Beauty & Brains: Celebrity Babes with High IQs

Before I get started, a couple of caveats. First, this is not a list of geeks who happen to be beautiful. There are a lot of those, and they've been documented on other websites and publications. No, this is a list of gorgeous celebrities, models and actresses who have also got some educational pedigree behind them (because I've got no objective measure for a celeb's IQ, and their past scholarly accomplishments is all I've got to work with). Also, while there are plenty of actresses, for instance, who have studied performing arts at the undergraduate level, I've tended to give greater weight to celebrities who have excelled in a different field from their chosen profession.

But enough with the formalities. Here is my ode to the Beautiful and the Brainy. Argue with me if you will, but these women are forever near and dear to my heart...

1. Natalie Portman

You may know her from: Star Wars, Garden State, The Professional and a host of other great films.
Why she's beautiful: If she was hot enough for Darth Vader to go over to the darkside, she's hot enough for me (and don't get me started on her sexy voice!). And of course, when you're done go see Closer.
Why she's brainy: Finished high school with a 4.0 GPA. Attended Harvard University where she completed a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. Also engaged in graduate studies at Hebrew University. Speaks Hebrew, French and Japanese fluently.
Extra Credit: Did you know Natalie also raps? Check it out.



2. Cindy Crawford

You may know her from: The grocery checkout stand - she was on the cover of just about every fashion magazine you can think of during the 1990s.
Why she's beatiful: She made beauty marks cool (even supermodels can have a 'blemish'). And young 'uns take note, she's still gorgeous at 40.
Why she's brainy: High school valedictorian (4.0 GPA), enrolled at Northwestern University to study chemical engineering on full academic scholarship. Dropped out to pursue modeling full-time after a semester (but she coulda finished!!!).
Extra Credit: The classic Pepsi commercial. The girl is pretty nice too!



3. Aishwarya Rai

You may know her from: Any of the dozens of Bollywood films she's been in.
Why she's beautiful: She won the 1994 Miss World pageant. Declared the most beautiful woman of all-time by numerous web polls, magazine articles and Julia Roberts.
Why she's brainy: Was an A student at the prestigious Ruparel College in India (part of the University of Mumbai). Wanted to study medicine or zoology but ultimately ended up majoring in architecture. She is fluent in several languages including Hindi, Marathi, English and Tamil (her native tongue is Tulu).
Extra Credit: 60 Minutes segment on Aishwarya Rai.



4. Kate Beckinsale

You may know her from: Movies like Click, Serendipity, Underworld, Van Helsing and Pearl Harbor.
Why she's beautiful: Almost made me turn to vampirism with her Underworld films. Routinely places in FHM, Maxim and Stuff's annual lists of hot women.
Why she's brainy: Attended Oxford University (New College) studying French and Russian literature for 3 years. As a teenager she was a two-time winner of the W.H. Smith Young Writers' competition for her short stories and poems. Is also fluent in French, German and Russian.
Extra Credit: Kate Beckinsale's Diet Coke ad. She knows how to make guys, um, tingle.



5. Dr. Victoria Zdrok

You may know her from: Magazine spreads from Playboy.
Why she's beautiful: One of the few to achieve both the Playboy Playmate of the Month (October 1994) and Penthouse Pet of the Month (June 2002).
Why she's brainy: Skipped high school and attended college instead. Graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's degree from West Chester University (Pennsylvania) at age 18. Obtained a JD law degree in 1997 as well as a Ph.D. in psychology from Villanova Law School and Drexel University. She most recently completed post-doctorate work in sex therapy at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.



6. Elisabeth Shue

You may know her from: The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, Leaving Las Vegas and Hollow Man.
Why she's beautiful: Sure some girls are bad, but Elisabeth's always been the nice girl next door.
Why she's brainy: Attended Wellesley College and Harvard University. She left Harvard to focus on acting in the mid 80s, but returned 15 years later to complete her degree in Government (that's some nice perseverance).
Extra credit: Elisabeth doing her cute as a button dance from Babysitting...



7. Famke Janssen
You may know her from: Movies like GoldenEye (villaness), X-Men (Jean Grey).
Why she's beautiful (or in this case, hot): Crushed men to death with her thighs in the Bond film, Goldeneye. Be still my beating heart!
Why she's brainy: Attended Columbia University to study literature and writing. Later attended the University of Amsterdam to study Economics.
Extra credit: If you were wondering about the GoldenEye comment...



