# Celebrity surprises: **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135 "2006-06-26T00:29:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/1 "2006-06-26T00:29:09Z")
Peter Weller edition. I was just watching The History Channel, in the segment where they were talking about Roman roads. One of their talking heads came on to say something about road construction. He was identified as “Peter Weller – Syracuse University.” I thought, “Jeezopete, is that the same Peter Weller that was in Robocop?” A quick trip to [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000693/bio) confirmed it: > [@](#): > > He teaches a literature and fine arts class at Syracuse University. He can be seen on The History Channel’s new documentary on Roman engineering. > > He holds a master’s degree in Roman and Renaissance art and is working toward a Ph.D. One of Syracuse University’s most popular professors. Wow, who knew?? He has hidden depths, I guess. 🙂 Anybody know of other celebrities with surprising skills/talents? ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/2 "2006-06-26T00:54:58Z")
Damn, I saw that and thought the same thing! Go figure! ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/3 "2006-06-26T01:31:31Z")
Sergio Aragones, cartoonist famous for **MAD** and **Groo the Wanderer** , was in show business in the late 50s-to-early 70s. One of his earliest TV gigs was as a stunt double for Irish McCalla, star of **Sheena, Queen of the Jungle** , on that show. Charo, the voluptuous “cootchie cootchie” girl, is an accomplished classical guitarist and a former student of Andres Segovia. Winona Ryder, “It girl” of the late 80s, was arrested and successfully prosecuted for shoplifting. Hey, I was surprised. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/4 "2006-06-26T01:53:34Z")
My favorite: [Dolph Lungren](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000185/). > [@](#): > > Dolph Lundgren attended the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. He received a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in 1982, and the next year was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to MIT. Who would’ve thunk it? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/5 "2006-06-26T01:59:58Z")
Kris Kristofferson earned a Rhodes scholarship to study literature at Oxford. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/6 "2006-06-26T02:13:59Z")
Cindy Crawford was attending Northwestern University in pursuit of an engineering degree when she decided to quit school because of her growing modelling career. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/7 "2006-06-26T02:21:28Z")
The lead singer for the punk band Bad Religion, Greg Graffin, has an advanced degree in paleoanthropology and has taught evolutionary history at Cornell, if I’m not mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/8 "2006-06-26T03:21:27Z")
Ventriloquist Paul Winchell (whose most famous dummy was called Jerry Mahoney) was also an inventor who held numerous patents, among which were a disposable razor, a flameless cigarette lighter, an illuminated ballpoint pen, a retractable fountain pen, an invisible garter belt, battery-operated heated gloves, a portable blood plasma defroster, a sectional garment for hypothermia, a piezo-electric diaphragm, and an artificial human heart. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/9 "2006-06-26T04:36:44Z")
The film director Paul Verhoeven (_Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Starship Troopers_) has a [Ph.D.](http://www.westarinstitute.org/Fellows/fellows.html) from the University of Leiden. The actress Mira Sorvino (_Mighty Aphrodite_) graduated _magna cum laude_ from Harvard, and can speak fluent Mandarin Chinese. The musician [Jeff “Skunk” Baxter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Baxter), of the Doobie Brothers, is also a highly-paid consultant to the Pentagon and defense contractors. Since 2005, he’s served on the NASA Exploration Systems Advisory Committee. ---
**Author:** ![ululate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/59ef9b/32.png) [@ululate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ululate)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/10 "2006-06-26T12:51:15Z")
Zeppo Marx, from IMDB: _“Somewhat of a mechanical whiz, Zeppo invented a wristwatch that would monitor the pulse rate of cardiac patients, and his company, Marman Products, produced clamping devices which were used in the first atomic bomb raids over Japan in 1945.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/11 "2006-06-26T16:59:20Z")
Dexter Holland from The Offspring is a PhD candidate in Molecular Bio. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/12 "2006-06-26T17:57:52Z")
Didn’t I hear that Jodie Foster is some kind of braniac? I adore her. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/13 "2006-06-26T17:58:57Z")
Brainiac, damnit! Brainiac! Sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/14 "2006-06-26T18:09:04Z")
Queen was probably one of the most educated bands in rock: [ul] [li]Freddie Mercury - diploma in art and graphic design from Ealing Art College[/li][li]John Deacon - degree in electrical engineering from Chelsea College[/li][li]Roger Taylor - B.Sc. in biology from North London Polytechnic[/li][li]Brian May - almost completed his Ph.D. in astronomy at Imperial College London, lacking only his dissertation; co-author on two scientific papers, including one published in Nature[/li][/ul] Danica McKellar (Winnie Cooper on “The Wonder Years”) graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a degree in math. She’s co-author on a paper published in the Journal of Physics. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/15 "2006-06-26T18:20:26Z")
Harrison Ford is a helicopter pilot, and has responded to a couple distress calls to rescue hikers trapped in the hills. Imagine their surprise… ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/16 "2006-06-26T18:26:20Z")
> [@Terminus Est](#): > > Queen was probably one of the most educated bands in rock: > [ul] > [li]Freddie Mercury - diploma in art and graphic design from Ealing Art College[/li][li]John Deacon - degree in electrical engineering from Chelsea College[/li][li]Roger Taylor - B.Sc. in biology from North London Polytechnic[/li][li]Brian May - almost completed his Ph.D. in astronomy at Imperial College London, lacking only his dissertation; co-author on two scientific papers, including one published in Nature[/li][/ul] I’d have guessed: Mercury - astronomy Deacon - divinity Taylor - fashion design May - statistics, specializing in probability ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/17 "2006-06-26T18:53:47Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Sergio Aragones, cartoonist famous for **MAD** and **Groo the Wanderer** , was in show business in the late 50s-to-early 70s. One of his earliest TV gigs was as a stunt double for Irish McCalla, star of **Sheena, Queen of the Jungle** , on that show. The [resemblance](http://www.lfb.it/fff/fumetto/aut/a/imm/aragones01.jpg) is [uncanny](http://www.onr.com/user/doggz/irish.jpg)! ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/18 "2006-06-26T19:00:09Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > The [resemblance](http://www.lfb.it/fff/fumetto/aut/a/imm/aragones01.jpg) is [uncanny](http://www.onr.com/user/doggz/irish.jpg)! Yeah but that picture was obviously after she had shaved that tremendous mustache she was known for. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/19 "2006-06-26T19:21:56Z")
Milo Auckerman, lead singer of the punk band Descendents had a PHD in biochemistry and does a lot of research work. Many of the long gaps between recording and touring were due to his going to school or him working his “day job” in between touring and recording. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135/20 "2006-06-26T19:25:46Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > My favorite: [Dolph Lungren](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000185/). > > Who would’ve thunk it? It’s why my friend and I used to call him, “The Nazi experiment gone horibly awry!” (In incredibly cheezy 1950’s sci-fi scientist voices) I was going to bring up Geena Davis and her archery, but then realized it’s not -that- unexpected that someone athletic would be… Well… A decent athlete! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-surprises/362135.md?page=2)