About PeopleJam | Ad Network | Newsroom | Interested in joining PeopleJam as a Business Partner?
Copyright 2008 PeopleJam, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of use | Feedback | Newsletter
7 Greatest Celebrity Rags to Riches Stories
In times of trouble, a good ol’ rags to riches story gives us hope that we, too, will persevere and achieve the American dream.
These 7 true stories of people shooting to fame and fortune from humble backgrounds are something Horatio Alger couldn’t even have dreamed of. (Remember Horatio Alger? Freshman high school English? The dude that literally wrote the book—hundreds of them—about down-and-out boys achieving success through virtue, luck, and pluck?)
It’s the 2000s. We’re not talking homeless boys finding jobs as dishwashers, and finally achieving some stability in their lives. We’re talking big bucks. Millions and billions of dollars accumulated over a single lifetime.
Who would’ve though a little luck, pluck, and virtue could get you so far…
1. Oprah Winfrey
She’s got 2.7 billion dollars. You could easily retire on a thousandth of what she’s got. But following in her footsteps on your way to fame is certainly something nobody would want to do.
She was raped at 9 years old, and gave birth at 14-years old to a son who died in infancy. Winfrey landed a job in radio while she was still in high school and at only 19-years old, began co-anchoring the evening news at her local station in Tennessee. Soon after, she was plucked out of obscurity, and given her own talk show. Because of the emotional ad-libbing Winfrey used as a news anchor, people responded to her.
Luck factor: 90%
Winfrey’s meteoric rise to fame was extremely lucky, but her ability to stay there and to hold an audience for decades can only be attributed to the media mogul’s own virtue and solid work ethic.
2. J.K. Rowling
Listen up, all you aspiring authors! J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, which is now a global phenomenon, is currently worth 1 billion dollars.
Unemployed, newly-divorced, and living on welfare in Edinburgh with an infant child, Rowling dedicated herself to writing the first Harry Potter book after the idea came to her on a train ride. After having her book summary rejected by several publishing houses, one picked it up, and the rest is history.
Luck factor: 70%
It’s difficult to get noticed in the publishing industry, but as they say, the cream of the crop usually rises to the top. Rowling took a huge gamble, not working at a full-time job while she worked on a children’s novel. But she followed her heart, and it paid off—big time.
Got a dream? Pursue it. You never know where it might lead you…and you can always hope it leads you straight into a billion bucks! (Seriously, though, maybe a part-time job to go along with your dream-making plans would be a good idea, unless you think you’re a human good luck charm.)
3. Amancio Ortega
If you’ve ever been to Europe, you’ve probably been in one of this guy’s stores. Does the name Zara ring a bell? Zara stores are everywhere, offering cheap, chic, and affordable clothes. Rumored to be worth over 20 billion dollars, this fashion entrepreneur literally started out with rags.
Mr. Ortega started out working retail in a t-shirt store. At the age of 26, he made his own company, which manufactured bathrobes. At 39, he and his wife opened their first store—the one that would eventually grow into the wildly popular Zara.
Rumored to be impossible to photograph, Mr. Ortega prefers to keep a very low profile, reportedly never wears a tie, enjoys dressing in blue jeans, and is extremely active in every aspect of his business—from design to production.
Luck Factor: 20%
You never know what styles will catch on…or do you? Mr. Ortega seriously worked hard, and still does, to achieve his position as one of the world’s richest men.
4. Shia LaBoeuf
Born in LA to an artist/ballerina mom, and a Vietnam vet father who never held a steady job, this breakout movie star of 2008 has made a lasting impression on Hollywood, and retired his parents along the way to fame.
How’d he do it? At the age of 10, he realized he could make good money as an actor. So he found an agent in the yellow pages, called her up, and pretended to be his own manager, speaking about himself in the third person. He must’ve been charming, because she took him on as a client—and later charmed Steven Spielberg as well, who cast him in the blockbusters Disturbia, Transformers, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Luck Factor: 90%
If that agent hadn’t taken Shia on, he’d be just like the millions of other talented people in Los Angeles without a job. In his favor, he had the chops to turn his luck into a lasting career.
5. Snoop Dogg
Rumored to be worth at least 200 million dollars, this skinny rapper with his own TV show started out a poor kid on the rough streets of Long Beach, California. He spent a lot of time after high school in and out of jail, entangled in drug issues. He used music to turn his life around.