8. Hedy Lamarr:

Why you know her: If you're using the internet, you probably don't know her. Ask your grandparents.
Why she's beautiful: Film star of the 30s and 40s frequently cast as a seductress invariably because of her good looks rather than her acting skills.
Why she's brainy: While her formal educational credentials are not well documented, Hedy Lamarr's biggest claim to fame outside of acting is her joint patent with composer George Antheil for an early version of spread spectrum communication technology (U.S. patent #2,292,387) - a concept that was later incorporated into wireless telephones and internet wifi.



9. Aisha Tyler

You may know her from: Television's Talk Soup, Friends, Ghost Whisperer and 24.
Why she's beautiful: Not only is she tall and beautiful, but she's also got a serious sense of humor having pursued a standup career.
Why she's brainy: Earned a Bachelor's degree from Dartmouth in Government with a minor in Environmental Policy. Fluent in French Russian and Swahili. She's also a serious poker player (big points in my book).



10. Jennifer Connelly

You may know her from: Movies like Career Opportunities, The Rocketeer, Inventing the Abbotts, Requiem for a Dream, A Beautiful Mind, Blood Diamond.
Why she's beautiful: It's all in her eyes (um...well and maybe a few other parts of her body)
Why she's brainy: Attended Yale for 2 years (English) then transferred to Stanford to complete her Bachelor's degree. Is fluent in French and Italian.
Extra credit: Nobody else has made riding a coin operated pony look so, um, fun.

Beauty & Brains: Celebrity Babes with High IQs

Before I get started, a couple of caveats. First, this is not a list of geeks who happen to be beautiful. There are a lot of those, and they've been documented on other websites and publications. No, this is a list of gorgeous celebrities, models and actresses who have also got some educational pedigree behind them (because I've got no objective measure for a celeb's IQ, and their past scholarly accomplishments is all I've got to work with). Also, while there are plenty of actresses, for instance, who have studied performing arts at the undergraduate level, I've tended to give greater weight to celebrities who have excelled in a different field from their chosen profession.

But enough with the formalities. Here is my ode to the Beautiful and the Brainy. Argue with me if you will, but these women are forever near and dear to my heart...

1. Natalie Portman

You may know her from: Star Wars, Garden State, The Professional and a host of other great films.
Why she's beautiful: If she was hot enough for Darth Vader to go over to the darkside, she's hot enough for me (and don't get me started on her sexy voice!). And of course, when you're done go see Closer.
Why she's brainy: Finished high school with a 4.0 GPA. Attended Harvard University where she completed a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. Also engaged in graduate studies at Hebrew University. Speaks Hebrew, French and Japanese fluently.
Extra Credit: Did you know Natalie also raps? Check it out.



2. Cindy Crawford

You may know her from: The grocery checkout stand - she was on the cover of just about every fashion magazine you can think of during the 1990s.
Why she's beatiful: She made beauty marks cool (even supermodels can have a 'blemish'). And young 'uns take note, she's still gorgeous at 40.
Why she's brainy: High school valedictorian (4.0 GPA), enrolled at Northwestern University to study chemical engineering on full academic scholarship. Dropped out to pursue modeling full-time after a semester (but she coulda finished!!!).
Extra Credit: The classic Pepsi commercial. The girl is pretty nice too!



3. Aishwarya Rai

You may know her from: Any of the dozens of Bollywood films she's been in.
Why she's beautiful: She won the 1994 Miss World pageant. Declared the most beautiful woman of all-time by numerous web polls, magazine articles and Julia Roberts.
Why she's brainy: Was an A student at the prestigious Ruparel College in India (part of the University of Mumbai). Wanted to study medicine or zoology but ultimately ended up majoring in architecture. She is fluent in several languages including Hindi, Marathi, English and Tamil (her native tongue is Tulu).
Extra Credit: 60 Minutes segment on Aishwarya Rai.



4. Kate Beckinsale

You may know her from: Movies like Click, Serendipity, Underworld, Van Helsing and Pearl Harbor.
Why she's beautiful: Almost made me turn to vampirism with her Underworld films. Routinely places in FHM, Maxim and Stuff's annual lists of hot women.
Why she's brainy: Attended Oxford University (New College) studying French and Russian literature for 3 years. As a teenager she was a two-time winner of the W.H. Smith Young Writers' competition for her short stories and poems. Is also fluent in French, German and Russian.
Extra Credit: Kate Beckinsale's Diet Coke ad. She knows how to make guys, um, tingle.



