9 Celebrities You Never Knew Came From Total Poverty

From zero to hero, from rags to riches, started at the bottom now they’re here… We all love these stories of people crawling out of the dirt and into the sunshine, especially if they’re world-famous celebrities. Their stories inspire us to do and create something! We find comfort in know that hard work will get us out of almost any bad situation, and with a bit of luck we’ll be able to overcome the worst circumstances.

Just like that, these 9 hard-working celebs have made it to the very top. Would you be surprised to find out that DiCaprio is one of them? Seems like he’s in everything these days, so why don’t we start with good old Leo…

Leonardo DiCaprio
As you may have guessed Leo didn’t come from money. His mother had to work several jobs just to keep everyone fed and warm. He got his first role when he was 5 years old, and after that things started to look up for him and his family. A few commercials here, a sitcom there, then his first movie, and boom! – Leonardo DiCaprio gets his well-deserved Oscar!

Oprah Winfrey
Before she was giving away cars on the show and talking to all sorts of celebs like they’re just people, Oprah had to endure and overcome some of the worst situations a teen girl can imagine. Raised by her grandma, assaulted by her uncle, her cousin and a family friend, got pregnant at only 15, and lost her infant son. This kind of life would have broken most of us, but not Oprah. Today she’s said to be worth $3 billion dollars.

Mark Wahlberg
Hey look, it’s Marky! Did you know he used to be a rapper with a cocaine addiction and a criminal record by the time he was 15? What a busy boy he was. I don’t know how he did it, but he’s one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood now.