of the vote against runner-up Justin Guarini?

Kelly Clarkson then co-starred with her runner-up in a 2003 musical romantic comedy, From Justin to Kelly.

Cher won the Best Actress Oscar for playing a widow who falls for her fiancé's brother in which film?

Moonstruck made Cher an Oscar winner four years after her first nomination, for Silkwood. Norman Jewison directed the romantic comedy.

Which actress, born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, took over as the voice of Meg Griffin on Family Guy in 1999?

Mila Kunis replaced Lacey Chabert in the role. At 14 she landed That '70s Show by telling casting directors she would be 18, without saying when.

Which One Direction member worked part-time at a bakery in the Cheshire village of Holmes Chapel as a teenager?

Harry Styles also fronted a school band called White Eskimo, which won a local Battle of the Bands competition.

Which Spider-Man actor first made his name dancing the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical in London's West End?

Tom Holland started out as Billy's best friend Michael before taking over the lead. A choreographer had noticed him in a dance class when he was nine.

Which Oscar-winning actress made her parents a PowerPoint called 'Project Hollywood' so she could move to California?

Emma Stone won the argument: in January 2004 she moved with her mother to an apartment in Los Angeles.

Which rock frontman studied finance and accounting at the London School of Economics before leaving for his band?

Mick Jagger kept studying on a government grant while his future bandmates planned a rhythm and blues group, then quit for the Rolling Stones.

Which rock guitarist completed an astrophysics PhD at Imperial College London over 30 years after starting it?

Brian May re-registered for the doctorate in 2006 and finished a year sooner than he expected. His thesis surveyed the dust in the plane of the Solar System.

Which Big Bang Theory star earned a real PhD in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007?

Mayim Bialik went on to play Amy, a neurobiologist, so her character's field sat close to her own doctorate.

Which Hangover actor worked as a doctor at a Kaiser Permanente hospital before quitting medicine for comedy?

Ken Jeong kept his medical licence after giving up practice in 2006, and has helped with medical emergencies during performances and on set.

Matthew McConaughey became a professor of practice in 2019 at which Texas university, his alma mater?

UT Austin had already used Matthew McConaughey as a visiting instructor since 2015. He joined its Department of Radio-Television-Film.

Kate Hudson launched which activewear brand and membership program with TechStyle Fashion Group in 2013?

Fabletics became her main job: in 2018 Kate Hudson said she worked on it more than she did on movies.

Ryan Reynolds took an ownership stake in which prepaid phone carrier in 2019, before its sale for over $1 billion?

Mint Mobile went to T-Mobile in a 2024 cash-and-stock deal. Its founder had been impressed by the marketing Reynolds did for Deadpool.

Which actor wore false teeth to play Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, winning the Best Actor Oscar in 2019?

Rami Malek was born in California to Egyptian immigrant parents, and became the first actor of Egyptian heritage to win the category.

Which British actress won the 2019 Best Actress Oscar for playing Queen Anne in The Favourite?

Olivia Colman went from one monarch to another, playing Elizabeth II in the third and fourth seasons of The Crown.

The Jonas Brothers reunited in 2019 with which single, their first number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

Sucker ended a six-year split and debuted at number one, the first chart-topper by a boy band since B2K's 'Bump, Bump, Bump' in 2003.

Which classically trained flautist topped the Hot 100 in 2019 with 'Truth Hurts', two years after its release?

Lizzo studied classical flute at the University of Houston. Her sleeper hit took off after a TikTok meme and a spot in the film Someone Great.

Which rapper became the first solo woman to win the Best Rap Album Grammy, for her debut Invasion of Privacy?

Cardi B went into the February 2019 ceremony with five nominations and wore three vintage Thierry Mugler couture looks during the telecast.

Which American footballer won both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball at the 2019 Women's World Cup?

Megan Rapinoe scored six goals in France and, at 34, became the oldest woman to score in a World Cup final.

Which NBA star went straight from high school in Akron, Ohio, to the first pick of the 2003 draft?

LeBron James had already appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the first high school basketball underclassman to do so.

Which WWE star has granted more than 650 Make-A-Wish wishes, the most in the charity's history?

John Cena granted his first wish in 2002, and Guinness World Records found that nobody else had reached 200.

Which comedian became the first female head writer of Saturday Night Live after Adam McKay stepped down in 1999?

Tina Fey had sent in scripts at McKay's request while performing with The Second City. A year into the job she also began co-anchoring Weekend Update.

Which late-night host wrote the Simpsons episode 'Marge vs. the Monorail' before he ever fronted a talk show?

Conan O'Brien got the idea from a Los Angeles billboard that said only 'Monorail', and has called it his favorite of the episodes he wrote.

Which pop star, born in London to Kosovo Albanian parents, scored her first UK number one with 'New Rules'?

Dua Lipa moved with her family to Pristina after Kosovo declared independence in 2008, and the city later awarded her its first Pristina Key.

Which Puerto Rican star worked as a bagger and cashier at an Econo supermarket while making his early music?

Bad Bunny got his break in 2016, when DJ Luian heard his song 'Diles' and signed him to the label Hear this Music.

Which Grammy-winning singer was a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group before his music career took off?

John Legend joined the firm after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, recording his own music on the side. In 2018 he became the first Black man to complete an EGOT.

Which British supermodel was recruited at JFK Airport in New York by Storm Management founder Sarah Doukas?

Kate Moss was 14 and on her way home from a holiday in the Bahamas when the scout approached her in 1988.

Which Brazilian supermodel was discovered by Elite Model Management at a shopping center on a modeling-course trip?

Gisele Bündchen had wanted to be a volleyball player; her mother enrolled her in the modeling course to build confidence and better posture.

Which Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave was born in Mexico City while her Kenyan father lectured there?

Lupita Nyong'o holds Mexican, Kenyan and US citizenship, and became the first Kenyan actress to win an Academy Award.

Which X-Men star spent a gap year teaching physical education at Uppingham School in England?

Hugh Jackman went home to study communications in Sydney. He first became known outside Australia in 1998, starring as Curly in the National Theatre's Oklahoma! in London.

Which Scottish actor was fired from an Edinburgh law firm one week before qualifying as a lawyer?

Gerard Butler had been president of the law society at the University of Glasgow. At 25, still unqualified, he moved to London to chase fame instead.

Benedict Cumberbatch spent a gap year teaching English at a Tibetan monastery in which Indian hill town?

Darjeeling came after Benedict Cumberbatch left Harrow and worked six months, mostly in a perfume shop, to pay for the trip. He recalled living 'by very limited means' there.

Which action star was born in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, the son of an American soldier and a German mother?

Bruce Willis grew up in New Jersey with a stutter, and found that acting on stage in his school drama club reduced it.