5. Dr. Victoria Zdrok

You may know her from: Magazine spreads from Playboy.
Why she's beautiful: One of the few to achieve both the Playboy Playmate of the Month (October 1994) and Penthouse Pet of the Month (June 2002).
Why she's brainy: Skipped high school and attended college instead. Graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's degree from West Chester University (Pennsylvania) at age 18. Obtained a JD law degree in 1997 as well as a Ph.D. in psychology from Villanova Law School and Drexel University. She most recently completed post-doctorate work in sex therapy at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.



6. Elisabeth Shue

You may know her from: The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, Leaving Las Vegas and Hollow Man.
Why she's beautiful: Sure some girls are bad, but Elisabeth's always been the nice girl next door.
Why she's brainy: Attended Wellesley College and Harvard University. She left Harvard to focus on acting in the mid 80s, but returned 15 years later to complete her degree in Government (that's some nice perseverance).
Extra credit: Elisabeth doing her cute as a button dance from Babysitting...



7. Famke Janssen
You may know her from: Movies like GoldenEye (villaness), X-Men (Jean Grey).
Why she's beautiful (or in this case, hot): Crushed men to death with her thighs in the Bond film, Goldeneye. Be still my beating heart!
Why she's brainy: Attended Columbia University to study literature and writing. Later attended the University of Amsterdam to study Economics.
Extra credit: If you were wondering about the GoldenEye comment...



8. Hedy Lamarr:

Why you know her: If you're using the internet, you probably don't know her. Ask your grandparents.
Why she's beautiful: Film star of the 30s and 40s frequently cast as a seductress invariably because of her good looks rather than her acting skills.
Why she's brainy: While her formal educational credentials are not well documented, Hedy Lamarr's biggest claim to fame outside of acting is her joint patent with composer George Antheil for an early version of spread spectrum communication technology (U.S. patent #2,292,387) - a concept that was later incorporated into wireless telephones and internet wifi.



9. Aisha Tyler

You may know her from: Television's Talk Soup, Friends, Ghost Whisperer and 24.
Why she's beautiful: Not only is she tall and beautiful, but she's also got a serious sense of humor having pursued a standup career.
Why she's brainy: Earned a Bachelor's degree from Dartmouth in Government with a minor in Environmental Policy. Fluent in French Russian and Swahili. She's also a serious poker player (big points in my book).



10. Jennifer Connelly

You may know her from: Movies like Career Opportunities, The Rocketeer, Inventing the Abbotts, Requiem for a Dream, A Beautiful Mind, Blood Diamond.
Why she's beautiful: It's all in her eyes (um...well and maybe a few other parts of her body)
Why she's brainy: Attended Yale for 2 years (English) then transferred to Stanford to complete her Bachelor's degree. Is fluent in French and Italian.
Extra credit: Nobody else has made riding a coin operated pony look so, um, fun.

Beauties With Big Brains

Beautiful girls are a dime a dozen when it comes to Hollywood, but brains … not so much. You don’t have to look too long at the tabloids in the supermarket checkout lines (or hell watch Fox News or CNN for a few minutes and you’re sure to catch the latest on Paris or Lindsay) to see that most famous actresses and singers didn’t exactly graduate from Harvard.

But there are movie stars out there who actually did graduate from Harvard. And Yale. And Oxford. Some of the hottest actresses out there have resumes that are more impressive than their looks. Here are ten of the hottest smart girls in Hollywood:

10: Emma Thompson

Background: Two time academy award winner (Best Actress for Howard’s End, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility), she’s recently been seen in Stranger Than Fiction and in the Harry Potter movie series as Professor Trelawney.
Evidence of brains: Thompson graduated from Cambridge with a major in English literature. Won an academy award for screenwriting.
Why she’s hot: Cute blonde british girl, what’s not to like? Also, has an incredible smile.
Photographic evidence:

9: Rashida Jones

Background: Best known as Karen Filippelli on The Office. Also made appearances on Boston Public and Freaks and Geeks. Daughter of media mogul Quincy Jones.
Evidence of brains: Jones is multi-talented, having taken piano lessons from the age of five. Graduated from Harvard in 1997 after studying religion and philosophy.
Why she’s hot: Jim’s rebound girl after getting denied by Pam, which has to count for something.
Photographic evidence:

