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See Again
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Sylvester Stallone - When he was chasing his dream of becoming a famous actor, Stallone spent three weeks sleeping at a bus station while he was anxiously waiting to find work.
© Getty Images
1 / 46 Fotos
Sylvester Stallone - In desperation, the 'Rocky' actor responded to an ad to star in an adult film for US$100 a day. After two days of filming, he was able to find a place to stay, and he later went on to achieve great success in Hollywood.
© Getty Images
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Natasha Lyonne - Before her big-time acting days, the 'American Pie' star was battling drug addiction and living on the streets.
© Getty Images
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Natasha Lyonne - Lyonne overcame addiction and is now best-known for her role in the Netflix series 'Orange Is the New Black' and her own series 'Russian Doll.'
© Getty Images
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Carmen Electra - After she had just finished touring with Prince, Electra's boyfriend at the time stole all of her money. With nowhere to go, the singer was homeless in Los Angeles for a couple years.
© Getty Images
5 / 46 Fotos
Carmen Electra
- She recalled sleeping on a park bench armed with a knife, a pager, Versace heels, and pocket change, praying to be anywhere but there. Her prayers were answered when she landed parts on 'Baywatch' and 'Singled Out.'
© Getty Images
6 / 46 Fotos
Kelsey Grammer
- Long before 'Frasier' skyrocketed Grammer to fame, he was reportedly sleeping in alleyways and parks while attending university. Grammer went on to achieve greatness with five Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award to show for it.
© Getty Images
7 / 46 Fotos
Shania Twain
- The Canadian singer grew up in poverty and lived for a time with her mother and sister in a homeless shelter in Toronto.
© Getty Images
8 / 46 Fotos
Shania Twain - She escaped both an abusive household and poverty, and is now a country music icon.
© Getty Images
9 / 46 Fotos
Kurt Cobain
- The late Nirvana front man was homeless for a time in Aberdeen, Washington, reportedly living under a bridge and sleeping in hospital waiting rooms.
© Getty Images
10 / 46 Fotos
Kurt Cobain - Of course, Cobain’s musical reputation precedes him. Many also believe the lyrics to Nirvana's 'Something in the Way' were written about his homeless period.
© NL Beeld
11 / 46 Fotos
Daniel Craig - Now best-known as James Bond, there was a time when the actor was James Broke, sleeping on park benches in London as a teenager.
© Getty Images
12 / 46 Fotos
Daniel Craig - That was his life as a struggling actor, and now he’s actually turning down roles.
© Getty Images
13 / 46 Fotos
John Cena
- In an interview with The Sun, John Cena revealed that he spent a period sleeping in his car when he arrived in Hollywood. He moved to LA from Massachusetts in 1999 seeking fame and fortune, but it didn't come as quickly as he had hoped.
© Getty Images
14 / 46 Fotos
John Cena
- His savings didn't last long and even though he found a job at a gym, he couldn't make ends meet and had to sleep in the backseat of his 1991 Lincoln Town Car. His dad had told him he'd be home with his tail between his legs in two weeks, and Cena was determined to prove him wrong. Luckily, his perseverance paid off, and Cena was on the WWE circuit by the early 2000s. He's now one of the biggest action movie stars in the world.
© Getty Images
15 / 46 Fotos
Halle Berry - When she was first starting out as an actress, Berry found herself homeless and had to stay in shelters in her very early 20s. She has openly said that she is actually grateful for the experience.
© Getty Images
16 / 46 Fotos
Halle Berry - Berry told Reader's Digest, “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, or living within my means, which were meager."
© Getty Images
17 / 46 Fotos
Jim Carrey - During an interview with 'Inside the Actors Studio,' Carrey opened up about the financial troubles his family had while he was growing up.
© Getty Images
18 / 46 Fotos
Jim Carrey - When asked about his childhood, Carrey recalled, "We were living out of a van. I quit school at age 15 to begin working to help support my family as a janitor.”
© Getty Images
19 / 46 Fotos
Kelly Clarkson - Before there was 'American Idol,' Kelly Clarkson was just another struggling artist in Los Angeles. When the singer first moved to the city, her apartment burned down.
© Getty Images
20 / 46 Fotos
Kelly Clarkson - At the time, the 'Breakaway' singer had no friends or family in the city, so she was forced to live in her car.
© Getty Images
21 / 46 Fotos
David Letterman - When the iconic talk show host was first starting out in Los Angeles in 1973, he had to live out of his pickup truck.
© Getty Images
22 / 46 Fotos
David Letterman - Letterman was able to pull himself out of financial strain when he began writing jokes for Jimmy Walker, and the rest is history.
