There’s no denying that a good rags to riches story always inspires hope while reminding us that effectively, anything is possible and hard work does pay off eventually. As human beings, we tend to love an underdog, there’s just something about the whole success story that brings this feel good factor to the table.
Seeing some of these Hollywood stars in the limelight makes us forget quite easily how they were once just like us – possibly worse or harder up. So, before we decide to judge these celebs – even if they’re not always the humblest, it’s good to see they’re more in touch with reality than we may think. Sure, there now lavish lifestyles might see them painting the town red in popular venues found in Las Vegas, LA, or Miami, but they’ve earned it, right? If you feel a tad envious of their lifestyle, why not experience just a taste of it by signing up at an online casino.
Some providers like Vegas Casino Online even go the extra mile by recreating the real feel of a brick-and-mortar casino. Apart from its generous Loyalty Program, players can also enjoy a $3000 Match Bonus. Today we’ll be taking a look at ten celebrities that started from the bottom and worked their way up in the most formidable of ways – let’s get right into it.
1. Jim Carrey
Today, Jim Carrey’s net worth stands at around $180 million, but things weren’t always so rosy for the comedian turned actor. Before one of his first roles, in the movie ‘In Living Color’ that launched in 1990, things weren’t so plain sailing. In fact, by age 12 Carrey was effectively homeless, living in a van after his father was made redundant. This caused Jim to quit school and work as a janitor and security guard by the time he was 15, but that didn’t stop him from dreaming big. As soon as he hit the comedy circuit, the world was quick to pick up on his incredible talent, making him the absolute star we know and love today.
2. Halle Berry
Today, Halle Berry is known as an Oscar-winning actress made famous for her roles in pop culture classics including X-Men and Catwoman, but things weren’t always so good for her. Even though she holds a net worth of around $90 million today, Berry grew up poor and was raised by a single mother in Cleveland. It’s also reported that the actress spent a considerable amount in a homeless shelter in New York before making her big break in Hollywood.
3. Oprah Winfrey
It’s absolutely impossible to leave Oprah out of an article of the sort. Representing one of the most easily recognizable women in the world, Oprah is worth around $2.5 billion and is considered one of the richest self-made women in the US. Taking on the nickname of ‘the Queen of all media’ Oprah suffered an incredible amount of hardship as a child. As the daughter of a single teenage mum in rural Mississippi, she endured physical and sexual abuse by close friends and other family members she was routinely snubbed for being poor, as well as having lost a child of her own as a teenager. She eventually found a job at a local radio station that ignited the passion we know her for today with regards to media.
4. Snoop Dogg
It’s no hidden that Snoop’s childhood was rough, where he’s been quoted to talk about poverty, run-ins with the law and violence along the streets of Long Beach in California. Today, Snoop is literally the embodiment of 90s West Coast gangster rap culture, with many of his exploits making their way into his lyrics throughout the year. Nevertheless, his unique persona and phenomenal music have allowed him to rise from the ashes, turning him into an instantly recognizable music icon. With the help of some smart investments, along with a booming career, today Snoop is said to be resting atop a net worth of around $165 million.
5. Leonardo Di Caprio
This Hollywood superstar holds a couple of important movies to his name with the likes of Titanic, Romeo and Juliet and The Revenant first coming to mind, so it’s normal to assume that Leo would be swimming in cash at this point – a net worth of $300 million to be precise. But what most aren’t aware of is that things weren’t always this great for him. As a youngster Di Caprio was exposed to drugs, violence, and even prostitution at a very young age. Nevertheless, it was this hostile upbringing that caused him to work even harder than normal to break the cycle – safe to say, it worked.
6. J.K Rowling
This writer literally hit the jackpot once she was done with her first book – which happens to be Harry Potter just in case you’re still left wondering. Before that, Rowling was reported to have endured some serious life struggles and poverty, working night and day to try to sustain her family as a single mother while barely making ends meet. Rowling ended up on welfare to survive, writing her famed witches and wizard manuscripts by hand in various cafes while taking care of her baby at the same time. Her agent told her there was no money in children’s books and actively encouraged her to look for alternatives, but this wasn’t enough to get her to stop. I guess her agent never quite imagined the way the Harry Potter series would take the world by storm, allowing her to hit a net worth of over $1 billion, placing her amongst the richest 200 people in the world.
7. Dolly Parton
This blonde bombshell represents one of the biggest names in country music today, but things weren’t always so sweet for Ms. Parton. Documenting her poor childhood in various songs, such as ‘Coat of Many Colors’ that talks about her life as one of 12 children in rural Tennessee, the Country Queen grew up in a poor household deprived of running water, electricity or gas, with the family sleeping on mats made out of straw. However, by the time she turned 12, Parton appeared on national TV and as they say, the rest is history. Today, her achievements include a Country Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award, eight Grammies, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award amongst others, along with a net worth of around $650 million.
8. Jennifer Lopez
Her love might not cost a thing, but her movies and records have allowed J-Lo to accumulate a wealth of a around $400 million, as well as being included in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Nevertheless, Lopez comes from very humble beginnings, born and raised in the Bronx where she had to share a bedroom with her two other sisters. After quitting school to pursue a career in dancing, her mother kicked her out of the house and stopped speaking to her. Homeless but with a dream, J-Lo spent several months sleeping at the dance studio before finding a job as a professional dancer which would eventually kickstart her career.
9. Ralph Lauren
With a net worth soaring at around $7.5 billion to date, fashion icon Ralph Lauren was not always the successful entrepreneur we known and love today. Born Ralph Lipchitz to a family of Russian Jewish immigrants in the Bronx, Ralph eventually was forced to change his name after the relentless bullying he believed it attracted. In an interview, Lauren once said that he owes his creativity to the sheer number of movies he watched growing up which he used as a means of escapism from his family’s absolute poverty.
10. Sarah Jessica Parker
Best known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw on the award-winning show Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker once described her childhood as one of eight siblings in Ohio as ‘Dickensian’ in an interview with the New York Times. Here, she spoke about the stigma and daily humiliations associated with living on welfare and having to apply for free lunch coupons at school, while also struggling to survive in a household where her parents couldn’t afford the most basic of utilities. ‘We didn’t have birthdays sometimes, or we didn’t have Christmases sometimes’ she’s quoted in saying. Nevertheless, Parker was able to escape her shocking past and rise to fame with a net worth that stands at around $200 million these days.
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