8: Alicia Keys

Background: Keys has won nine Grammy’s, eleven Billboard Music Awards, and three American Music Awards. She’s sold roughly 20 million records in her career so far.
Evidence of brains: Despite growing up in Hell’s Kitchen, Keys graduated from the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan at the age of sixteen as Valedictorian. She had a scholarship to Columbia University, but decided to pursue her musical career. Fairly smart decision there.
Why she’s hot: All about the braids and that hair. Plus there’s just something hot about a girl banging away at a piano.
Photographic evidence:

7: Jennifer Beals

Background: Beals has been around damn near forever, first coming to the scene in 1983’s Flashdance. Currently stars on Showtime’s The L Word, where she plays Bette Porter, an Ivy League Educated lesbian.
Evidence of brains: Graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in English lit.
Why she’s hot: I’m repeating myself, but come on: Currently stars on Showtime’s The L Word, where she plays Bette Porter, an Ivy League Educated lesbian.
Photographic evidence:

6: Kate Beckinsale

Background: Has starred in numerous big box office blockbusters such as Pearl Harbor, Click, and Underworld.
Evidence of brains: Won multiple W. H. Smith Young Writers competitions in her teens, studied foreign language and literature at Oxford.
Why she’s hot: Always showing up on lists of hottest women (best showing #16 in Maxim’s Hot 100 in 2003, also named England’s #1 Beauty by HELLO! magazine in 2002.
Photographic evidence:

5: Sharon Stone

Background: One of the most famous actresses in the world, appearing in one of the most famous scenes in movie history.
Evidence of brains: Actually flunked out of high school as a rebellious teenager, but there’s a good chance that was due to boredom. Stone’s IQ has been tested at 154.
Why she’s hot: She helped make it cool to leave the underwear at home.
Photographic evidence:

4. Jodie Foster

Background: Broke out in 1976 with her role in Taxi Driver. Has won two Best Actress Oscar’s for her roles in The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs.
Evidence of brains: Possibly the most brilliant actress alive, Foster graduated Valedictorian from a French speaking prep school in LA before heading off to Yale where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in literature. Is actually intelligent enough to keep her personal life out of the press.
Why she’s hot: Pretty much the embodiment of the word “cute”. And there’s nothing wrong with a strong woman: she took on Hannibal Lector and did pretty well for herself.
Photographic evidence:

3. Jennifer Connelly

Background: Won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her work in A Beautiful Mind. Has a history of picking roles in intelligent films.
Evidence of brains: Went to Yale and studied English, but eventually transferred to Stanford where she finished her Bachelor’s. Speaks three languages fluently (French and Italian).
Why she’s hot: Start at the incredible eyes and head south. Plus, you know, you have to respect a girl willing to go ass to ass. Ahem.
Photographic evidence:

2. Natalie Portman

Background: Career was launched with her role in The Phantom Menace, but she was actually working years before that with roles in movies such as Heat and Mars Attacks!.
Evidence of Brains: Graduated from Harvard University in 2003 with a bachelor’s in psychology, and has pursued grad studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Speaks five languages.
Why she’s hot: She’s been every geek’s fantasy for eight years now, and it’s pretty easy to see why.
Photographic evidence:

1. Elizabeth Shue

Background: Was an 80’s hottie in films such as The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysiting, and Back to the Future, but she showed that she’d grown up in the film Leaving Las Vegas, portraying a prostitute mixed up with a suicidal alcoholic.
Evidence of Brains: Attended Wellesley College and Harvard University, but withdrew to pursue her acting career. Went back and finished fifteen years later, graduating from Harvard with a degree in government.
Why she’s hot: Any child of the 80’s could tell you that Shue is the ultimate girl next door.
Photographic evidence:

Beauties With Big Brains

Beautiful girls are a dime a dozen when it comes to Hollywood, but brains … not so much. You don’t have to look too long at the tabloids in the supermarket checkout lines (or hell watch Fox News or CNN for a few minutes and you’re sure to catch the latest on Paris or Lindsay) to see that most famous actresses and singers didn’t exactly graduate from Harvard.

