Geek used to be a term that nobody wanted to be associated with, but there has been a major shift in the past 20 or so years. Today, geeks, nerds, and dorks are embraced and no longer made to feel ashamed of their love of things like comic books and World of Warcraft. This is why the world has seen more famous faces owning up to their love of everything nerdy. So from action figure collectors to Trekkies, these are the geekiest celebrities.
Before Margot Robbie was a Barbie Girl, she was just a run-of-the-mill, overly obsessed Potterhead. She revealed how big she was into the book series on The Graham Norton Show. Not to mention her husband was an extra in one of the films; talk about a fangirl fantasy come to life!
Back before Atlanta and Childish Gambino were even a thought in his head, Donald Glover was dishing on how he was a nerd on his Comedy Central special and how much he relished in Barack Obama making Black nerds seem OK in the world because he grew up in a time where it was, well, not the case.
Between being the titular character on Blossom and reemerging as Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, Mayim Bialik was studying neuroscience. So yeah, she was more than qualified for the role on the hit CBS series seeing as she earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in neuroscience from UCLA.
Patton Oswalt is no stranger to the geek realm, but he became royalty there after his unscripted Star Wars/Marvel filibuster scene in Parks and Recreation. He told the Observer, “I guess my response was to dump every bit of Star Wars and pop culture trivia I have in my brain.”
Much like Tom Holland holding a Spiderman figurine as a child and later starring as the web-slinging hero, Iman Vellani has had a similar journey. The Canadian actress was a huge fan of Ms. Marvel years before she would eventually have the part in both the Disney+ series and 2023's The Marvels.
Stephen Colbert can dish with the best of them about current events while making an entire room laugh, but he’s really in his element if anyone brings up his absolute favorite thing on earth, Lord of the Rings. Cast members from the film have even tried to stump him on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Rosario Dawson grew up reading anything she could get her hands on, from regular books to comics, and then grew up to not only become one of the Pūssycats from Josie and the Pūssycats but also one of the most revered characters in Star Wars, Ahsoka Tano. Nerd goals achieved!
Nerds and geeks aren’t just those into sci-fi and superheroes; they also come in the theater kid variety, where Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda fits in.
Mila Kunis’ first language was not English, as her family relocated to the US from Ukraine when she was seven. She spoke Russian until then, but perhaps she’s picked up Klingon since then, as she’s a big Trekkie. On top of loving Star Trek, she’s also spent her fair share of time playing World of Warcraft.
Michael B. Jordan has never been shy about his appreciation for anime, but one has to wonder if he watched any to prepare for his role in the Creed series.
Christina Applegate played one of the coolest characters in the ‘90s on Married... with Children, so many would never in a million years guess that Kelly Bundy was into gaming!
Game Over, Man! and Workaholics’ Blake Anderson doesn’t rock the spectacles in real life, but that doesn’t make him any less of a geek when it comes to his love of comic books and pretty much any and all ‘90s pop culture.
Aisha Tyler, known to many as Lana Kane from Archer, once told BuzzFeed News how she felt like she found her tribe while attending San Diego Comic-Con.
Wil Wheaton got his nerd cred years ago as Wesley in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and as an adult has never stopped leaning into that geekdom with guest appearances as a heightened version of himself on The Big Bang Theory.
Nickelodeon stans know her as Helen from Drake & Josh, and Community fans know her as Shirley, but fans of The Walking Dead simply know her as one of the biggest fans of the series. When AMC launched a review show called Talking Dead, Yvette Nicole Brown was among the most recurring guests. She was a diehard fan of the hit apocalypse series and even hosted Talking Dead for some time.
Some geek out over one thing, but The Boys’ Jack Quaid geeks out over several things, from video games and comics to movies.
After more than a handful of seasons on The Vampire Diaries, Nina Dobrev became a regular in the Comic-Con scene, which was great for her since she could spend any free time she had obsessing over any and everything Harry Potter that was around. Yes, a huge Potterhead, Dobrev has even gone as far as to dress up as Hermione for Halloween.
Leonardo DiCaprio isn't just one of the most notable names in Hollywood. He's also an avid action figure collector.
It’s fitting that Emma Watson starred in the biggest book-to-film adaptation and played Disney’s book-loving princess because she is a book nerd with a degree in English literature.
If there is one thing Kevin Smith loves, it’s everything. His passion for pop culture runs deep.
Not Dead Yet star Lauren Ash is not only a true crime nerd with her own podcast, True Crime and Cocktails, but also a big fan of Disney and Disneyland.
A comic book nerd through and through, My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way took his love of the art form a step further by becoming a comic creator himself. He’s the author behind The Umbrella Academy, which eventually became a hit Netflix series starring Elliot Page and Aidan Gallagher.
Felicia Day is a nerd of all trades. She was a whiz in school, majoring in math and music on a full violin scholarship, but after graduation, she focused her attention on the internet. Her web series, The Guild, focused on online gamers and was inspired by her love of World of Warcraft. As if her geekdom couldn't get any better, she also has shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 on her resume.
Can Superman be a nerd? Well, when it comes to Henry Cavill, absolutely. He once admitted on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he spends hours a day playing video games.
Danica McKellar won the hearts of many as Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years but stepped away from acting to focus on her academics, graduating with honors in mathematics from UCLA. Since then, she's even dropped half a dozen books about math and even appeared on The Big Bang Theory.
Joe Manganiello definitely has a geeky side, and it's not just because he's been in True Blood and Justice League. It's mostly because he's a huge Dungeons & Dragons player and even hosts D&D nights for him and his Hollywood buddies.
Captain Marvel herself is not shy about her complete and utter love of Animal Crossing.
Kendra Beltran went to college with no game plan and found herself falling back on her love of writing soon after graduating all the way back in 2009. Since then, she's written for MTV Geek, Cosplay Central, Collider, Apartment Therapy, and many other sites that allowed her to showcase her love of all things pop culture. When she isn't writing, Kendra is either hosting her show, Crushgasm, baking all the cookies, or spoiling her fur baby, Mason.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!