Brian May to Natalie Portman: stars in showbiz and scientists

NASA instead of Queen: The guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May (76) was part of the team that just created a capsule with the very first Brian May is not the only celebrity who is active as a natural scientist before, during or alongside his showbiz career.

Even as a child, Brian May was enthusiastic about space and built a telescope himself. After school he studied physics and infrared astronomy in London, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1968. He stopped working on his doctoral thesis when his band Queen really took off. In 2006 the guitarist resumed his dissertation. In 2007, 37 years after its launch, he completed it under the title “An investigation of radial velocities in zodiacal dust”. His work was only possible because there was little research in the area during his absence. Nevertheless, he had to get up to date with the new state of research.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman (42) became an overnight star in 1994 at the age of 12 thanks to her role in “Léon – The Professional”. But unlike many child actors, she continued to focus on school. And how: In 1997, she made it to the semi-finals of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair with an attempt to enzymatically produce hydrogen from sugar. Her work resulted in an article that she published as a co-author in the Journal of Chemical Education in 1998 under her birth name, Natalie Hershlag.

After school, the young Israeli-American actress studied psychology at Harvard University. As part of her studies, she was involved, among other things, in a publication on cognitive processes in the frontal lobe. She completed her studies in 2003, although she was also filming the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy.

Mayim Bialik

Mayim Bialik (47) followed a similar path to Natalie Portman. She became known early in 1990 as the title character in the series “Blossom”. After the sitcom ended in 1995, she studied neuroscience at the University of California, minoring in Jewish and Hebrew studies. During that time she only appeared sporadically as an actress.

In 2007, Bialik completed her doctoral thesis in neuroscience on Prader-Willi syndrome – and soon returned to the TV screen in a big way. In the cult comedy “The Big Bang Theory” she played Amy from season three – like her actress, a neuroscientist.

Dolph Lundgren

The Swedish giant had a promising career in science ahead of him when he fell into show business. Dolph Lundgren (65) studied chemical engineering in Stockholm, Sydney and at various universities in the USA. He already had a scholarship to the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in his pocket when Grace Jones (75) discovered him while he was working as a bouncer in a club. She made Lundgren her bodyguard and lover. In New York, the karate master took acting lessons and ended up playing Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV.”

Lisa Kudrow

Before she became a successful actress with “Friends,” Lisa Kudrow (60) wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps. Lee Kudrow had made a name for himself as a doctor specializing in headaches. After studying biology, Lisa Kudrow also supported her father, working on a study about the likelihood of left-handed people developing cluster headaches. In “Friends” she finally played a masseuse who was inclined towards esotericism.

Eva Longoria

Before her acting career, Eva Longoria (48) achieved a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (movement science). While still working on the cult series “Desperate Housewives,” she went back to school. The daughter of Mexican-American parents studied Chicano Studies, i.e. the culture of Mexican immigrants in the USA, at California State University. Her master’s thesis focused on the experiences of Latinas in scientific careers.