© Getty Images
23 / 46 Fotos
Tyler Perry - When the movie mogul started working in Atlanta, he used up all his savings trying to stage his play and soon became homeless, which lasted on and off for about six years. He lived mostly in his car.
© Getty Images
24 / 46 Fotos
Tyler Perry - His gamble on himself paid off, and in 1998 his play 'I Know I’ve been Changed' became a hit, setting Perry on the path that led to his prolific works as a writer and entertainer.
© Getty Images
25 / 46 Fotos
Jewel - When Jewel Kilcher was just 18 years old, she lived in her VW van after she was fired from her job for refusing to be intimate with her boss, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
© Getty Images
26 / 46 Fotos
Jewel - During her year of homelessness, she continued to write songs and perform at local coffee houses, until one day she was scouted while performing. The singer/songwriter has since sold over 30 million albums and been nominated for four Grammy Awards.
© Getty Images
27 / 46 Fotos
Hilary Swank - When Swank and her mother first moved to Los Angeles, they could not afford a place to stay, so they lived out of their car.
© Getty Images
28 / 46 Fotos
Hilary Swank - The 'Boys Don't Cry' actress soon came out of this rough period in her life and eventually won two Academy Awards.
© Getty Images
29 / 46 Fotos
Steve Harvey - After he separated from his first wife, Harvey could only afford to stay in hotels when he was booked for comedy shows. When he wasn't, the now-famous talk show host had to sleep in his car.
© Getty Images
30 / 46 Fotos
Steve Harvey - He told People, "A week is really the maximum you can do. This was three years! It was rock bottom. But even in my darkest days, I had faith it would turn around."
© Getty Images
31 / 46 Fotos
Chris Pratt - After he dropped out of community college, the 'Parks and Recreation' actor fell on hard times and was living out of his van.
© Getty Images
32 / 46 Fotos
Chris Pratt - Pratt overcame that challenging time in his past, and has since starred in popular films such as 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' 'Moneyball,' and 'Zero Dark Thirty.'
© Getty Images
33 / 46 Fotos
Jennifer Lopez - Before she booked her first major gig, Lopez was sleeping in her dance studio for three months because she had nowhere else to go.
© Getty Images
34 / 46 Fotos
Jennifer Lopez - It wasn't until she was cast as a Fly Girl on 'In Living Color' that the singer's career began to take off and she could financially support herself.
© Getty Images
35 / 46 Fotos
Dr. Phil - The television host and psychologist had a troubled childhood, living out of a car with his alcoholic father.
© Getty Images
36 / 46 Fotos
Dr. Phil - Despite his struggles growing up, McGraw earned his PhD in psychology and eventually got his own daytime talk show after connecting with Oprah Winfrey.
© Getty Images
37 / 46 Fotos
Steve Jobs - The legendary CEO of Apple wasn’t always on the path to success. During his college years, he revealed at his Stanford commencement address, he slept on the floor in his friends’ rooms, returned coke bottles for the five cent deposits in order to buy food, and walked seven miles every Sunday to get a free meal.
© Getty Images
38 / 46 Fotos
Steve Jobs - All of that hardship paid off, and Jobs' tech empire made him a billionaire many times over.
© Getty Images
39 / 46 Fotos
Lil' Kim
- Lil' Kim lived with her mother in their car when she was just eight years old, after escaping an abusive home. Then, when she was a teen, Lil' Kim’s dad kicked her out again.
© Getty Images
40 / 46 Fotos
Lil' Kim - Beyond becoming an iconic rapper, Lil' Kim used her fame for good and started her own foundation called Lil' Kim Cares, working to raise funds and awareness for victims of neglect, violence, and homelessness.
© Getty Images
41 / 46 Fotos
Drew Carey - The comedian was homeless as a teen in Las Vegas, reportedly selling plasma for US$40 and living off of boxed macaroni and cheese.
© Getty Images
42 / 46 Fotos
Drew Carey - “I wouldn’t have had this success if I didn’t struggle,” he said.
© Getty Images
43 / 46 Fotos
Eartha Kitt - The late singer and entertainer did not have a steady place to call home as a child, and reportedly grew up being passed from relative to relative until she took to sleeping on rooftops in New York.
© Getty Images
44 / 46 Fotos
Eartha Kitt
- Along with blossoming into a star, she would later become an advocate, through Unicef, on behalf of homeless children.
© Getty Images
45 / 46 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 46 Fotos
Sylvester Stallone - When he was chasing his dream of becoming a famous actor, Stallone spent three weeks sleeping at a bus station while he was anxiously waiting to find work.
