It’s hard to imagine all of the amazing celebrities we know and love today as being anything but who they are now. Since being a beautiful and glamorous star must feel wonderful, we can only guess how great it must feel to be rich and famous all of the time. Meeting other famous and talented people, attending the best parties and of course living a dream life full of luxuries is a normal, everyday way of life for our favorite stars. It’s also interesting to find out how these celebrities got their start in the first place. Of course, some of them were born into rich and famous families and were destined to become great. Many others had to build up their careers from scratch. In fact, there was a time when many famous actors, directors and musicians couldn’t even conceive how well they would do in life. Some of them lived in very poor conditions and earning even the simplest wage was a challenge. It’s hard for some of us to believe that many of these folks came from nothing because we see them in luxurious cars and designer gowns. The following is a list of the top 15 celebrities that used to be poor but are now successful and gloriously rich. Their stories of challenge and misery can surely tell us a lot about setting ambitious goals of becoming whatever it is that we want to become and moving towards that goal - no matter what. Success and fame are obviously great motivators to help bring just about anyone out from poverty and ruin.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger the actor, politician and former professional bodybuilder was born in a very tiny Austrian village called Thal, in 1947. The now famous Schwarzenegger and ex-Governor of California was born to a very poor family who often didn’t have access to hot water or electricity. Clearly, Schwarzenegger grew up in very modest conditions having limited opportunities throughout his childhood. The actor once admitted that as a child, he had no television, no flushing toilet and no refrigerator. He also mentions that his small village often had British Tank Drivers driving around who offered him and his childhood friends a ride to their elementary school. Arnold once told a story from his childhood when his family bought a refrigerator after living without one for many years. The young Schwarzenegger was much more amused by the new refrigerator than he ever was by the riding of the tanks going to school.

Nicki Minaj

Who hasn’t heard of Nicki Minaj? She is now one of the most famous female rappers in history. Yet, not everyone knows about the hard childhood she led. Born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, Minaj moved to Queens with her family when she was only five. Minaj’s father had some serious problems with a history of being difficult. While he was watching TV, a fire started in the family’s home that almost killed Minaj’s mother. In one interview, Minaj mentions that she always wanted to become successful and strong so she could help her mother survive her bad living conditions. Minaj first tried acting at the LaGuardia High School of Music and Art. Her acting career never materialized, so the rapper/singer took on a host of steady jobs which included waiting tables. She eventually realized that she was both a great singer and songwriter who wrote many of the lyrics to the songs we hear today. Minaj was later discovered by the CEO of Dirty Money Records. Big Fendi helped move her career to incredible new heights.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Today, Sarah Jessica Parker is one of the most successful actresses in the world. She was born in Ohio and was the youngest of four children. As a child, Sarah’s parents lived separately and eventually divorced. After the divorce, her mother remarried a truck driver who was away from home most of the time. Parker’s new stepfather had four children of his own making eight kids in total. It was a challenge getting by on a single income for a family of eight. As Parker mentions, the family often went without electricity for days. After discovering her talent for acting, Parker’s mother encouraged her to take drama classes. To pay for the classes, Parker’s mom would sometimes clean the school’s halls so her daughter could keep attending the acting classes. Later, the entire family moved to New Jersey to support Parker’s acting career. Parker landed her first role on a New York City stage when she was only 11.

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber was born in a very small town in Ontario, Canada. When he was young, his family lived well below the poverty line. Bieber’s parents split up when he was still a baby and his mother was left to raise him alone. Bieber started getting into music at a young age. He would use anything he could find in the house as a musical instrument. Eventually, his mother bought him a drum-set. He soon discovered YouTube and would upload personal music videos for family and friends. More and more people started watching his videos and he quickly gained a huge following of fans. One day, Scooter Braun watched one of Bieber’s videos. Braun contacted Bieber’s family and convinced them to move to Atlanta to begin work on making Bieber a celebrity. At the beginning, Bieber’s Mom wanted him to stay in their hometown to be raised as a normal kid. Eventually, Braun persuaded Bieber’s mother that the talented kid from Canada would achieve wild success by moving to the States and, he was right!

