12 Celebs Who Give Geeks Hope for Fame and Fortune
By Tara Miller
Remember when celebrities had to be gorgeous, fit, wealthy and glamorous? Thank goodness times are changing, thanks to the return of slapstick comedy, comic book films and TV shows about the supernatural. Geeks are finally given starring roles, turning them into sex symbols with mega fortunes to rival traditional celebrities. Take a look at our list of 12 celebs who give everyday geeks hope for fame and fortune.
Justin Long: Justin Long is one of Hollywood’s cutest geeks, thanks to roles that highlight his quizzical facial expressions, squeaky voice and lovable underdog persona. Long has appeared in films like Jeepers Creepers, Waiting, Dodgeball, and Live Free or Die Hard, and he’s also known as the Mac Guy, starring in several Macintosh computer commercials on TV. But despite his geeky impression, Long continues to win acting parts in big films, and he’s also the on-again, off-again boyfriend of hottie Drew Barrymore.
Rosario Dawson: Rosario Dawson is a mega-hottie and an award-winning actress, but she’s also a total geek. The New York City-raised actress has appeared in geek classics like Clerks II and several comic book films, like Sin City and Wonder Woman. In real life, Dawson has admitted to being a comic book geek and even has her own series, OCT: Occult Crimes Taskforce.
Jimmy Fallon: Jimmy Fallon attracted fans because of his jittery, hysterical skits on Saturday Night Live, and now he’s landed his own late night talk show on network TV. He’s also a LASIK fan and covered the whole surgery on his video blog, has starred in films like Fever Pitch and Factory Girl, and has nearly 1 million followers on Twitter.
Kristen Stewart: Actress Kristen Stewart got her big break when she starred opposite Adrien Brody and Meg Ryan in In the Land of Women, but her role in the Twilight film made her a teenage obsession. Stewart, though, seems pretty nonchalant about her fame, and after she’s finished playing with vampires, wants to go back to school to become a writer.
Rainn Wilson: Rain Wilson wears big glasses, funny ties, and plays one of the most irritating dorks on TV. But he’s also one of the most hysterical actors right now, thanks to his character Dwight Schrute on The Office. Besides playing Dwight, however, Wilson also acted as an assistant mortician on Six Feet Under, appeared as a store clerk in Juno, worked as a theater teacher and moving van driver before becoming famous, and is the founder of the website SoulPancake.com. Back in Illinois where Wilson grew up, his mother is a karate teacher.
Daniel Radcliffe: Geeky boys who wear big glasses can now aspire to be hot-bodied rich actors like Daniel Radcliffe. When the young actor first broke out in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, he was twelve years old and talked out of the side of his mouth. Now, Radcliffe has gone nude for the theatre production of Equus and is one of the richest young actors in the entire world. In 2007, his wealth was estimated at 17 million pounds.
Masi Oka: Masi Oka doesn’t just play a comic book dork on TV, the Heroes actor has been an official geek since the age of 12, when he was featured on the cover of Time magazine as one of "Those Asian-American Whiz Kids," four years after appearing on a game show. Oka graduated from Brown University with a degree in computer science and mathematics and worked at a visual special effects company, where he collaborated on projects for The Perfect Storm, Star Wars, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men’s Chest.
Amber Tamblyn: Amber Tamblyn is a beautiful young actress, but she’s often known for playing humble, awkward teens on TV and in movies like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. In real life, Tamblyn is the daughter of actor and singer Russ Tamblyn and the granddaughter of vaudeville performer Eddie Tamblyn. She is an avid poet and vegetarian, and is the girlfriend of geeky actor David Cross, who is nearly 20 years her senior.
Kristen Bell: Twenty-eight year-old Kristen Bell is a teensy blonde actress who started out enjoying marginal success on Broadway and has since starred in popular TV shows and film comedies. On TV, Bell appeared as a geeky teenage detective on Veronica Mars and as a young woman with supernatural powers on Heroes; and narrates for the title character (and teenage techie) on Gossip Girl. Bell, thanks to movies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, is starting to be viewed more as a Hollywood hottie than a total geek, and also has a lazy eye which she named "Wonky."
Sarah Silverman: Comedian and singer Sarah Silverman has her own TV show on Comedy Central, is the star of viral web videos, and pops up in cameo appearances in numerous documentaries, films and TV shows. But the Jewish star is also the poster child for self-deprecating geekiness. Fired from her job as a writer for Saturday Night Live after just one year, Silverman is also the on-again, off-again girlfriend of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, and loves playing Scrabble online.
Michael Phelps: On one hand, Michael Phelps is considered to be one of the greatest athletes in the entire world. The Olympic athlete has 14 gold medals, an extremely enviable physique, and a sweet devotion to his mom and sister. But if you take away all the medals, Phelps is a lanky, awkward young man with a slight speech impediment and ADHD. To hyper geeks everywhere: get in shape, become a national hero, and chicks everywhere will fall in love with you.
Michael Cera: Who says geeks can’t evolve into teen heartthrobs over night? Canadian actor Michael Cera was the #1 geek superhero of 2007 and 2008, starring in new teen classics like Superbad, Juno and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, in addition to his recurring role on Arrested Development. And even though Cera is pale and has a squeaky voice and chicken legs, he gets hot girls like Alexis Dziena and Kat Dennings. Before getting his big break, Cera voiced roles on Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! as well as Brother Bear in The Bernstein Bears series.
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