Luck Factor: 60%
Dogg, né Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr. created hip-hop tapes with the stepbrother of Dr. Dre, who passed the tapes on to the good doctor. That was Snoop’s lucky break. Since then, he’s been a master of branding himself. His vocals are uber distinctive, as are his language and look.
6. Christopher Gardner
Ever see the 2006 Will Smith movie, The Pursuit of Happyness? You know you’ve made it when Will Smith is portraying you in a biographical movie.
In and out of foster care as a child, this entrepreneur, whose net worth was estimated at $65 million in 2006, lost his wife, and was homeless on the streets of San Francisco with a young son in the early 1980s. Determined to make it as a stockbroker, he took a position as a trainee at Dean Witter Reynolds. With little money, Gardner and his son slept in parks and public restrooms after Gardner worked as many hours as he could to become the top banker at his firm.
It all paid off: in 1987, Gardner started his own brokerage firm in Chicago.
Luck Factor: 10%
This man worked his butt off for everything he got, sacrificing a house for himself and his son as he tried to save money for a rental home. Tenacity. Got it? Go get ‘em!
7. Jim Carrey
Yep, one of Hollywood’s top-paid funnymen didn’t have much to laugh about growing up. When Mr. Carrey was in high school in Canada, he lived in a camper van with his family, and worked eight-hour shifts at a tire factory to help make ends meet. At 16, he dropped out of high school to pursue his passion: comedy.
He took a big risk and moved to LA, endearing himself to Rodney Dangerfield while appearing regularly at The Comedy Store in the early ‘80s. He became Dangerfield’s opening act. Later, he became friends with the Wayans brothers, getting a gig on the sketch comedy show, In Living Color and the rest, as they say, is history.
Luck Factor: 70%
The luck factor is always high for people who make it in Hollywood. But Carrey certainly has a brand of humor all his own that has proven itself popular in front of a global audience.
If you’re having a tough time right now, take a few tips from these guys: never lose sight of your dreams, always work hard to achieve them, and keep your eyes out for your next big opportunity. You never know when it will present itself, but you can be certain it won’t be while you’re sitting at home. So put yourself out there. What have you got to lose?
Add To:
If you enjoyed this blog entry, subscribe to our newsletter and we'll keep you updated with fresh new content.
OK, this is a great pick-me-up article. It's great to see some of the folks who've made it big after all. Great advice - dream big!
Great blog. Gives hope to the working guys like me!
I didn't know that Jim Carrey came from such humble beginnings. Thanks. This was really inspiring!
A great post! I love to read uplifting stories in the midst of all of the horrible news we are bombarded with on a daily basis. As a struggling entrepreneur, I was inspired by these stories and have been given a spiritual boost on a down day. Thank you!
Sad to say but i did not know that Oprah Winfrey had such a terrible past...i'm always glad to hear about people who have come from nothing and made it own their own, it's a whole lot better than people like Paris Hilton who grew up with tons of cash and are famous for almost nothing...
It's always great to see these people rise up from humble beginnings. Makes you think just what you can be when you "grow-up"!!
at times like this is refreshing to here how just about anybody with a little luck and hard work can make it to the top..jk rowling's success is particularly interesting.
Really good post! Enjoyed reading it a lot. Always nice to know that people who are so famous now had such humble beginnings.
Hearing about these people really helps me count my own blessings. This present economy is getting everyone down - but we are making it and it's good to remember that people have been down before and managed to make it big! I really am not looking for that kind of fame, but it is encouraging.
I enjoyed reading your posted and was really surprised at your Jim Carrey pick! Overall, you can't go wrong with Oprah at the top!
Awesome post!!!, Loved It...
In times like these, with the highest unemployment rates since the Great Depression, this article gives inspiration and hope to all those who are struggling to get a job right now. I, for one, am inspired especially by Oprah's and J.K. Rowling's stories. To absolutely come from nothing is a lesson to us all.
Yeah, too bad Rowling stole most of her material while she was "remembering" things she'd read and watched while on a train ride. Taking exact names with exact seetings from others still doesn't make her imaginative. Lucky maybe, but it still makes her worthless and a loser when it comes to a test of character. The movies and books are good doubtless, but the ends don't always justify the means.
You should read "Outliers" - Malcolm Gladwell's new book - which gives a lot of weight to the "luck factor" part of your success stories. He shows that our American love for the "rags-to-riches, born in squalor, pulled up his bootstraps and made something of himself" story is very often a rose-colored glasses way of looking at things. Yes, all these people have incredible smarts and talent, but what they really may have been good at was their ability to seize an opportunity (i.e. luck) that befell them.