Eminem

Eminem grew up in challenging conditions. The rapper/singer never knew his father. His mother, Deborah Mathers had difficulty keeping a steady job. As a child, Eminem moved from place to place so Deborah could find work. This also meant the rapper had to change schools several times every year. Growing up without a place to call home became difficult for the young lad. It was hard for him to make friends so he grew up feeling alone and almost always felt like an outsider. It was tough for him to do well in school under those circumstances. He ended up dropping out of Michigan’s Lincoln High School at the age of 17 after he failed to pass the 9th grade three times. Even though Eminem wasn’t a good student, he had a natural talent for the English language. After discovering his talent for rhymes, he entered the Detroit rap scene where he battled other rappers live, on stage.

Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank was born in Nebraska and grew up having a very difficult and hard life. Her father left the young Swank’s home when she was only 9 years old. Swank and her mother went to live in a trailer park in Bellingham, Washington. The living environment was in a very poor condition. As a child, Swank spent a lot of time by the lake near her home - swimming and doing gymnastics. It was then that Swank discovered her passion for acting in television and movies. As Swank recalls, she wanted to become a star from the time she was eight years old and always knew that if she worked hard enough, she would be able to make a name for herself in Hollywood. Soon after her mother lost her job, the pair moved to Los Angeles. They packed all of their belongings in a small trailer and lived in their car while Swank tried to build her acting career. Eventually all of her effort and hard work paid off. Swank became one of the most successful and famous actresses in the world today.

Celine Dion

This beautiful Canadian-born singer grew up in a poverty-stricken family. They had a small, local club where Dion first started performing at a very young age. Being highly ambitious, Dion always believed that one day she would become a famous singer. At the age of 12, she wrote her first song with the help of her talented mother. A famous music manager, René Angélil, was so moved by Dion’s talent that he decided to invest in Dion and support her career. René even mortgaged his house so he could pay for Dion’s very first record. René’s intuition proved to be right when investing in Dion’s talent. She soon became one of the most successful singers of all time. Performing one of her best known songs My Heart Will Go On for the famous US movie Titanic, she became one of the most recognized and highest paid singers in the world.

Jim Carrey

This famous comic and actor is best known for his roles in films such as Bruce Almighty and The Truman Show. One fact about Carrey that not many people know, is that he never finished high school. He was also rejected many times on his first auditions. Back in his teens, Carrey would cheer his mother up with his funny acting during her most difficult times. Since then, he found his passion in both comedy and acting. His first roles however, were not successful but that didn’t prevent him from becoming a top celebrity. After several unsuccessful attempts, Carrey eventually played some of the most appealing parts in film, enabling him to create a unique comedy style. This unique style was appreciated by many fans around the world. Slowly, he began taking more serious roles showing a different side of his talent, putting him on the list of today’s greatest actors.

Leighton Meester

There is absolutely no doubt, Leighton Meester had one of the most challenging childhoods of all of the people that are on this list. Let us start with the fact that she was born in prison where her mother was carrying out a sentence. Her father also served some time in prison as well. As told by Meester, her childhood could be described as crazy and unusual. Meester often speaks very positively about her childhood memories. She mentions that despite the hard times for her and her family, she always enjoyed going out to play with other children and generally had a nice time as a kid. The actress, says that she learned a lot from her challenging childhood, giving her enough strength and dedication to pursue her dream of becoming a successful model. Meester started modelling at the age of 10 after moving to New York City. In New York, she also began taking acting classes.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry had an unusual and difficult childhood. Her dad was a not a very good father who abandoned the family when Berry was only 5 years old. Berry’s mother was left alone to raise 2 children all by herself in a rough neighborhood. Once she was old enough, Berry decided to move to New York City and made her first attempt at a modelling and acting career. The initial years were very challenging for the actress. She had to live in homeless shelters because she didn’t have enough money to pay for an apartment. But Halle never stopped believing that she would be able to make it as a successful actress. Looking back at her younger years, Berry mentions that all the experience and challenging times made her strong and toughened her up. She actually had to learn how to take care of herself. After a long struggle, the actress got her first roles in movies and became the incredible actress she is known as today. Currently, Berry is one of the highest paid actresses in the USA.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio was a poor, young boy living on the dangerous streets of Los Angeles. The actor once said that his childhood outside of his home was full of violence and weird women. There were all kinds of illegal activities going on around DiCaprio as he was growing up, including lots of shady people and criminals which, according to the actor, deterred him from taking a downward spiral into a life of crime. DiCaprio says he was not happy in school because he was constantly bullied by other kids. The only motivation in life for DiCaprio came from the acting classes he was taking, at the age of 15. DiCaprio already knew he wanted to be an actor and asked his mother to help him get to auditions. His mother was a great support for him in the early years. She always helped him to get to his auditions on time and after all of their hard work he soon received starring roles in big Hollywood productions and became one of the most recognized and successful actors in the world.

