Known for Portraying Rags to Riches Stories on Screen, Here are Stars who Defied Financial Hurdles

Tales of stars who jumped over financial hurdles to chase their dreams

Many dream of becoming actors but only a few make it big in the entertainment industry. Success depends largely on an individual's talent and determination but not everyone has the means to pursue their dreams in showbizz. But there are actors, performers, and artists, who started with very little and became the greatest stars of their generation. They are adored by millions of fans who find their rags-to-riches stories as inspiring as their incredible performances. Here's a look at Hollywood stars with humble beginnings. 

1. Tom Cruise 

Tom Cruise is one of the highest-paid actors in the world today with a net worth of $600 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. But that has not been the case always, Tom grew up in a poor family with his parents working hard to meet the family's needs. Cruise started working at the age of 8 so that he could support his family. Since then, he has never looked back and worked tirelessly to become the action star we know today.

2. Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey is one of the greatest American comedians known for his performances that make the audience laugh out loud. Although Carrey makes everyone laugh, his childhood was not as happy. Carrey couldn't complete his school and had to start working to support his family financially. At that time, his family was homeless and had to live in a tent. He started his comical journey in 1977 and got global recognition after starring in "Mask," closely followed by "Dumb and Dumber" in 1994.

3. Leighton Meester 

Leighton Meester of "Gossip Girl" fame had a troubled childhood. She was born to her parents in 1986 when both of them were serving their sentence in prison for a drug charge involving the smuggling of marijuana from Jamaica to the United States. The family was not financially stable and they would often miss their daily meals. But her parents supported her and she started her modeling career in New York at the age of eleven.

4. Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor who needs no introduction. The "Titanic" superstar lived his early childhood in a very poor neighborhood. His parents divorced when he was just a year old. DiCaprio grew up in an area that was plagued by prostitution and crime. But he eventually became one of the highest-paid actors in 1997 when he charged $40 million for his role in James Cameron-directed "Titanic."

5. Demi Moore

Demi Moore's parents separated even before she was born. Soon, her mother married a newspaper salesman. But since his step-father's job was not a stable one, the family had to live in dire conditions. To add to this, her mother was struck with several cases of drunk driving and arson which led to her troubled childhood. She started her career as a receptionist at the age of 16. She became a renowned name in 1985 after starring in "St. Elmo's Fire." Her success grew over time and in 1995, she became the highest-paid actress in Hollywood.

6. Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johnson has been featured as one of the highest-paid actresses in 2018 and 2019. But she didn't always have the riches to celebrate. Her parents relied on government welfare schemes to support the family. Her parents separated when she was just thirteen making her early teens hard for her. But her role in the 2003 film "Girl With a Pearl Earring" gained her global recognition. She started featuring in MCU in 2010, which became an anchor point of her successful career.

7. Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix, one of the greatest actors of the 21st century (as recognized by the New York Times) was not always living a glorious life. He had an extremely poor childhood with his siblings later deciding to move to the streets to perform and make some money. Phoenix started his career by starring in commercials and then moving to movies. His roles in "Her" and "Joker" are highly celebrated and he has won 2 Golden Globe Awards and 1 Grammy award.

8. Mark Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg had eight siblings which made it quite difficult for his parents to meet the needs of a big family. His parents divorced when he was in his early teens, leaving a significant impact on him. In his teen years, Wahlberg was quite violent and was part of hate crimes against marginalized races. As he grew up, he realized his mistake and started his career as a singer with the stage name, Marky Mark. Later, he moved to acting and has been part of hits such as "Ted," and "The Transformer" franchise.

9. Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis, the popular American actress known for her exceptional work in the "Luckiest Girl Alive" struggled her whole childhood to get fame and recognition as an artist. She with her family in her early career stages shifted to America from Ukraine in search of a better life where they ate ketchup soup for months when they were broke or on a tight budget. Life was pretty tough for Kunis as she had acting dreams that were difficult to pursue due to language barriers and financial problems.

10. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California and a celebrated veteran actor grew up in a house that didn't even have basic amenities such as a refrigerator. He got to know what a shower looked like when he entered his teens. He had a thing for sports and started working on his physique from a very early age. At the age of 23, he became Mr. Olympia. He started acting in 1970 and became a global action hero in 1984, thanks to his role in "Terminator."