Not to rain on the parade. Just to say to those who would like to be wildly successful like La Oprah and LaBoeuf: it doesn't take the most dire of circumstances to motivate you to succeed; just good luck and the wherewithall to take advantage of it.
I really like this post. This really helps me to realized that everyone have its own destiny and everyone could be anyone if you have what it takes to be what you want. The story of these people gives me inspiration to move on and pass all the trials that may come into my life. This post is really very helpful to me. Thanks a lot.
I love this blog, I love all of these actors, they are so inspirational. Although I'm not sure what you mean by luck factor. I think that people like Oprah Winfrey had drive and determination rather than luck. But it was great hearing their stories. Inspirational!
jim carrey slept at the comedy club
i think the luck factor for him is overrated
I hope my luck factor improves!! I think that the name of the game is to be ready to take the opportunity that luck creates when it shows itself!
i feel these stories will make the people of america be proud. this will be a way to look at people and know anything can happen.
What uplifting stories! I loved the movie Pursuit of Happyness and find stories like that one so inspiring when I'm having a rough day. These people prove that you can rise above your circumstances to make something of yourself. Anything can happen if you believe it can and put your mind and hard work into it.
What nice positive stories! It is nice to know these stars started out just as everyday people and did phenomenal. Thanks so much for sharing this!
I guess their is hope for us all! Great blog. Very interesting!
Even though I generally hate the concept of celebrity, if these stories can inspire even one person to pull themselves out of a bad situation and make something of their lives, then it is worth the read. I did find it interesting to read though! I just do not like the way our society focuses so much on celebrity as a method of comparison.
Cool article. In insecure economic times it nice to hear people who have had success regardless of the trials and tribulations that once faced. I had no idea Jim Carrey had an upbringing like that. It truly amazes and he's one of my favorites.
I am absolutely certain that you can find lots of jim carrey in your local area.how could you explain this?why are they not famous?
Very interesting! Although I hadn't heard of some of these people, I also didn't know a lot of what was written about some of the others. It raises your respect for them!
It is nice to see success stories would be nicer if less of them were in show biz.
What a cool blog. Oprah really has made the best of a bad childhood. More people should focus on bettering themselves instead of letting their childhood define them!
This is so much more encouraging than hearing about someone who became rich and successful who's only "skill" was that he or she was born with a silver spoon in his or her mouth. It could be luck, or it could be destiny, but we have to remember there are a lot more people in the world who aren't rich and successful.
These are great stories! I'm so glad you took the time to write all of these down. I especially liked the story about Shia LaBoeuf, that is such a cute story, and I've always like him a lot.
I love stories like these. Its great to see people who really worked hard for what they've got and didn't just come into the wealth based on some birth right. Great blog.
I thought it was riches to rags. damn that picture at the top!
The most important thing about the background of these people is what you don't see, what "dates" and "numbers" won't tell you. Just because Jim Carrey lived in a trailer, or Snoop went to Jail or J.K. was on welfare doesn't tell you about the most important thing in their lives... witnesses, people who cared for and about them, who loved them. These are essential self-esteem builders that see people through doubt, depression, failure, etc.
I could hardly believe that Ms.Ophra had such a shocking start in life.I liked the post and the info.In everyone's life there is a time when benign hand shows the right direction,most never get the hint or are afraid of taking the plunge, those who do mostly do well.
Bigg Snoop Dogg worth at least 250 million dollars! The Greatest Rapper of All Time!
I would like to read these stories.It will change emotion.your brain start to flow feel good hormones that's all about chemical reaction.All men can never be successful.....how could it be possible?think logically.what about darwin's "survival of the fittest".Two person can't get a olympic gold medal even though,they have same talent ,quality,training,tremendous will or burning desire to win whatever...always there would be someone to be lost.I do admire your blog with heart full of appreciation.you can find great amount of looser those once upon a time worked hard,tried purposefully,but could not find the ways to top.Absolutely,they are lucky guys but they had a strong believe in themself.so forget about loosing or winning ,try hard as much as you can.every action has reaction,certainly you will get something as a consequences.be happy.
Hi guys,
I am really impressed with the blog , which gives the insight into the lives of these people who had a never say die attitude. I would like to thank the guys who created this wonderful work. If only you could dig more about people like the above more often, would be highly appreciated.
Great work, keep it up guys.
37 Comments