Celeb Graduates

Stephen Colbert, Northwestern

Stephen Colbert perfected his Method eyebrow raise as a theater major at Northwestern (’86) after transferring from Hampden-Sydney. The Comedy Central anchor once described his college self as a “real poet-slash-jerk…I had a beard, and I wore black, and I was really willing to share my grief with you." Colbert’s regimen was hardcore: dance in the morning at 9:00 a.m., water performance class, dramatic criticism, the history of costume and decor, and scene design. He also performed in experimental plays such as Pelleas and Melisande by Maurice Maeterlinck in college before graduating to the Second City improv scene.