Stars who went from rags to riches

We look at the humble beginnings of stars

These celebrities might enjoy all the trappings of fame and fortune now, but their lives weren't always so glamorous.

They might enjoy all the trappings of fame and fortune now, but their lives weren't always so glamorous. We look at the humble beginnings of stars like Tom Cruise, Halle Berry andSarah Jessica Parker.

Sarah Jessica Parker

One of eight children, Sarah Jessica Parker has described her childhood as ‘Dickensian’. Brought up on welfare, Sarah remembers living without electricity, Christmas and receiving visits from bill collectors. After beginning her career on Broadway in 1977, her fortune is now estimated at around $90 million.

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey grew up in one of the poorest areas of Long Island, New York. The singer was discovered by chance at a Columbia Records party and is now one of the most successful female artists, with an estimated worth of more than $500 million.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

After serving in the Austrian Army, young bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger moved to the US in 1968 with little more than the clothes on his back and very little English. He worked as a bricklayer to finance his bodybuilding before beginning his acting career with 1970 movie Hercules in New York. Arnie is now worth $300million thanks to his hugely successful acting career and has even dabbled in politics.

Mark Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg dropped out of school at the age of 14, turning to a life of street crime and gang life to fund his drug addiction. The actor even spent time in jail after he was convicted of assaulting two men. With the help of his parish priest, Mark turned his life around and landed a record deal. He eventually swappped music for acting and his successful film career has earned him an estimated worth of $150 million.

Justin Bieber

Before Justin Bieber became a YouTube hit, the young Canadian lived below the poverty line. With his father Jeremy in jail for assault, Justin was brought up by young single mumPattie, sleeping on a pull-out couch in living conditions he has described as ’dirty’. Today, his fortune is estimated at $130 million.

Jay Z

Shawn Corey Carter was brought up in a public housing project in Brooklyn, New York. He has admitted to selling drugs as a teenager as well as shooting his older brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewellery at the age of 12. These days Shawn is more commonly known as Jay Z and is one of the wealthiest hip-hop stars in the world, with an estimated worth of $500 million.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio grew up in poverty in the Los Feliz district of Hollywood, surrounded by criminals, drug addicts, prostitutes and violence, while his mother worked several jobs to support them. Life changed for the family when he won his first role in TV show Parenthood in 1990. Today, the actor is worth over $200 million.

Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank decided to pursue a Hollywood career when she was 15 after her parents separated. She and her mother lived out of their car until the young actress won her first part in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie in 1992. Hilary has now won two Oscars an  is worth over $40 million.

Demi Moore

Demi Moore was brought up in a trailer park in Roswell, New Mexico with an abusive father. She dropped out of school at 16 and became a model, before moving to Hollywood to pursue her acting dreams. She is now worth over $150 million.

Celine Dion

The youngest of 14 children, Celine Dion was born to a large, poverty-stricken, but happy, French-Canadian family in Charlemagne, Quebec. Her big break came when music manager René Angélil decided to remortgage his home to fund her first record. She is now worth around $400 million.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry found herself destitute in 1989 after moving to New York to pursue her acting ambitions. Having run out of money, she lived briefly in a homeless shelter before being cast in short-lived TV series, Living Dolls. However her Hollywood career eventually took off and the Oscar-winning actress now has a net worth of $60 million.

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson, who became 2002’s American Idol champion, has previously revealed that her family struggled financially while she was growing up. The star moved to Los Angeles in 2001, but was forced to live in her car following a fire in her apartment. Kelly is now estimated to be worth over $29 million.

Snoop Dogg

Calvin Broadus, nicknamed Snoopy as a child, frequently ran into legal trouble as a teenager. Shortly after graduating from high school, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, and for the following three years was frequently in and out of prison. He got his big break when a mixtape he made was heard by influential producer Dr Dre, and is now worth an estimated $120 million.

Shania Twain

Country pop star Shania Twain grew up in Ontario, Canada and frequently lived without heat or food. She began her career singing in bars at the age of eight to try to make ends meet. However her fortunes changed when she was noticed by a Toronto DJ in 1984 and the singer is now estimated to be worth $350 million.

Shia LaBeouf

Transformers star Shia LaBeouf says he had a ‘hippy lifestyle' while growing up, explaining that his artist parents were ‘pretty weird’. The actor's father, a Vietnam War veteran, suffered with drug and alcohol addiction, and at one point his uncle considered adoption because his parents could no longer afford to keep him. Shia's career took off after getting his big break in the early 2000s, and he is now estimated to be worth $25 million.

Rose McGowan

Having been brought up on a religious commune in Italy, former Charmed star Rose McGowan emancipated herself from her parents aged 15. As a struggling actress, she lived on the streets for a year in 1997. She is now worth around $18 million.

JK Rowling

JK Rowling was a single mother living on state benefits when she began writing the Harry Potter series. Within five years she had become a multi-millionaire and one of the world’s richest women after penning several novels which spawned film adaptations. She’s estimated to be worth over $1 billion.

Leighton Meester

Former Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester was born in a federal jail in Texas. Her mother, Constance Meester, was serving time there for her involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica to the US. Leighton began modelling at the age of 11, while her acting debut came in 1999. She is now worth $5 million.

Jim Carrey

Actor Jim Carrey came from humble beginnings. His family lived in a camper van parked next to a tyre company. After quitting school at 15, he worked as a janitor, construction worker and picture frame factory worker and lived on the streets for a while before making it big on the comedy circuit. He’s now worth an estimated $150 million.

P Diddy

P Diddy is the richest rapper in the world, making it hard to believe he was born in a public housing project in Harlem, New York. He and his mother left New York after his father was murdered. He got his first break as an intern at Uptown Records and quickly worked his way from the mailroom to management, hitting the big time when he discovered rapper Notorious B.I.G. He is now estimated to be worth around $580 million.

Oprah Winfrey

Born to an unmarried teenage mother in Mississippi, Oprah often wore dresses made of potato sacks as a child. Her media career began when she won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant at 17, and was spotted by a local radio station. She is now worth $2.7 billion, making her one of the richest African-Americans in the world.

Selma Blair

After moving to New York City age 20, Selma Blair lived in a Salvation Army shelter in New York while attending New York University and taking acting classes. She got her first big break on children’s TV show The Adventures of Pete & Pete in 1995, and is now worth around $14 million.

Nicki Minaj

Brought up in Caribbean island Trinidad, rapper Nicki Minaj moved to New York when she was five. Nicki has spoken of her poor childhood and her father’s drug addiction and violent behaviour, but says her difficult upbringing motivated her to become a success. She now has an estimated worth of $45 million.

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise grew up in near poverty in New York in a struggling Catholic family dominated by an abusive father. He aspired to become a Catholic priest before getting his big break in 1981 and going on to become a bonafide Hollywood megastar with a reported fortune of $500 million.