10 Household Names Who Have Nothing At The Starting Point Of Their Careers

Anyone you ask on the street is likely to disagree when you ask them if it's worthwhile to be a starving artist. In the end, so many budding geniuses choose reasonable professional paths and abandon their aspirations to become typical Dick and Janes because of just these individuals and that very fear.
Some people decide to live their passions, yet they fail to achieve success. Taking a chance to pursue their ambitions has paid off for a select few brilliant people, and for the stars on our list, it has paid off significantly. These celebrities, more than only achieving their life's biggest passion, also managed to rise above their humble origins.

1. Leighton Meester

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Leighton Meester, a stylish and polished star, was really born in a Texas jail when her mother was serving time for drug smuggling.
Meester resided with her grandmother in Florida until her mother was freed, despite the fact that her mother was permitted to spend 12 weeks in a halfway home with the newborn Leighton. Meester's current net worth is thought to be $5 million.

2. Celine Dion

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The youngest of 14, Celine Dion was raised in a low-income French Canadian household, performing at her parent's piano bar where her father made just $160 a week to support his 16-person family.
Her big break occurred when she and her family submitted music manager Rene Angelil a song they had written. He was so moved by her voice that he had to take out a mortgage on his home to pay for her debut album. He then coached her for the rest of her life. Dion is now thought to be worth $400 million after the two were married.

3. Shania Twain

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The young Shania Twain was reared in a violent home in the freezing town of Timmins, Ontario, where she shared a miserable upbringing with her three siblings and frequently went without food. Twain's mother and stepfather were killed in a vehicle accident when she reached 21. To support her three younger siblings, Twain performed at nearby resorts.
Twain began showcasing her songwriting and singing ability after her brothers were old enough to live independently. A few record firms were interested, notably Mercury Nashville Records, who went on to sign her and provide her with the platform she needed to become a celebrity.

4. Jim Carrey

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Jim Carrey may have survived his difficult beginnings thanks to his legendary sense of humor. Carrey, who was born and reared in Canada, left high school after his father lost his job in order to help with the household expenses. Despite Carrey's efforts, his family finally lost their house and was forced to live in a van. He worked as a security guard and cleaner.
Prior to being successful in his debut television program, "In Living Color," Carrey struggled in Los Angeles' comedy scene after immigrating to the country. His current projected annual salary for a film is $20 million.

5. Tom Cruise

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After his parents' divorce, Cruise relocated to the United States. He was reared in Ottawa, Canada, and started acting in the fourth and fifth grades. Despite the change, Cruise's skills continued to grow. He was reared Catholic and had aspirations of becoming a priest, but instead decided to become an actor at the age of 19. Today, Cruise is worth $250 million.
But there were challenges in Cruise's childhood as well. While Celine Dion talks of having a joyful childhood, Tom Cruise recounts living in close to poverty as a child and experiencing violence from his father, whom Cruise now views as a bully and coward.

6. Demi Moore

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Demi Moore was reared in a trailer park by her alcoholic mother and stepfather after being born in Roswell, New Mexico. Because of her stepfather's many employment changes, she saw domestic violence firsthand and grew up in an unstable environment, moving more than 30 times.
By the age of 16, Moore had left home and joined the Elite Modeling Agency. She worked as a pin-up girl in Europe and subsequently found fame as an actor following a brief but contentious period of appearing in nude photos. She currently has a $150 million net worth.

7. Leonardo DiCaprio

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Living in many squalid Los Angeles areas with his mother, who worked multiple jobs to support the family, Leonardo DiCaprio had a very basic upbringing. He went on to graduate from high school and started acting at a young age, landing a Matchbox Cars commercial at the age of 14. He currently has a $200 million net worth.

8. Sarah Jessica Parker

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The youngest of four children born to poor parents who eventually got divorced when she was two, Sarah Jessica Parker was reared in a coal mining village in Ohio. Four more children would be born when her mother remarried, but because her mother was a homemaker and her stepfather worked as a truck driver, the family struggled to make ends meet.
Parker's skill, nevertheless, helped her win her first Broadway part at the age of 11, and at 16, she moved to Hollywood to star in her first TV program, "Square Pegs." According to estimates, Parker is now worth $90 million.

9. Jay Z

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In the Marcy Housing Projects in Brooklyn, where Jay Z was raised in decency, he shot his brother in the arm when he was 12 years old for stealing his valuables. In order to make ends meet as a teenager, Jay Z peddled drugs. He then turned to rapping, which would turn out to be his most successful career choice; he is now allegedly worth $550 million.

10Oprah Winfrey

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Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty to a teenage single mother in rural Mississippi, where she was raised by her grandmother. Winfrey has talked about her childhood hardships, including being raped when she was 9 years old and being pregnant at 14. (her son died in infancy).
When Winfrey was transferred to live with her father in Tennessee, she got work in the radio industry while still a high school student. At the age of 19, she started her career as a journalist by co-anchoring the local nightly news. She presently has a $2.9 billion net worth.