Which Stars Have An IQ Matching Einstein? Quentin Tarantino, Matt Damon & More
May 15 2019, Updated 4:35 p.m. ET
Who are the smartest celebrities — the ones who scored big on their IQ, SAT and/or ACT tests? Who's IQ even matched Albert Einstein? That's right, there are Hollywood stars out there who have the same IQ as Einstein!
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According to the HowStuffWorks.com, IQ tests use a standardized scale with 100 as the median score. On most tests, a score between 90 and 110, or the median plus or minus 10, indicates average intelligence. A score above 130 indicates exceptional intelligence and a score below 70 may indicate serious mental issues. So according to ScienceABC.com, researchers posthumously decided that Einstein would have scored a 160.
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The likes of Jessica Alba, Kate Beckinsale, James Franco and Quentin Tarantino have impressive scores. And then there are the scores of Conan O’Brien, David Duchovny and Nicole Kidman. These are some seriously smart celebrities.
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Take a look at which stars have an amazing mind under that pretty face.
1. Alicia Keys:
According to Ranker, Alicia Keys clocks in with an IQ of 154. Keys attended Columbia University and, according to People, teamed with Oprah Winfrey to publish her book More Myself. Smart women stick together!
2. Jessica Alba:
According to Hollywood.com, Jessica Alba’s IQ is an impressive 151. According to People, Alba got tats commemorating her three kids in the forms of the constellations that represent their zodiac signs. Now that’s thoughtful!
3. James Franco:
James Franco is a brainiac. According to Hollywood.com, his IQ is a cool 130, and he scored an “almost perfect” on the SAT. That is a very big brain and according to Mensa, puts him in the top 2 percent of the population.
4. Quentin Tarantino:
Tying with Albert Einstein's IQ score is none other than Quentin Tarantino who, according to Ranker, nailed a 160. His film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood stars Brad Pitt whose IQ, according to Hyperactivz.com, is a much lower 115.
5. Nicole Kidman:
According to Hollywood.com, Nicole Kidman has an IQ of 132. According to IQTests4Kids.com, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale classifies an IQ Score of 132 as very superior intelligence.
6. Kate Beckinsale:
According to Ranker, Kate Beckinsale, who attended New College, Oxford, has an astonishing IQ of 152 — just 8 points below Einstein.
7. Natalie Portman:
The beautiful Natalie Portman takes the trifecta when it comes to amazing scores. She attended Harvard and, according to Magoosh.com, scored a 1400 out of 1600 on her SAT and has an IQ of 140. She still chose to make Your Highness and Planetarium — so not every decision was a winner.
8. Conan O’Brien:
According to Hollywood.com another contender in the “Same IQ As Einstein” category, is Conan O’Brien who clocks in with an IQ of 160. O’Brien also graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard.
9. David Duchovny:
David Duchovny has, according to Hollywood.com, a very respectable IQ of 147. Duchovny earned an MA in English Lit from Yale and was studying for his PhD when he booked a beer commercial. The rest, as they say, is history.
10. Kesha:
Kesha may have dropped the $ from her name, but there is no dropping the fact that she’s a lot smarter than a lot people. According to Blog.prepscholar.com, Kesha scored an amazing 1500 out of 1600 on the SAT as well as a 140 on her IQ test. While she doesn’t have a college education, she does have a couple of number one hits to her name.
11. Claire Danes:
Claire Danes plays a very intelligent woman on the series Homeland but she’s just as smart in real life. According to Ranker, Danes has a 140 IQ and attended Yale. But even with those levels of smarts it didn’t stop her from being starstruck when she met Beyoncé. According to Page Six Style, Danes “got stupid” when they met.
12. Madonna:
Material Girl, mom, genius. According to Ranker, Madonna has an IQ just 20 points below Einstein. Madonna’s classic 1989 album Like A Prayer turned 30 in March 2019, and a re-mastered version was released in its honor. It might be easy to forget how Madonna courted controversy with its titular single, but she garnered a lot of press for it. Which was very, very smart.
13. Meryl Streep:
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Meryl Streep attended Vassar College, Dartmouth College and the Yale School of Drama so it's not surprising she has a high IQ. According to Ranker, Streep has an impressive IQ score of 143. She also made it onto the USA Today '50 Most Powerful Women In Entertainment' list in 2019.
14. Matt Damon:
Matt Damon isn’t just an actor, producer and screenwriter. He’s also got, according to Ranker, an IQ of 160 — the same as Einstein himself. And while he’s not worked on any quantum equations yet this Harvard graduate turned his attention to helping Ethiopia’s water crisis according to Forbes.
15. Cindy Crawford:
Cindy Crawford’s IQ, according to Ranker, is just 6 points shy of Einstein’s — a whopping 154. This Northwestern University graduate also took a smart stand against ageism by stripping down naked for a photo shoot to show that being in your 50s is still gorgeous, relevant and wonderful. According to People, she asked “At what age is being naked not beautiful anymore?”
16. Shakira:
Shakira, according to Ranker, has an IQ of 140, which is smart. But according to the Hollywood Reporter, this UCLA graduate is also accused of evading taxes in Spain between 2012 and 2014, which isn’t so smart.
