Top 10 celebrities who went from rags to riches

Some people grow up and inherit money and others have to work hard and build from the ground up. The same goes for the celebrities we know so well. Although many believe that celebrities have everything handed to them, that isn’t the case for a number of celebrities in Hollywood. Before they earned thousands acting, rapping, hosting, singing, etc. these 10 celebrities grew up in very hard conditions, with rough childhoods much like the everyday person. However, they didn’t let that detour them, they worked harm to build a name for themselves. Many of the top celebrities today grew up so poor that they were forced to live in their cars or homeless shelters. These celebrity success stories are living proof that good things come to those that put in the hard work that it takes to achieve their dreams because nothing happens overnight. TheCelebrityCafe.com takes a look at the Top 10 celebrities who went from rags to riches.

Image Courtesy of Dara Kushner/INFphoto.com

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Oprah Winfrey

Before Oprah Winfrey became a billionaire, she grew up in a small town in Mississippi with her teenage mother and grandmother until she was six. She later lived with her mother and half-sister in a boarding house in Milwaukee. Oprah, whose family relied on welfare, says she was so poor that her clothes had to be made out of potato sacks by her grandmother. At the age of nine, Winfrey was sexually assaulted by a relative. She also endured a teenage pregnancy that resulted in the death of her newborn.

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Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker grew up with seven siblings. Her mother and father, who was a truck driver, were on welfare. She remembers seeing her parents shuffling money around, the electricity being cut off and getting phone calls about the phone being shut off.

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Jim Carrey

As a teenager, Jim Carrey was forced to drop out of high school and take on a job as a janitor and security guard to help his family after his father was laid off. After losing their home, Carrey, his parents and four siblings lived out of a camper that was parked outside of the factory where his parents worked. Carrey, who jumped around from different low-paying jobs, even experienced homelessness at one point.

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Jay Z

Jay Z was raised by his mother in the Marcy Housing Projects in Brooklyn and got involved in crime during his youth. He is now one of the most successful music moguls, with a record label and sports agency. He also co-owns a nightclub.

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Sean “Diddy” Combs

The founder of Bad Boy Records grew up in a public housing project in Harlem where his father, Melvin Combs, was shot to death at 33-years-old in relation to drug dealer, Frank Lucas.

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Halle Berry

Actress Halle Berry was raised by a single mother in Cleveland, Ohio. As a teen she had some success in beauty pageants so she decided to move to New York City to pursue a modeling career. She ran out of money and was forced to live in a homeless shelter in 1989.

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Mark Walhberg
Mark Wahlberg dropped out of school at the age of 14 and became involved with crime and drugs. After serving time for an assault, the actor decided to turn his life around.

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J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling has earned billions for her Harry Potter book series, but before that she was living on welfare and battling depression as a single mother.

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Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank was raised by her mother in a trailer park until she was 15. After Swank’s mother lost her job, the two moved to California hoping that Swank would make it in Hollywood. They would sleep in their car or at friends’ homes. Swank also later dropped out of high school.

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Shania Twain

After her parents spilt, country singer, Shania Twain, grew up in a household where there wasn’t enough food or money to pay for heat. At 8-years-old, Twain began singing in bars to help earn extra income. In 1987, after Twain’s mother and stepfather died in a car accident, the singer put her career on hold to take care of her younger siblings in Ontario.