Maria Montessori and 10 famous graduates from her schools

3. Dakota Fanning

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Dakota Fanning arrives at the AFI Life Achievement Award Honoring Shirley MacLaine at Sony Studios on Thursday June 7, 2012 in Culver City, Calif.

Before starring in "Man on Fire" and "I Am Sam," Dakota Fanning attended a Montessori school in Georgia. Her family then moved to California so that she could pursue an acting career. 

Her few years in a Montessori environment gave Ms. Fanning an impressive point of pride: "I learned to read at two," she told About.com. "I was in a Montessori school and they teach you to read really, really young."

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