6 celebrities who are also medical doctors

It’s not every day that a relatively stable medical career gets put aside for the glitz of Hollywood

The story of physicians trading their scrubs for scripts is rare but not impossible. Seeing patients, after all, can enrich a person’s point of view, although one can bet that real life is never like an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Indeed, the actors on this list have put their training and experience on the table, whether to play a convincing OB-GYN in a comedy, add scientific details to the script or exercise exactness during production. Here’s a look at former MDs who traded rounds at the hospital for rounds of applause on set.

Also read: Are 2000s heartthrobs having a renaissance?

1. Ken Jeong

Ken Jeong hasn’t made a secret of his career prior to his breakthrough turn on The Hangover. In fact, the real-life internist played a no-nonsense obstetrician in Knocked Up and then starred in his own sitcom, helpfully titled Dr Ken. Jeong started acting while at Duke University for his undergrad. He finished his MD at the UNC School of Medicine and worked as an internist. While he gave up his practice, he still maintains his medical licence.

2. Anders Danielsen Lee

View this post on Instagram

Norwegian actor Anders Danielsen Lee played Jessica Chastain’s husband in the 2024 film Mother’s Instinct. He has starred in several Norwegian films but continues his work as a general practitioner between projects. At the height of the pandemic, Anders put his degree to good use and worked as a medical supervisor for an Oslo-based COVID-19 vaccination centre.

3. Haing S Ngor

The Academy’s Best Supporting Actor for 1984, Haing S Ngor was a gynaecologist and obstetrician. He practised in Phnom Penh but concealed his education and training when the Khmer Rouge captured the city in 1975. After the fall of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, he escaped to Thailand where he resumed his profession before migrating to the US.

Also read: 14 homegrown Asian actors who made it big in Hollywood throughout the years

4. George Miller

George Miller, director of blockbusters like Happy Feet, Mad Max, and Babe, is also a trained physician. He obtained his medical degree from the University of New South Wales and worked as an emergency doctor before committing to the entertainment industry full time.

5. Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton, most famous as the author of Jurassic Park, was also an accomplished filmmaker and a doctor of medicine. He completed his BA and MD from Harvard University but opted out of the medical profession to become a writer instead. His medical background has helped him create some of his best stories, including The Andromeda Strain, which was turned into a film in 1971; Terminal Man, whose film adaptation came in 1974; and Prey which, while centred on nanotechnology, integrated themes of about the manipulation of biological systems and their manipulation.

6. Graham Chapman

Graham Chapman, one of the founding members of Monty Python, studied medicine at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College. He practised for a few years. However, comedy overtook his medical career when he toured New Zealand with the Cambridge Circus.

NOW READ

How ‘Squid Game’ cemented its place in pop culture and why it will be remembered

Are 2000s heartthrobs having a renaissance?

Essential vampire viewing: 5 films to watch before ‘Nosferatu’