20 millionaires and billionaires who went from rags to riches, from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and Hollywood stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Leonardo DiCaprio, to Apple’s Steve Jobs
The founders of Starbucks and Ralph Lauren, and Sarah Jessica Parker and Celine Dion, all had childhoods characterised by poverty, while Ed Sheeran and Halle Berry slept rough – now they’re some of the world’s richest
Despite being some of the most recognisable names in Silicon Valley, Hollywood and beyond, these millionaires and billionaires weren’t always living the high life.
Rather, these celebrities and entrepreneurs made it big after coming from nothing – from the seedy streets of LA to the middle-income Bayview projects.
Here are 20 of the US’s most inspiring rags-to-riches stories.
Halle Berry
Years before Halle Berry won an Oscar, she slept in a homeless shelter. A struggling actress desperately wanting to make it in Hollywood, the star sought out cheaper housing alternatives. But she says that the struggles during her early acting career made her stronger in the end.
In an interview with People magazine, Berry 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.”
Halle Berry now has a net worth of between US$70 and $80 million.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Long before Sarah Jessica Parker landed the iconic role of New York writer Carrie Bradshaw on HBO’s Sex and the City, she was just a small-town girl from Nelsonville, Ohio.