While some celebs were born into fame and fortune, many grew up with nothing! However, that didn’t stop them from working hard to turn their dreams into a reality. These 10 celebrities have found fame and fortune in their respective careers even though they experienced the pangs of poverty way before their popularity and bank accounts soared dramatically.
10 Hollywood Stars Who Went From Rags To Riches
#10. Leighton Meester – $5 million
Leighton Meester played the spoiled, rich, upper-east side Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl, but in reality, that was the complete opposite of her upbringing. Meester’s mother gave birth to her while serving time in prison, and she was raised by her grandmother for most of her childhood. When her mother got out, the two went to live in New York, where Leighton started a career as a model. In 2007, they relocated again, this time to Los Angeles, where she eventually managed to get a break in the show business. After her big break in the teen-drama show, she has an estimated net worth of $5 Million US Dollars.
#9. Hilary Swank – $40 million
The Million Dollar star was ironically not even close to a thousand dollars when she was growing up. Hilary Swank was raised by her mom in a trailer park in Washington, until the age of fifteen. Because of unemployment, the mother-daughter tandem gambled their faith and drove to California in hopes that Hilary can make it in Hollywood. Swank’s break came when she got a lead role in Boys Don’t Cry. The award-winning actress now lives well and beyond her former state, with $40 million stashed in the bank.
#8. Justin Bieber – $80 million
Bieber was raised by his mother, Pattie with the help of her parents as she worked in a series of low-paid office jobs to make ends meet. The teen heartthrob shot to fame after uploading a singing video to YouTube and being discovered by record executive Scooter Braun. According to Forbes, Bieber now has a net earning of around $80m (£50m). Not bad for a 20-year-old.
#7. Sarah Jessica Parker – $130 million
Before landing the fashionable and fabulous lead role of Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, Parker was living with a working class family in a coal-mining town in Ohio. Parker said in an interview that her family seldom celebrated Christmas, birthdays, and other family occasions. She vividly remembers living with no electricity and their phone lines cut because they couldn’t pay the bill. Parker started with stardom with a Broadway role at the early age of eleven. She moved to Hollywood in 1981 and life became a tad bit smoother after an appearance at the show Square Pegs. Parker is now worth around $130 Million US Dollars.
#6. Demi Moore – $150 million
One of Hollywood’s hottest cougars, Demi Moore still has it despite being a veteran in the showbiz. Demi Moore described herself as a “trailer park kid”, living with both alcoholic parents in a tiny trailer in New Mexico. At 16, she decided she had enough and soon hauled herself out of their house to pursue a career in modelling. By 17, she enrolled in drama classes to build her acting skills. She entered the entertainment industry in 1984 but found her break in 1986 when she starred in About Last Night. Moore is now $150 million richer than before.
#5. Eminem – $160 million
Rapper Marshall Mathers, also known as Eminem, went under a traumatic childhood – getting beaten up by other children, and living in a small trailer with his mother in a rough community. However, Eminem discovered he had a talent for music and eventually joined the ranks of some of the highest paid rappers, reaching an estimated net worth of $160m (£100m).
#4. Leonardo Di Caprio – $200 million
The Oscar-winning actor grew up in a rough area in Los Angeles, where poverty and crime were an everyday part of life. Luckily DiCaprio managed to secure some small time acting roles, gained recognition and went on to star in global blockbusters such as Titanic. Today he is one of the most sought after and wealthy actors in the world and is now worth $200 Million US dollars.
#3. Jennifer Lopez – $300 million
JLo grew up in the Bronx and left home at 18 to pursue a dancing career. She shot to fame after being booked for a role in the sitcom In Living Color. After a successful acting and music career as well as clothing and perfume lines, Jenny from the Block is now worth an estimated $300m (£188m).
#2. J.K. Rowling – $1 billion
Long before she delved into wizards, witches, and magic, Rowling had to endure poverty. Hailing from a small town in Gloucestershire, Joanne Rowling was a struggling single mother until she penned the Harry Potter novels. Following the staggering success of the film franchise she is now worth over $1bn (£632m).
#1. Oprah Winfrey – $3 billion
Everyone’s favorite talk show host was born to an unmarried teenage mother in rural Mississippi and went through a great deal of hardship during her childhood, including poverty and sexual abuse. Oprah Winfrey turned her life around after working her way to the top of the media industry and now ranks among the highest paid entertainers in the world, with a fortune of approximately $3bn (£1.9bn). Source
