Top 10 Successful Harvard Students

Growing up in the Crimson-colored town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, this eventual Academy Award-winner focused his sights on Harvard, literally and figuratively. The future star of the Jason Bourne franchise first enrolled in 1988, and kicked off his acting career that same year with a small role in the film “Mystic Pizza.” Despite a promising three years on campus, he failed to earn a degree after dashing off to LA to appear in the box office bomb, “Geronimo: An American Legend.” Two decades later, Matt Damon has graduated to Hollywood immortality, and in the famous words of Will Hunting: “How do you like them apples?”

This 1977 magna cum laude grad was a busy guy during his Harvard era: he was a manager for the Crimson football squad, spent time at both the Harvard Crimson newspaper and the Harvard Advocate magazine, and was a mathematical wizard who outscored fellow student Bill Gates. Today, NBA fans know Steve Ballmer as the overly excited owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, but his 14-year tenure as the CEO of Microsoft earned him a swanky ranking on the Forbes 400. His business acumen makes rivals nervous, while his philanthropy makes young students smile. He’s Steve Ballmer, the energetic billionaire.

The 35th President of the United States first walked onto the Harvard campus in the mid-1930s and became everybody’s favorite party planner when he was put on the 1936 edition of the annual “Freshman Smoker.” He also showed off his natural athleticism as a football and swim team member. But eventually, he turned to more serious matters, focusing on his interest in politics and producing a thesis entitled Why England Slept, which became a bestselling book. Decorated military service followed and although Kennedy once seemed destined to become a journalist, the death of his older brother Joseph propelled him to become the family’s next great politician. The rest, as they say, is history.

With a father who was a professor of medicine at the school, this red-haired underclassman followed suit and enrolled at Harvard in 1981. There, he became a comedy writer for the Lampoon, and within a few years of leaving he was one of the TV industry’s most promising writers. Conan was creating classic bits for “Saturday Night Live” during the late ‘80s and led “The Simpsons” into surrealism by the early ‘90s. Despite a fledgling career behind the scenes, O’Brien ultimately became on of America’s most beloved late night talk show hosts. Whether it’s his unique sketches or zany voices, Conan’s combination of intellect and physical comedy makes his daily performances a treat to watch.

This Ivy Leaguer once struggled academically at Harvard, but a sudden reawakening inspired him to graduate with distinction, and an interest environmental matters that followed him throughout his career. Gore shocked his fellow graduates by enlisting in the Army in 1969 to aide his father’s political career, and later shocked opponents with his own swift rise to political prominence. By 1992, Gore had been elected U.S. Vice President and was instrumental in the worldwide advancement of the Information Superhighway. Although Gore didn’t single-handedly invent the Internet, he’s managed to effectively transform how a new generation perceives the world, not to mention his efforts in raising awareness on climate change.

While Al Gore was innovating technology in the early-‘90s, this man was gaining recognition by becoming the first African-American president of The Harvard Law Review. Armed with a Juris Doctor and his knack for vocal performance, Barack Obama gained a devoted following as an Illinois State Senator and was elected as the first African-American President of the United States in 2008 – and the eighth president to have graduated from Harvard. Agree or disagree with his politics, Obama’s accomplishments are unprecedented, and he’s a political trailblazer of the highest order.

As one of America’s most iconic businessmen, this 1944 Harvard graduate and WWII veteran coined the phrase “Content is king.” After earning his Bachelor of Laws – also from Harvard – Redstone served as CEO of National Amusements during the ‘60s and invested heavily in Hollywood’s elite movie studios. The finance whiz unloaded his film stock in the early-‘80s, and soon after became a key figure of Viacom. Redstone was instrumental in turning the company into a media empire that included Paramount Pictures, at a time when the company was producing successes like “Forrest Gump,” “Braveheart” and “Titanic.” And so, as he transformed American pop culture, this modern media giant kept wheeling and dealing all the way to the bank.

He was an experienced sailor by the age of 16 and fluent in both German and French. As the editor-in-chief of the Harvard Crimson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt watched his fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, become President of the United States, and over thirty years later he would take his own oath as commander-in-chief. FDR was elected to the Presidency four times during Hitler’s reign in Germany, and Roosevelt’s policies shaped the world long after his final breath in 1945. Though not a stellar student, Roosevelt was raised to be a leader and he embraced the role fearlessly.

Originally a Harvard dorm room project, Facebook has become an integral part of global communication and instant connections. Mark Zuckerberg never finished his Harvard education, but his ideas and astute business acumen opened the doors for a social phenomenon unlike any other. As chairman and CEO of Facebook, Zuckerberg has become synonymous with a new epoch in world history and has, along with fellow billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, pledged to donate a majority of his earnings to charity. He’s a seemingly accidental billionaire with a most impressive set of skills, and he’s putting them to good use.

Before we hand the diploma to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

- Natalie Portman

- Tommy Lee Jones

- John Adams

- Theodore Roosevelt

- Sheryl Sandberg

Money. Power. Respect. Bill Gates embodies the idea that you must pave your own path to greatness. Once a dorm room geek, this human dream factory made a powerful impact during his brief tenure at Harvard University, which began in 1973; but he swiftly departed to realize the visionary idea that would become Microsoft, which ultimately rocked the world of computer software. Gates has often been recognized as the wealthiest man on the planet, but together with his wife, the couple has donated over $28-billion to charity. In other words, Bill Gates walks the walk, and most importantly, he talks to the talk.

Do you agree with our list? Who is your favorite successful Harvard student? For more mind-blowing Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.