Before they were movie stars, singers and TV hosts, these famous faces were cheering on their school teams from the sidelines. From Meryl Streep to Halle Berry, these 30 stars were high school cheerleaders, and some of their old yearbook photos prove it.
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep was a cheerleader for the Bernards High School Mountaineers in New Jersey, and in her senior year she was chosen as homecoming queen. This yearbook photo shows her on the field in her cheer sweater. She went on to win three Academy Awards, including one for "Sophie's Choice."
Sally Field
Sally Field was a cheerleader at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, California. In 1965 she landed the lead in the TV series "Gidget," and she went on to win two Oscars, for "Norma Rae" and "Places in the Heart."
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore felt shy because of a limp from childhood polio, yet she threw herself into sports and became a cheerleader at Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville. She later became a hit singer and a popular TV host with "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show."
Steve Martin
Before he was a comedy star, Steve Martin was a cheerleader at Garden Grove High School in Orange County, California. He went on to become one of the biggest stand-up comedians of the 1970s and starred in films like "Father of the Bride."
Ellen Burstyn
In high school, Ellen Burstyn was a cheerleader, a member of the student council and president of her drama club. Decades later, she won the Oscar for best actress for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore."
Leontyne Price
At her high school in Laurel, Mississippi, Leontyne Price was a cheerleader and a drum majorette in the school band. She went on to become one of the most celebrated sopranos of her time, famous for singing the lead in "Aida" at the Metropolitan Opera.
Ruth Buzzi
Ruth Buzzi was the head cheerleader at Stonington High School in Connecticut. She later became a TV favorite on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," where her characters included the purse-swinging spinster Gladys Ormphby.
Toni Basil
Toni Basil was the head cheerleader at Las Vegas High School, where she graduated in 1961. Years later, she put that experience to work in the video for her 1982 hit "Mickey," where she performed in a cheerleader uniform. In this photo from that era, her sweater carries the letters "LVH."
Charmian Carr
Charmian Carr, born Charmian Farnon, was a cheerleader at San Fernando High School, where she also played basketball and volleyball. In 1965, she played Liesl, the oldest von Trapp daughter, in "The Sound of Music."
Myrna Fahey
At Pemetic High School in Southwest Harbor, Maine, Myrna Fahey was a cheerleader for four years and captain of the girls' undefeated basketball team. She went on to play Maria Crespo in Walt Disney's "Zorro" and appeared in dozens of TV series in the 1950s and '60s.
Gail Fisher
Gail Fisher grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Metuchen High School, and as a teenager she was a cheerleader and won several beauty contests. She later played secretary Peggy Fair on "Mannix" and became the first African American woman to win an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the role.
Annie Potts
Annie Potts graduated in 1970 from Franklin-Simpson High School in Franklin, Kentucky, where she was a cheerleader. She later played Janine, the wisecracking receptionist in "Ghostbusters," and Mary Jo on the sitcom "Designing Women."
Markie Post
Markie Post was a cheerleader at Las Lomas High School in California. She went on to star on "The Fall Guy" and then played public defender Christine Sullivan on the sitcom "Night Court."
Geena Davis
Geena Davis was a cheerleader and served as cheer captain her senior year of high school. This yearbook photo shows her under her birth name, Virginia Davis. She later won an Oscar for "The Accidental Tourist" and starred in "A League of Their Own."
Kim Basinger
Kim Basinger was very shy as a girl, yet as a teenager she gained confidence and made her school's cheerleading team in Athens, Georgia. She later became a top model and won an Oscar for "L.A. Confidential."
Alfre Woodard
Alfre Woodard, the youngest of three children, was a cheerleader in high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She went on to earn an Oscar nomination for "Cross Creek" and win several Emmy Awards.
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle was a cheerleader at Newbury Park High School in Southern California. A few years later, she became the lead singer of the Go-Go's, the all-female band behind "We Got the Beat."
Katie Couric
Katie Couric was a cheerleader at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia. She later co-hosted NBC's "Today" from 1991 to 2006 and then anchored the "CBS Evening News."
Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul was a cheerleader and honor student at Van Nuys High School. At 18 she joined the Los Angeles Lakers cheerleaders, and as head choreographer of the Laker Girls she was discovered by the Jacksons.
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock attended Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia, where she was a cheerleader and performed in school plays. This yearbook photo shows her in her cheer uniform. She later starred in "Speed" and won an Oscar for "The Blind Side."
Halle Berry
Halle Berry graduated from Bedford High School in Ohio, where she was a cheerleader, an honor student, editor of the school newspaper and prom queen. In this yearbook photo, she does the splits in front of her squad. In 2002, she became the first Black woman to win the Oscar for best actress.
Jon-Erik Hexum
Jon-Erik Hexum served as drum major of his high school marching band in his senior year and became the first male cheerleader in his school's history. He later starred in the TV series "Voyagers!" and "Cover Up."
Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger was a cheerleader at Katy High School in Texas, where she also played soccer and powderpuff football. This photo is from 1994, and she went on to win Oscars for "Cold Mountain" and "Judy."
Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa was a high school cheerleader in New Jersey, and her drama teacher encouraged her to try acting. In 1990 she landed the role of Hayley Vaughan on "All My Children," and she later co-hosted "Live" with Regis Philbin.
Carrie Underwood
At Checotah High School in Oklahoma, Carrie Underwood was a member of the Honor Society, a cheerleader and a basketball and softball player. In 2005 she won the fourth season of "American Idol."
Kellie Pickler
Kellie Pickler was a cheerleader at North Stanly High School in New London, North Carolina, and graduated in 2004. Two years later, she became a fan favorite on the fifth season of "American Idol."
Blake Lively
Blake Lively graduated from Burbank High School in 2005, where she was a cheerleader, sang in the championship choir and was elected president of her grade. This photo was taken around 2006, shortly before she became famous on "Gossip Girl."
Mort Walker
Long before he created "Beetle Bailey," Mort Walker was a cheerleader at Northeast High School in Kansas City, where he was also the newspaper editor and yearbook art editor. His comic strip debuted in 1950 and ran in newspapers for decades.
Madonna
Madonna was a straight-A student at Rochester Adams High School in Michigan and a member of the cheerleading squad. She later moved to New York to dance, and by 1984 she was one of the biggest pop stars in the world.
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon graduated from Harpeth Hall School, an all-girls school in Nashville, where she was a cheerleader. This yearbook photo shows her smiling in her cheer sweater. She won the Oscar for best actress for playing June Carter in "Walk the Line."
