Oprah Winfrey to Leonardo DiCaprio: Celebs who rose from nothing to build fortunes

Many celebrities who have huge fortune, did not start life with silver spoons. These stars faced several hardships in their early lives.

However, through resilience, hard work, and determination, they became global icons and a very successful names.

Here’s a look at some of the celebrities who turned their early struggles into spectacular success.

Oprah Winfrey:

Oprah Winfrey was born into a poor Mississippi family and suffered abuse and difficult upbringing. To escape these hardships she ran away from home at 13, and a yea later gave birth to a child who tragically died shortly after.

Despite these challenges, she excelled academically, earning a scholarship to Tennessee State University and at 19, she became the first African American TV writer.

Later, she created and hosted The Oprah Winfrey Show, becoming the first woman to own and produce her own talk show. 

The show aired for 25 seasons, which made her a household name. Today, her net worth is approximately $2.5 billion.

Dolly Parton:

Dolly Parton grew up in a financially weak family. Her parents worked tirelessly to provide for them, but music was always part of her life. 

She made her first appearance at age 10 on The Cas Walker Show.

Parton has been in show business for six decades. She is a winner of nine Grammy Awards, and her song catalogue alone is valued at an estimated $150 million.

Moreover, the singer is also known for her kindness and generosity, she donated $1 million in 2020 to help fund a potential COVID-19 vaccine. Her total net worth is approximately $375 million.

Leonardo DiCaprio:

Leonardo DiCaprio was born and raised in a challenging environment on the outskirts of Los Angeles, witnessing poverty, drug use, and violence firsthand. These early experiences helped him portray complex characters on screen.

Addressing criticism over his role in The Wolf of Wall Street, he told The Time, “Who am I to talk about this? It goes back to that neighbourhood. It came from the fact that I grew up very poor, and I got to see the other side of the spectrum.”

By 2015, his net worth was estimated at $29 million, a figure that has since grown substantially.

Ed Sheeran: 

Ed Sheeran was a struggling musician in London, and often used to sleep in underground stations or on heating vents.

He wrote about his experience in his book A Visual Journey, “There was an arch outside Buckingham Palace that has a heating duct and I spent a couple of nights there. That’s where I wrote the song 'Homeless'…”

Sheeran’s hard work paid off as his net worth reached $64 million in 2020.

Sarah Jessica Parker:

Sarah Jessica Parker grew up in a large family that often struggled to make ends meet. Holidays and birthdays were rarely celebrated, and sometimes the family couldn’t afford electricity or a phone bill.

Parker’s acting talent emerged early, she got her first Broadway role at age 11 and later moved to Hollywood to star on the TV show Square Pegs.

She became iconic as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City and reportedly earns over $1 million per episode in the series reboot.

Halle Berry:

Halle Berry had suffered homelessness and stayed in shelters. During that difficult time, she kept pursuing her acting in Hollywood.

The iconic actress shared her struggles in an interview with People, where she said, “It taught me how to take care of myself and that I could live through any situation, even if it meant going to a shelter for a small stint.”

Her perseverance helped her rise to the top of Hollywood.