But there are movie stars out there who actually did graduate from Harvard. And Yale. And Oxford. Some of the hottest actresses out there have resumes that are more impressive than their looks. Here are ten of the hottest smart girls in Hollywood:

10: Emma Thompson

Background: Two time academy award winner (Best Actress for Howard’s End, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility), she’s recently been seen in Stranger Than Fiction and in the Harry Potter movie series as Professor Trelawney.
Evidence of brains: Thompson graduated from Cambridge with a major in English literature. Won an academy award for screenwriting.
Why she’s hot: Cute blonde british girl, what’s not to like? Also, has an incredible smile.
Photographic evidence:

9: Rashida Jones

Background: Best known as Karen Filippelli on The Office. Also made appearances on Boston Public and Freaks and Geeks. Daughter of media mogul Quincy Jones.
Evidence of brains: Jones is multi-talented, having taken piano lessons from the age of five. Graduated from Harvard in 1997 after studying religion and philosophy.
Why she’s hot: Jim’s rebound girl after getting denied by Pam, which has to count for something.
Photographic evidence:

8: Alicia Keys

Background: Keys has won nine Grammy’s, eleven Billboard Music Awards, and three American Music Awards. She’s sold roughly 20 million records in her career so far.
Evidence of brains: Despite growing up in Hell’s Kitchen, Keys graduated from the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan at the age of sixteen as Valedictorian. She had a scholarship to Columbia University, but decided to pursue her musical career. Fairly smart decision there.
Why she’s hot: All about the braids and that hair. Plus there’s just something hot about a girl banging away at a piano.
Photographic evidence:

7: Jennifer Beals

Background: Beals has been around damn near forever, first coming to the scene in 1983’s Flashdance. Currently stars on Showtime’s The L Word, where she plays Bette Porter, an Ivy League Educated lesbian.
Evidence of brains: Graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in English lit.
Why she’s hot: I’m repeating myself, but come on: Currently stars on Showtime’s The L Word, where she plays Bette Porter, an Ivy League Educated lesbian.
Photographic evidence:

6: Kate Beckinsale

Background: Has starred in numerous big box office blockbusters such as Pearl Harbor, Click, and Underworld.
Evidence of brains: Won multiple W. H. Smith Young Writers competitions in her teens, studied foreign language and literature at Oxford.
Why she’s hot: Always showing up on lists of hottest women (best showing #16 in Maxim’s Hot 100 in 2003, also named England’s #1 Beauty by HELLO! magazine in 2002.
Photographic evidence:

5: Sharon Stone

Background: One of the most famous actresses in the world, appearing in one of the most famous scenes in movie history.
Evidence of brains: Actually flunked out of high school as a rebellious teenager, but there’s a good chance that was due to boredom. Stone’s IQ has been tested at 154.
Why she’s hot: She helped make it cool to leave the underwear at home.
Photographic evidence:

4. Jodie Foster

Background: Broke out in 1976 with her role in Taxi Driver. Has won two Best Actress Oscar’s for her roles in The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs.
Evidence of brains: Possibly the most brilliant actress alive, Foster graduated Valedictorian from a French speaking prep school in LA before heading off to Yale where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in literature. Is actually intelligent enough to keep her personal life out of the press.
Why she’s hot: Pretty much the embodiment of the word “cute”. And there’s nothing wrong with a strong woman: she took on Hannibal Lector and did pretty well for herself.
Photographic evidence:

3. Jennifer Connelly

Background: Won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her work in A Beautiful Mind. Has a history of picking roles in intelligent films.
Evidence of brains: Went to Yale and studied English, but eventually transferred to Stanford where she finished her Bachelor’s. Speaks three languages fluently (French and Italian).
Why she’s hot: Start at the incredible eyes and head south. Plus, you know, you have to respect a girl willing to go ass to ass. Ahem.
Photographic evidence:

2. Natalie Portman

Background: Career was launched with her role in The Phantom Menace, but she was actually working years before that with roles in movies such as Heat and Mars Attacks!.
Evidence of Brains: Graduated from Harvard University in 2003 with a bachelor’s in psychology, and has pursued grad studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Speaks five languages.
Why she’s hot: She’s been every geek’s fantasy for eight years now, and it’s pretty easy to see why.
Photographic evidence:

1. Elizabeth Shue

Background: Was an 80’s hottie in films such as The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysiting, and Back to the Future, but she showed that she’d grown up in the film Leaving Las Vegas, portraying a prostitute mixed up with a suicidal alcoholic.
Evidence of Brains: Attended Wellesley College and Harvard University, but withdrew to pursue her acting career. Went back and finished fifteen years later, graduating from Harvard with a degree in government.
Why she’s hot: Any child of the 80’s could tell you that Shue is the ultimate girl next door.
Photographic evidence: