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Welcome to Top10Archive! We admire their talents and have watched them grow into stars and
starlets, but what we haven’t always seen is their rise to fame and fortune. For this
installment, we’re focusing on actors, actresses and singers who are the embodiment of the
greatly inspiring “Rag to Riches” story. 10. Sylvester Stallone
In some ways, the story of Rocky parallels Stallone’s own rise from an essential nobody
with a speech impediment to the iconic actor, writer, and director that he is today. After
his parents divorced, Stallone was partially raised in foster care before moving in with
his mother and stepfather. Emotional and academic struggles led to several school expulsions,
leading to graduation from a school of troubled youth. Stallone’s real financial troubles
came as he attempted to pursue his acting career, forcing him to take jobs like a movie
theater usher, adult film star, and cleaner of a lion cage at the Central Park Zoo. Despite
walk-on rolls in two *** Allen films, Stallone didn’t hit fame until he wrote and starred
in the rags-to-riches boxer tale, Rocky. 9. Justin Bieber
Maybe not the world’s favorite celebrity, but there is no denying that Bieber’s upbringing
was less than favorable. Raised by his single mother, Bieber lived in low-income housing,
essentially growing up in the company of cockroaches and rats, sleeping on a pull-out sofa and,
on many days, ending the day hungry. Bieber’s first big break stemmed from YouTube videos
his mother would post of him singing R&B covers. Though he still lived a life of poverty and
his mother working low-paying jobs just to get by, Bieber-fever was growing online until
Scooter Braun, former marketing exec of So So Def Recordings, stumbled upon his videos
and launched him into the financial success we see today.
8. Tom Cruise The pretty boy of Hollywood may be fairly
well off today, but an early life of poverty and abuse was a far cry from the lavished
lifestyle that Tom Cruise gets to live today. Under the tyranny of an abusive father, Cruise’s
family lived in poverty. During sixth grade, Cruise’s mother separated from his father,
taking the family to the United States where she was forced to work multiple jobs just
to keep the family afloat. Despite several moves, Cruise was able to eventually break
into acting in 1981’s Endless Love, beginning an explosive career that completely overshadows
his early years in poverty. 7. Hilary Swank
This Million Dollar Baby may have an Academy Award under her belt and a fairly lengthy
successful career, but it wasn’t without struggle. Swank’s early childhood was quite
the opposite of the extravagant lifestyle she’s able to live today. At six years old,
she lived in a trailer park and was shunned by neighborhood parents, but things were going
to get harder. With a school production of The Jungle Book behind her and her parents
fresh out of divorce, 15-year-old Swank and her mother moved to Los Angeles so the young
actress could pursue her career. Without money to rent a stable place, the two lived out
of a car for a period of time, but in the end, it was all worth it.
6. Joanne Rowling The mind behind the extensive world of Harry
Pottery was one in desperation, weighted down during a time of struggle and personal dilemmas.
Joanne Rowling, known now to the world as JK Rowling, was recovering from a divorce
from journalist Jorge Arantes and had just moved to Edinburgh with her daughter when
she was forced to sign up for state aid benefits. Rowling described her situation as “poor
as it is possible… without being homeless.” Jobless and clinically depressed, Rowling
escaped her difficult world by writing in cafes, eventually completing the first Harry
Potter manuscript. Rowling would have her book rejected by twelve big publishing houses,
but she never gave up hope. It wasn't until Bloomsbury Publishing found her work and green
lit the project, that Rowling would be lifted from her poor lifestyle and into one of the
most successful authors of all time. 5. Eminem
Born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, Eminem didn’t just fall into his Grammy-winning career.
As his music often tells, his early life was plagued with frequent moves and a bulk of
time in public housing due to his mother’s inability to hold down a job. According to
the rapper, his school years were often spent in two or three different establishments,
coupled with his dorky behavior, made it difficult for him to make friends. At the age of 17,
Marshall dropped out of 9th grade, eventually launching a life of performing in rap battles
while working odd jobs to make ends meet in the Detroit area. Despite a tough upbringing,
growing up without a stable home and without a fatherly figure, Eminem’s skills erupted
into a massive, successful rap career where most fellow rappers consider him, "The best
of all time". 4. Jim Carrey
Canadian-born funnyman comes across as a man that had the ideal childhood, but that couldn’t
be any less the case for Jim Carrey. The comedic actor’s early years were met with many struggles,
especially when his father lost his job. To help keep his family from being completely
impoverished, a 12-year-old Carrey took an after-school job and worked eight-hours a
day after a full day of school. In spite of his efforts, the Carrey household lived out
of a van and all worked as security guards and janitors to make ends meet. Before coming
into his own as a comedian and actor, Carrey also made a living opening for Buddy Hackett
and Rodney Dangerfield. 3. Halle Berry
The early life for this former X-Man was no Monster’s Ball, complete with an estranged
father known for beating his wife and time spent in a homeless shelter. As a child, Berry
found herself the subject of much discrimination, having attended a mostly all-white public
school. From cheerleader to honor student to prom queen, the young Berry was ambitious
– but where her ambition truly showed was shortly after her move to New York. Before
her career blossomed, Berry resorted to sleeping in a homeless shelter to get by. Two years
after coming to the Big Apple, Berry landed her first big role in 1991’s Jungle Fever.
2. Shania Twain Growing up, Shania Twain had far from an ideal
childhood. In a household that was often scarce with food, her parents earned what they could,
though it was often not enough to support the family. As the relationship between her
parents started to fizzle and become volatile, Twain suggested that her mother take the family
to a homeless shelter, where they remained for just under two years. When they returned
home, Twain turned to singing at bars at the age of 8 to assist with paying bills. When
she turned 13, Twain experienced her first break when she was invited to perform on the
Tommy Hunter Show, though it wasn’t until after graduating from high school that the
singer pursued her musical career. 1. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah has a legacy of giving out thousands of dollars’ worth of giveaways to her talk
show audience, but this is likely something she never would have thought possible growing
up in poverty. Before she took the world by storm as an actress, producer, talk show host
and philanthropist, Oprah lived a rather damaged life. At 9-years-old, Oprah allegedly suffered
4 years of molestation by family members before running away. Over the next several years,
the future host birthed a son premature who died shortly after and began stealing money
from her mother to keep up with her school peers. Despite a rough upbringing, Oprah became
a world sensation and the “Queen of All Media.”