More and more, we’ve learned that just because you’re a wildly successful celebrity doesn’t mean you’re not smart. We already know a pretty impressive number of famous people went to Ivy League universities, and now we’re learning that others were valedictorians of their high schools.
Typically, a valedictorian is the student with highest ranking—a.k.a., the smartest person in the class—and delivers a farewell speech at graduation.
Some famous valedictorians aren’t terribly shocking like Jodie Foster, who we know is a brain (she attended Yale), and Conan O’Brien, who went to Harvard. But others are more surprising: Who knew Alicia Keys, Tiffiani Thiessen, and Natalie Portman were the smartest kids in their class, too?
Just time for graduation, we’ve highlighted 15 celebrities who were at the very top of their grade.
Natalie Portman
Syosset High School, Syosset New York, Class of 1999.
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WENN
Alicia Keys
Professional Performing Arts School, New York City, 1997.
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Cindy Crawford
DeKalb High School, IL, Class of 1984.
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America Ferrera
El Camino Real High School, Los Angeles, California, class of 2002.
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Troian Bellisario
Campbell Hall High School, North Hollywood, California, Class of 2005
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Bette Midler
Radford High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, Class of 1963
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WENN
Kevin Spacey
Spacey was was co-valedictorian of Los Angeles' Chatsworth High School in 1977 along with actress Mare Winningham
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WENN
Jodie Foster
Lycee Francais de Los Angeles, Class of 1980 (Foster had already been nominated for an Oscar when she was named Valedictorian)
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Tiffany Thiessen
Valley Professional High School, Los Angeles, CA, Class of 1992
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Hillary Clinton
Wellesley College, Class of 1969.
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David Duchovny
Collegiate School, New York City, Class of 1978
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Conan O'Brien
Brookline High School, Brookline, Mass., Class of 1981.
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Emmylou Harris
Garfield High School, Alexandria, Va., Class of 1965
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Weird Al Yankovic
Lynwood High School, Lynwood, CA, Class of 1976
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Ben Stein
Yale Law School class of 1970
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WENN