© Getty Images
1 / 46 Fotos
Sylvester Stallone - In desperation, the 'Rocky' actor responded to an ad to star in an adult film for US$100 a day. After two days of filming, he was able to find a place to stay, and he later went on to achieve great success in Hollywood.
© Getty Images
2 / 46 Fotos
Natasha Lyonne - Before her big-time acting days, the 'American Pie' star was battling drug addiction and living on the streets.
© Getty Images
3 / 46 Fotos
Natasha Lyonne - Lyonne overcame addiction and is now best-known for her role in the Netflix series 'Orange Is the New Black' and her own series 'Russian Doll.'
© Getty Images
4 / 46 Fotos
Carmen Electra - After she had just finished touring with Prince, Electra's boyfriend at the time stole all of her money. With nowhere to go, the singer was homeless in Los Angeles for a couple years.
© Getty Images
5 / 46 Fotos
Carmen Electra
- She recalled sleeping on a park bench armed with a knife, a pager, Versace heels, and pocket change, praying to be anywhere but there. Her prayers were answered when she landed parts on 'Baywatch' and 'Singled Out.'
© Getty Images
6 / 46 Fotos
Kelsey Grammer
- Long before 'Frasier' skyrocketed Grammer to fame, he was reportedly sleeping in alleyways and parks while attending university. Grammer went on to achieve greatness with five Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award to show for it.
© Getty Images
7 / 46 Fotos
Shania Twain
- The Canadian singer grew up in poverty and lived for a time with her mother and sister in a homeless shelter in Toronto.
© Getty Images
8 / 46 Fotos
Shania Twain - She escaped both an abusive household and poverty, and is now a country music icon.
© Getty Images
9 / 46 Fotos
Kurt Cobain
- The late Nirvana front man was homeless for a time in Aberdeen, Washington, reportedly living under a bridge and sleeping in hospital waiting rooms.
© Getty Images
10 / 46 Fotos
Kurt Cobain - Of course, Cobain’s musical reputation precedes him. Many also believe the lyrics to Nirvana's 'Something in the Way' were written about his homeless period.
© NL Beeld
11 / 46 Fotos
Daniel Craig - Now best-known as James Bond, there was a time when the actor was James Broke, sleeping on park benches in London as a teenager.
© Getty Images
12 / 46 Fotos
Daniel Craig - That was his life as a struggling actor, and now he’s actually turning down roles.
© Getty Images
13 / 46 Fotos
John Cena
- In an interview with The Sun, John Cena revealed that he spent a period sleeping in his car when he arrived in Hollywood. He moved to LA from Massachusetts in 1999 seeking fame and fortune, but it didn't come as quickly as he had hoped.
© Getty Images
14 / 46 Fotos
John Cena
- His savings didn't last long and even though he found a job at a gym, he couldn't make ends meet and had to sleep in the backseat of his 1991 Lincoln Town Car. His dad had told him he'd be home with his tail between his legs in two weeks, and Cena was determined to prove him wrong. Luckily, his perseverance paid off, and Cena was on the WWE circuit by the early 2000s. He's now one of the biggest action movie stars in the world.
© Getty Images
15 / 46 Fotos
Halle Berry - When she was first starting out as an actress, Berry found herself homeless and had to stay in shelters in her very early 20s. She has openly said that she is actually grateful for the experience.
© Getty Images
16 / 46 Fotos
Halle Berry - Berry told Reader's Digest, “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, or living within my means, which were meager."
© Getty Images
17 / 46 Fotos
Jim Carrey - During an interview with 'Inside the Actors Studio,' Carrey opened up about the financial troubles his family had while he was growing up.
© Getty Images
18 / 46 Fotos
Jim Carrey - When asked about his childhood, Carrey recalled, "We were living out of a van. I quit school at age 15 to begin working to help support my family as a janitor.”
© Getty Images
19 / 46 Fotos
Kelly Clarkson - Before there was 'American Idol,' Kelly Clarkson was just another struggling artist in Los Angeles. When the singer first moved to the city, her apartment burned down.
© Getty Images
20 / 46 Fotos
Kelly Clarkson - At the time, the 'Breakaway' singer had no friends or family in the city, so she was forced to live in her car.
© Getty Images
21 / 46 Fotos
David Letterman - When the iconic talk show host was first starting out in Los Angeles in 1973, he had to live out of his pickup truck.
© Getty Images
22 / 46 Fotos
David Letterman - Letterman was able to pull himself out of financial strain when he began writing jokes for Jimmy Walker, and the rest is history.
© Getty Images
23 / 46 Fotos
Tyler Perry - When the movie mogul started working in Atlanta, he used up all his savings trying to stage his play and soon became homeless, which lasted on and off for about six years. He lived mostly in his car.
