The College Dropouts
Hall of Fame

You don't have to go to college to be a success. Even if you go for awhile, you don't have to graduate to be a success. Here are just a few of the people who have become famous and/or successful without graduating from college and/or high school.

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Andie MacDowell, Golden Globe-winning actress and model. Dropped out of Winthrop College during her sophomore year.

John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods and developer of Conscious Capitalism. Dropped out of the University of Texas six times. Never took a business course.

Harry Macklowe, billionaire real estate developer. Dropped out of college to become a real estate broker.

Steve Madden, shoe designer. Dropped out of college to sell shoes on Long Island.

Ivory Madison, comic book author and founder of the Red Room social network for authors. Dropped out of school at the age of 13. Eventually went to law school without finishing high school or attending college.

John Major, British prime minister. High school dropout.

Howie Mandel, comedian, game show host. Was expelled from Toronto's Northview Heights secondary school for practical jokes gone too far. Finally got his GED in 2010.

Clancy Martin, ethics professor, novelist. Dropped out of high school, but later graduated from college. Dropped out of graduate school.

Dean Martin, singer, actor, comedian. Never finished high school.

Steve Martin, comedian, actor. Dropped out of Long Beach State College. He became disillusioned upon reading Wittgenstein's view that “all philosophical problems can be reduced to problems of semantics.”

Manuel Marulanda, aka Pedro Antonio Marin, leader of the revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The son of a peasant farmer, he had only a sixth-grade education.

Robert Maxwell, billionaire publisher. Dropped out of high school.

John Mayer, Grammy-winning singer and songwriter. Left the Berklee College of Music after two semesters to pursue a singing career in Atlanta, Georgia. “I've already won one of the biggest gambles of all time, which was to forgo an education so I could pursue a real all-or-none scenario.”

Martina McBride, country music singer. After high school, she traveled around Kansas playing and singing with various bands. Did not attend college.

Craig McCaw, billionaire founder of McCaw Cellular. Dropped out of college.

Billy Joe (Red) McCombs, billionaire founder of Clear Channel media empire, car dealerships, real estate investor. Dropped out of law school to sell cars in 1950. He owned his first automobile dealership by age 25.

Malachy McCourt, actor, author. Dropped out of school at the age of 13.

Gardner McKay, actor, novelist. Dropped out of Cornell University after two years.

Rod McKuen, poet, songwriter. Elementary school dropout.

Hendrik Meijer, founder of Meijer grocery stores. Worked as a barber during the depression. Did not attend college.

Herman Melville, novelist, Moby Dick. High school dropout.

Karl Menninger, psychiatrist. Dropped out of Washburn College in Kansas after two years.

Daniel Merriweather, singer and songwriter. Dropped out of high school.

Jillian Michaels, fitness expert, reality TV star, book author. She dropped out of California State University at Northridge to be a bartender. When her boyfriend suggested she get a real job, she faked a college diploma to get a position at the ICM talent agency.

Liza Minnelli, Oscar-winning actress, singer. High school dropout.

Robert Mitchum, actor. High school dropout.

Moby, author, rock star, tea-shop proprietor. Sold more than 15 million albums. A college dropout.

Claude Monet, painter. Elementary school dropout.

Arthur Ernest Morgan, flood control engineer, book author, college president, director of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Left high school after three years. Later attended the University of Colorado for six weeks.

Ed Morrisey, blogger at Captain's Quarters and HotAir.com. “I never finished college. I attended three or four different colleges at different times for different reasons. I never did get a degree.”

Chris Morrison, co-founder of PLP Digital Systems (software company). Earns more than $500,000 per year. Dropped out of high school.

Matthew Morrison, actor and singer. Attended New York University for two years before landing a role in the Broadway production of Footloose.

Dustin Moskovitz, multi-millionaire co-founder of Facebook social network. Dropped out of Harvard.

Kate Moss, multi-millionaire model. Attended a little bit of college, but never graduated.

Charles Munger, billionaire right-hand man to Warren Buffett in Berkshire Hathaway. Dropped out of the University of Michigan to join the Air Force. Later got a law degree from Harvard.

David Murdock, billionaire investor, real estate tycoon, chairman of Dole Foods. Funding a $1.5 billion health research campus in North Carolina. Dropped out of high school. Drafted into the army in 1943.

Justin Murdock, investor, son of David. A college dropout and goth musician.

Ted Murphy, founder, Izea Entertainment, social media marketing company. Dropped out of Florida State University to start Think Creative ad agency.

Bill Murray, Golden Globe-winning actor, comedian. Dropped out of Regis University after being arrested for possession of marijuana.

Dropouts with last names starting with N

Drop out of school before your mind rots from our mediocre educational system. — Frank Zappa, musician, liner notes from the Freak Out album