Demi Moore

Demi Moore was born in New Mexico to a poor family. Moore’s father abandoned her mother before Demi was born, making family life extremely difficult for her and her siblings. Sometime after Moore was born, her mother remarried. Her new stepfather was not able to keep a steady job and the family often moved from one city to another. Moore, at a young age had a rare eye condition which required two serious surgeries. After Moore dropped out of school, she started working as a debt collection agent to earn a living. She soon earned some modelling opportunities which eventually took her to Europe. Later on, she started a relationship with Freddy Moore from whom she got her surname. Nastassja Kinski who lived next to Moore at the time, was a big influence and is often cited by Moore as helping her to become a successful actress. Moore eventually won supporting roles in movies and became a well-known and talented star.

Shania Twain

Country-pop singer Shania Twain had a very rough time growing up due to the amount of hardship that was in her family. Her stepfather was extremely difficult towards her mother for many years which had a huge influence on Twain. Twain also suffered from extreme agony because she often witnessed the huge differences that were between her parents. According to the singer, the main causes of the frequent difficulties in the family were due to financial difficulties. The kids had to go to school hungry on many occasions because the family didn’t have enough money to pay the rent or to buy groceries. When Shania was in her late-teens, a huge tragedy struck when her parents were killed in a car accident. After losing her parents, Twain was left alone to raise her 3 younger siblings. This was one of the biggest challenges for the young singer at that time.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah is one of the richest women in the US now, but she once wore potato sacks instead of clothes because her family was not always able to pay for new school dresses. She spent the first several years of her life with her grandmother in a farm in Mississippi. She was born to an unwed teenage mother who had to leave the kids with the grandmother while she searched for a job to support the family. The mother wasn't able to find steady work to pay the bills. When Winfrey was 6 years old, her grandmother fell ill and she had to move in with her mother. Winfrey’s mother lived in a Milwaukee boarding house at the time. As a kid, Winfrey had to live in extreme poverty. She was also the victim of extreme hardship. At the age of 14, Oprah moved to Nashville, Tennessee to live with her father where her career began to take off.

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson is an American Idol star with one of the strongest and most moving voices in the world. Behind the singer’s fame and fortune was a very difficult childhood. Clarkson grew up in a very old house where things were simply falling apart. Her family was extremely poor and Kelly survived on food stamps and cheap food for most of her life. All of her challenges early in life didn’t prevent Clarkson from pursuing her dream of becoming a successful singer. She left home in her late teens and moved to Los Angeles to become a singer. While looking for work as a singer, her apartment caught on fire and she had to live in shelters or in her car for long periods of time. All of her difficulties kept her motivated and she eventually built her way to becoming one of the first female winners of the popular American Idol Series.

References: todayifoundout.com, biography.com, esme.com, .com, thefamouspeople.com, thefamouspeople.com, huffingtonpost.com, dailymail.co.uk, hellomagazine.com, abcnews.go.com, businessinsider.com, madamenoire.com