Known as: lead singer of the Offspring
Studied: biology BSc, molecular biology MSc at University of Southern California
Once claiming: 'I won’t wanna play music when I’m 40, I’d rather be a professor at a university,' Holland has returned to university and is making progress towards his PhD, having previously deferred his doctorate for the music scene Photograph: Mick Hutson/Redferns
Known as: actor
Studied: BS zoology, medicine at Duke University (BSc) and University of North Carolina (MD)
Perhaps one of the most unexpected doctors, The Hangover’s Mr Chow says he will always keep his medical licence. Having juggled comedy and medicine through his life, he has only recently given up hands-on medical work Photograph: Everett/Rex Features
Known as: comedian
Studied: mathematics and theoretical physics at University College Dublin
Ó Briain’s marriage of science and comedy is a happy one. Besides fronting programmes such as Stargazing Live, School of Hard Sums and Science Club he also speaks at both comedy and science festivals around the UK Photograph: BBC
Known as: actress
Studied: BSc and PhD neuroscience at University of California
A child actor of the 90s, Bialik is best known for her role as Dr Amy Farrah Fowler in The Big Bang Theory. Like her character, she is a certified scientist. With a degree in neuroscience, she completed a PhD on obsessive compulsive disorder in those with the genetic disorder Prader-Willi syndrome, in 2007 Photograph: Everett/Rex Features
Known as: comedian
Studied: medicine at St George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London
Hill (Matthew Hall) practised as a doctor at Doncaster Royal Infirmary but 'spent the whole time hoping no one was going to get ill'. He finally hung up his stethoscope in 1990, and after getting some early some work on Radio 4, he moved to television, launching his TV Burp in 2001 Photograph: Richard Saker for the Observer
Known as: actor
Studied: BSc and MSc chemical engineering at Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
Photograph: Moviestore Collection/Rex Features
Known as: film director
Studied: medicine at University of New South Wales
Miller’s film flair became apparent in the last year of his medicine degree when he won a short-film competition. Later, while working in hospitals, he spent spare time working as crew on films. He is perhaps best known as director of the Mad Max series, as well as, perhaps bizarrely, Happy Feet, a children’s film about penguins Photograph: Tiffany Koury/Rex Features
Known as: tennis player
Studied: maths at University of Sussex
Wade was the last British woman to win Wimbledon, in 1977, and the first woman to be elected to the Wimbledon committee. Though she was itching to play tennis full-time from a young age, her father valued education so she studied maths at Sussex, before devoting all her time to tennis Photograph: Offside/Rex Features
Known as: actor
Studied: BSc biology at Vassar College, New York
Best known as the ditzy Phoebe from Friends, Kudrow also has a science heritage. Having studied biology at university, she went on to undertake research with her father, Dr Lee Kudrow, a world-renowned headache specialist, before finding success in her acting career Photograph: Channel 4
Known as: Queen guitarist
Studied: BSc, physics and PhD, astrophysics at Imperial College, London
May’s 'Red Special' guitar is an example of his love of science and tech, an electric guitar he designed in the 60s to provide his signature feedback sounds. He began a PhD in astrophysics in 1970, but left university with the launch of the Queen II album in 1974, finally gaining his doctorate in 2007 Photograph: South Coast Press/Rex Features
Known as: actress
Studied: mathematics and engineering at De Anza College
With a mother who excels in computer programming and a nuclear physicist for a father, perhaps it isn’t surprising that Hatcher inherited some of the family’s scientific flair, although she is better known on our TV screens by her alter egos Lois Lane and Susan Mayer Photograph: Randee St. Nicholas/ABC
Known as: footballer
Studied: BSc mechanical engineering at University of Bath
The Dutch striker began playing football at the age of 12 and scored 120 goals for Arsenal alone. The club went on to immortalise him with a bronze statue. Bergkamp is far less known for his degree in mechanical engineering for which he studied while playing for Arsenal Photograph: Andrew Budd/Action Images
Known as: comedian and actor
Studied: natural sciences at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge
The Armstrong and Miller TV comedy duo met at Cambridge in 1990, while Miller was pursuing a PhD into 'novel quantum effects in quasi-zero dimensional mesoscopic electron systems'. He abandoned his studies for comedy, but continues to write about science, both as a non-fiction author and in the media Photograph: BBC
Known as: actress
Studied: psychology at Harvard
Famous for films such as Leon, Star Wars and Closer, Portman is a true Hollywood A-lister. But since she would 'rather be smart than a movie star', she also found time to study psychology, graduating in 2003 Photograph: Sportsphoto/Allstar
Known as: comedian and actor
Studied: BSc & MSc electrical engineering at University of Newcastle and Queen’s College, Oxford
Atkinson joined the Oxford Revue, where he met Richard Curtis. He was invited to join Curtis in making Not the Nine O’Clock News, before creating characters such as Blackadder, Mr Bean and Johnny English Photograph: Allstar/BBC/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar
