5 Entertainers Smarter than You Knew

A Brief History

On August 11, 1942, sexy Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil patented frequency hopping radio signals, the science that became WiFi, Bluetooth, and Cell Phone technology. Known for her sexy movie roles, even including nudity, Lamarr was apparently brilliant as well, as are more entertainment celebrities than you may know. Here we list 5 of those smart entertainers. (The list is in no particular order.)

Digging Deeper

5. Hedy Lamarr, Actress.

Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Austria, 1914, Lamarr, of Jewish background, left Germany in 1933 with the advent of the Nazi regime. She died in Florida in the year 2000 and is enshrined in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Her father was born in Lviv, Ukraine and her mother in Budapest, Hungary. her scientific contribution is used by most people daily.

4. Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Boxers.

These brothers have ruled the heavyweight division of professional boxing for years, winning their first title in 1999, incredible when you consider between them they held all the titles from sanctioning agencies. Wladimir is still active and is quite near to becoming perhaps the greatest heavyweight champ of all time if he can win a few more fights. (He has reigned as champ continuously since 2006, the second longest reign in history with the second longest champion win streak.) Vitali is retired, and is currently the mayor of Kiev, the capital city of the Ukraine. Unlike the stereotypical dumb boxer, punch drunk and toothless, these guys are both PhD’s, earning Vitali the moniker “Dr. Ironfist” and Wladimir the sobriquet “Dr. Steelhammer.”

3. Jayne Mansfield, Actress.

Playing the role of the sexy blonde bombshell, often referred to as “dumb blonde” roles, you would little suspect this buxom lass was quite smart, claiming an IQ of 163. She died in a car crash in 1967, and is the mother of actress Mariska Hargitay (Law and Order: SVU). Her measurements of 40-21-35 were a nice compliment to her beauty and brains.

2. James Woods, Actor.

Woods has twice been nominated for an Oscar, and has a Golden Globe Award to his credit, but you might be surprised to know this fine actor attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to study Political Science, but dropped out to pursue his acting career (smart move). With an IQ at or above 180, Woods is perhaps the smartest person in Hollywood. He was registered for Linear Algebra at UCLA while in high school. Apparently as alert as he is smart, Woods observed some of the 9/11 terrorists apparently casing the layout of the airliner while on a flight on August 1, 2001. Woods reported the suspicious activity to the co-pilot and was brushed off, told that the FAA had been notified. Not satisfied, Woods then called the FBI and was interviewed, but as we know the FBI failed to act on the tip.

1. Kris Kristoferson, Singer, Composer, Actor.

The guy that wrote Country staples“For the Good Times,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Help Me Make it Through the Night” and Janis Joplin’s classic “Me and Bobby McGee” and starred in many movies, such as the Blade vampire series, is actually an extremely smart man and was a fine athlete as well. Mentioned in Sports Illustrated as a collegiate Rugby and Football player, Kris graduated Summa Cum Laude from Pomona College and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, earning his Masters degree in English literature there. At Oxford he earned his “Blue” athletic award in boxing. The son of an Air Force Major General, Kris served 6 years in the US Army as a helicopter pilot, leaving as a Captain. He is not the country bumpkin he sometimes portrays on film. Despite his family disowning him for leaving the Army (Wha?) he was awarded the “Veteran of the Year” award in 2003 by the American Veterans Awards (AVA).

Question for students (and subscribers): Who would you add to the list? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

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