School daze! Long before they found fame, dozens of unexpected celebs shared classes — and even dorm rooms.
Prince William and Eddie Redmayne walked the halls of Eton together in the ’90s.
“He was a pal at school,” the Academy Award winner told the U.K.’s Loaded magazine in 2015 of his friendship with the Prince of Wales, noting that the two played rugby together. That same year, Redmayne admitted to Glamour that he “always felt slightly sorry” for the prince “because everyone wanted to tackle the future king of England. He took all the hits.”
While William’s brother Prince Harry also attended Eton with the duo, it was at St Andrews University that William went on to meet the love of his life: Princess Kate.
“I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you,” the Princess of Wales later admitted to her future husband during their 2010 engagement interview. William, for his part, “knew there was something very special about” Kate the moment he met her, he recalled.
In addition to the royals, many of the Hollywood elite also crossed paths earlier in life. Cameron Diaz and Snoop Dogg, for example, attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California at the same time. While the Charlie’s Angels actress told George Lopez in 2011 that she remembered the “Gin and Juice” artist as “tall and skinny,” he later recalled to the talk show host that same year that Diaz “ran with … all my little cheerleading homegirls” at the time. Diaz, for her part, also recalled buying weed from the rapper.
Howard University — one of the biggest HBCUs in the country — was once home to four A-listers at once: Anthony Anderson,Taraji P. Henson, Diddy and Marlon Wayans all attended the historically Black college at the same time. The Black-ish star graduated Howard in May 2022, three decades after he left the university due to financial issues.
“To quote Biggie, ‘IT WAS ALL A DREAM!’” the Scary Movie 3 star wrote via social media alongside a photo of his diploma. “Words can’t begin to describe the emotional roller coaster [sic] I’m on right now. It’s literally been 30 years in the making. This spring I was finally able to complete the work to graduate from Howard University with a BFA degree from the Chadwick A Boseman College of Fine Arts! Yesterday was a full circle moment. It’s never too late! Things happen when they’re supposed to happen!”
His classmate Henson was the commencement speaker.
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Scroll down to see these and more famous stars who went to school together — including multiple pairs who ended up starring alongside each other in future projects: