Omfunfacts Presents 8 Celebrities Who Were Poor.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is legitimately awesome. His early adult life is literally the definition of capturing the american dream! When Arnold came to America from Austria back in 1968 at the age of 21, Arnold had nothing to sustain him until he could begin his career as a bodybuilder. Until then however, He and his close friend and fellow bodybuilder, Franco Columbu started up a bricklaying business to tide them over until they could kickstart their careers. At this time, Arnold spoke very little english and learned more and more with each client that hired himself and Franco. Eventually Arnold would train at the now famous “Gold’s Gym” in Venice Beach, California before entering his first Bodybuilding competition. The rest from here on out is history.
7. Eminem.
Eminem is probably one of the hardest working rappers in the industry. Marshall Mathers had to work hard to get to where he is now. Before his rise to fame, he grew up moving back and forth between Missouri and Michigan with his single mom. Eventually, He and his mother settled on staying in Detroit, Michigan, living in a lower-middle class neighborhood. Even though they finally had a steady home to live in, things weren’t that great for Marshall. He constantly got bullied at school which was more physical bullying than typical verbal bullying as he got a concussion because of it. While his mom sued the school because of the incident, the case was eventually dropped. Eventually when rising to success after being recruited by several rap groups and then eventually going on to have an outstanding solo career, Marshall would channel his history into his music, writing about the bullying incident in his song, “Brain Damage.” Considering he went from a lower class neighbourhood to receiving over 150 awards over the course of his career (including an Oscar for his performance in the film “8 Mile”) he’s done pretty well for himself.
6. j.k. rowling.
Writers who are trying to make it in the industry, Don’t give up because even the greatest of writers had to start somewhere with the careers, and j.k. rowling is a prime example of a writer who clawed their way to fame. Writing her first book at the age of 6, Rowling knew she was destined to be a book author. With encouragement from her mother, She continued this journey all the way through her early adult life. After her mother’s death, Rowling moved to Porto, Portugal to teach English as a foreign language. During this time, she met Portuguese Television Journalist, Jorge arantes who she would go on to marry. Unfortunately this marriage didn’t last and Rowling moved back to England with her then infant daughter 1993. During this time, Rowling was living in cramped conditions which is no place for a child to stay while living on Welfare Benefits. During this time however, She had the original draft of the Philosopher’s Stone (Or the sorcerer's stone in the U.S) written up. By the time 1995 came around, Rowling was able to catch a break with publisher Bloomsbury which would finally lead to her financial success in the following years. This just shows that hard work pays off.
5. Jim Carrey.
So even with a great sense of humor, it automatically mean comedians had the best of lives. Jim Carrey had to witness his family go through tough times to make ends meet at the age of 11 after his 51 year old dad lost his job. Because of this, The whole family, Including JimCarreyy had to take on jobs like Janitors and night guards.Carreyy had to take up a job after school where he would work 8 hours a day in a factory. It was so draining thatCarreyy stated that he wanted to “Bash somebody’s head in”. It was so bad that the family ended up living in a van for a while.
4. Mark Wahlberg.
Mark Wahlberg pretty much has everything a person could want in life right now, but before rising to success, Wahlberg had quite the shady past. Wahlberg didn’t graduate from high school, and he drifted into a life of crime. These crimes would include harassment, assault and possession of cocaine. It was pretty safe to say that he hit rock bottom before the age of 20,Wahlbergg pretty much hit rock bottom and pretty much had nothing. What makes this story remarkable however is the transformation he made from his shady past into the celebrity that he is today. Starting out as a rapper Marky Mark, he eventually broke out into the film industry appearing in modern classics such as The Departed and The Fighter. He’s came a long way from his sketchy past, that’s for sure.
3. Jay-Z.
Jay-Z’s childhood was without a doubt a rough one. A majority of his childhood was spent in the housing projects of Brooklyn, New York. In his autobiography, Decoded, he writes about his time after his childhood, “My life after childhood has two main stories: the story of the hustler and the story of the rapper, and the two overlap as much as they diverge. I was on the streets for more than half of my life from the time I was thirteen years old …The feelings I had during that part of my life were burned into me like a brand. It was life during wartime.” Jay-Z is now one of the current pioneers of the rap genre as he currently holds well over 48 awards throughout his well decorated career.
2. Tom Cruise.
Tom Cruise didn’t have an easy upbringing. Not only did he have to deal with his family living in poverty, He also had to live with his father who was an abusive bully. In several interviews, Cruise would state that his father “was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life—how he’d lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang! For me, it was like, ‘There’s something wrong with this guy. Don’t trust him. Be careful around him.” Thankfully, his mother had enough of the father and left him when Tom was in middle school. Perhaps that change helped him out not only as a teenager, but later in life as well. He has since won nearly 30 awards, including three Golden Globes.
1. Leonardo DiCaprio.
One of the most recognisable actors in the world, Leonardo DiCaprio is without a doubt one of the most popular A-list actors, Golden Globe-winners and finally an Oscar winners in the world right now! Despite his immense success, he didn’t exactly have the greatest of beginnings. He was raised in Los Angeles, California by his German mother. While she often worked two jobs to support her and her son, it was still a rough road. In an interview, DiCaprio states that in the neighbourhood his childhood home resided, “[There was a] major prostitution ring on my street corner, crime and violence everywhere. It really was like Taxi Driver in a lot of ways.” Much like other people on this list, He is living proof that you can make it in the industry even if you’re living in poverty.
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