Just in case you somehow were unaware, the epitome of being a nerd/geek/dork in high school was to be known as a player of Dungeons and Dragons. Dungeons and Dragons, also known simply as D&D, is a tabletop roleplaying game that has existed (in one form or another) since the late 70s. And if you were ever foolish enough to let it be known that on the weekend you like to sit down and roll funny looking dice and pretending to be a half-elven wizard, then you were quickly made into the greatest social pariah your school had ever known.
Surprisingly (at least to stereotypical jocks and cheerleader types), some of those nerds/geeks/dorks went on to become really rich and reeaalllly famous. That’s right, there are many celebrities who are D&D players. Apparently sitting in your friend’s basement pretending to a dwarven paladin is oddly preparatory for becoming a famous actor. So, you must have begun to wonder, who are these secret Dungeon and Dragons fanboy and fangirls? Which celebrity is secretly (or not-so-secretly) a half-orc warlock on the weekends?
Well get out your character sheets and warm up those D20s because there are more than few surprises waiting for you . . .
Vin Diesel
The star of The Fast and The Furious and The Chronicles of Riddick has been roleplaying for over 20 years. Dungeons and Dragons is his preferred system, and he has been a lifelong advocate of the game. He wrote the foreword for the book celebrating the 30th anniversary of D&D, 30 Years of Adventure, and he recently joined the cast of Critical Role (a D&D youtube series) for a special session where he played the role of his character in his recent movie The Last Witch Hunter.
Stephen Colbert
Colbert is a well-known celebrity nerd, and he has been playing Dungeons and Dragons since 1976. Colbert once wrote an article in which he details the rise and fall of some of his earliest characters such as Lulu the Witch and a paladin in power armor.
Elon Musk
Billionaire entrepreneur and self-described nerd, Elon Musk has become a household name likened unto last generation’s Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. He has said before that he has spent many hours playing Dungeons and Dragons.
Matt Damon
Matt Damon is known for a myriad of roles, but the one you might not know about is “role-playing”. Haha! Terrible puns aside Matt Damon spoke in an interview about playing Dungeons and Dragons when he was younger. And, as usual, who did we play with . . .
Ben Affleck
Who else could it be? Yes, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon played DnD together. According to Damon, both had a fondness for playing magic-wielding elves over dwarf fighters.
Felicia Day
Felicia Day has gone from actor to nerd icon, and unsurprisingly, she plays D&D. You can watch many videos of her roleplaying by checking out the always amazing Geek and Sundry which she co-created.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The WWE star turned actor has played D&D on several occasions. However, he has stated that he prefers board games to roleplaying games.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is an astounding actor, was also a childhood D&D player. He recounts playing Dungeons and Dragons at 14 in the back of classrooms during an interview with Nerdist.
Steven Spielberg
The famous director actually used a game of Dungeons and Dragons to help him ultimately cast child actors Robert Macnaughton and Henry Thomas for their roles in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Robin Williams
The late and great Robin Williams participated in all the nerdy activities. D&D, comic books, anime (particularly Ghost in the Shell), and wargaming miniatures were all a part of his leisure time.
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart, formerly of The Daily Show, revealed his roleplaying past in an interview with fellow celebrity Dungeons and Dragons player, Elon Musk. Marveling at Musk’s ambition while in college, Stewart described his college experience as “We just got high and played Dungeons and Dragons.”
Judi Dench
According to internet rumors that have been going around for years, Judi Dench was introduced to D&D by Vin Diesel while filming The Chronicles of Riddick. The same rumors say that he also acts as Dungeon Master to her grandchildren.
Chris Hardwick
The host of the Nerdist Podcast and more famously @Midnight revealed he used to play a lawful good wizard during an interview with Joseph Gordon-Levit when a casual mentioning of the words “Magic Missle” led the two off on a long roleplaying discussion.
Joss Whedon
The creator of Firefly and director of Avengers has mentioned that he used to play Dungeons and Dragons in college, but unfortunately had to stop due to the demands of his career.
Jon Favreau
The actor and director credits his career and success to Dungeons and Dragons. “It gave me a really strong background in imagination, storytelling, understanding how to create tone and a sense of balance.”
