Iain Armitage’s Sheldon Cooper on “Young Sheldon” was second to none. It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the child brainiac — except for, of course, Jim Parsons. The actor first debuted Sheldon on the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” where his quirky personality was as endearing as it was annoying. Sheldon’s backstory tells us about his journey to college before he even hit puberty. For the actor, the education milestones were hit at the typical rate. A throwback photo from his high school days, however, might make you think he was a child prodigy, like Sheldon. 

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The young face peering back at us in Parson’s high school graduation photo is not the snickering face we know from “The Big Bang Theory.” His portrait — posted on Instagram — looks just like young Sheldon, diploma and everything. However, his degree didn’t say theoretical physics. As for Parsons’ real-life education, the actor graduated from the University of Houston with a BFA in theater and went on to pursue a Master’s in classical theater at the University of San Diego (via IMDb). In an interview with Newsweek, Parsons said that he would’ve stayed in school forever. “I really loved school, by the way,” he said. “If they offered a doctorate in acting, I’d still be there. It was so safe! I went to grad school. I kept going as long as they’d have me.” 

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To most, Jim Parsons’ high school portrait is nearly unrecognizable from his red carpet photos today — much like his on-screen lover Mayim Bialik’s exceptional transformation since her childhood acting days. To his past teachers, however, he still looks like the young schoolboy who dreamt of Hollywood. “Sometimes when he turns or makes an expression, I remember the Jim from 7th grade,” Leigh Langlinais, Parson’s 7th grade teacher, told Houston station KHOU in 2019. While Parsons is said to be nothing like his character on “The Big Bang Theory,” they have eerily similar backgrounds.

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The actor grew up in Houston, Texas, and while it’s easy to picture the cowboy hats and horseback transportation, it wasn’t as “yee-haw” as the state is stereotyped. “I saw more horses in New York than I ever saw in Houston, and partly for that time in my life, I saw more art in Houston than I ever saw in New York,” he wrote in a blog post for visithoustontexas.com. Parsons credits his Texas days for making him the shining star he has become. “Almost everything about my career and my life is directly tied back to my time in Houston,” he continued. “Not only did I grow up there, but very specifically the career I’m participating in, acting, that’s where I got the majority of my education, and all of my early education in it.”

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