© Getty Images
24 / 46 Fotos
Tyler Perry - His gamble on himself paid off, and in 1998 his play 'I Know I’ve been Changed' became a hit, setting Perry on the path that led to his prolific works as a writer and entertainer.
© Getty Images
25 / 46 Fotos
Jewel - When Jewel Kilcher was just 18 years old, she lived in her VW van after she was fired from her job for refusing to be intimate with her boss, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
© Getty Images
26 / 46 Fotos
Jewel - During her year of homelessness, she continued to write songs and perform at local coffee houses, until one day she was scouted while performing. The singer/songwriter has since sold over 30 million albums and been nominated for four Grammy Awards.
© Getty Images
27 / 46 Fotos
Hilary Swank - When Swank and her mother first moved to Los Angeles, they could not afford a place to stay, so they lived out of their car.
© Getty Images
28 / 46 Fotos
Hilary Swank - The 'Boys Don't Cry' actress soon came out of this rough period in her life and eventually won two Academy Awards.
© Getty Images
29 / 46 Fotos
Steve Harvey - After he separated from his first wife, Harvey could only afford to stay in hotels when he was booked for comedy shows. When he wasn't, the now-famous talk show host had to sleep in his car.
© Getty Images
30 / 46 Fotos
Steve Harvey - He told People, "A week is really the maximum you can do. This was three years! It was rock bottom. But even in my darkest days, I had faith it would turn around."
© Getty Images
31 / 46 Fotos
Chris Pratt - After he dropped out of community college, the 'Parks and Recreation' actor fell on hard times and was living out of his van.
© Getty Images
32 / 46 Fotos
Chris Pratt - Pratt overcame that challenging time in his past, and has since starred in popular films such as 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' 'Moneyball,' and 'Zero Dark Thirty.'
© Getty Images
33 / 46 Fotos
Jennifer Lopez - Before she booked her first major gig, Lopez was sleeping in her dance studio for three months because she had nowhere else to go.
© Getty Images
34 / 46 Fotos
Jennifer Lopez - It wasn't until she was cast as a Fly Girl on 'In Living Color' that the singer's career began to take off and she could financially support herself.
© Getty Images
35 / 46 Fotos
Dr. Phil - The television host and psychologist had a troubled childhood, living out of a car with his alcoholic father.
© Getty Images
36 / 46 Fotos
Dr. Phil - Despite his struggles growing up, McGraw earned his PhD in psychology and eventually got his own daytime talk show after connecting with Oprah Winfrey.
© Getty Images
37 / 46 Fotos
Steve Jobs - The legendary CEO of Apple wasn’t always on the path to success. During his college years, he revealed at his Stanford commencement address, he slept on the floor in his friends’ rooms, returned coke bottles for the five cent deposits in order to buy food, and walked seven miles every Sunday to get a free meal.
© Getty Images
38 / 46 Fotos
Steve Jobs - All of that hardship paid off, and Jobs' tech empire made him a billionaire many times over.
© Getty Images
39 / 46 Fotos
Lil' Kim
- Lil' Kim lived with her mother in their car when she was just eight years old, after escaping an abusive home. Then, when she was a teen, Lil' Kim’s dad kicked her out again.
© Getty Images
40 / 46 Fotos
Lil' Kim - Beyond becoming an iconic rapper, Lil' Kim used her fame for good and started her own foundation called Lil' Kim Cares, working to raise funds and awareness for victims of neglect, violence, and homelessness.
© Getty Images
41 / 46 Fotos
Drew Carey - The comedian was homeless as a teen in Las Vegas, reportedly selling plasma for US$40 and living off of boxed macaroni and cheese.
© Getty Images
42 / 46 Fotos
Drew Carey - “I wouldn’t have had this success if I didn’t struggle,” he said.
© Getty Images
43 / 46 Fotos
Eartha Kitt - The late singer and entertainer did not have a steady place to call home as a child, and reportedly grew up being passed from relative to relative until she took to sleeping on rooftops in New York.
© Getty Images
44 / 46 Fotos
Eartha Kitt
- Along with blossoming into a star, she would later become an advocate, through Unicef, on behalf of homeless children.
© Getty Images
45 / 46 Fotos
Stars who were once homeless
The ultimate underdog tales
© Getty Images
Sure, many stars were rich before becoming famous, but there are quite a few who came at fame from a completely different angle, struggling with deep poverty before catching their big break. Now, with huge mansions to their names, it may be difficult for these celebrities to remember the times when they didn't have a roof over their head.
Check out this gallery to see the triumphant stories of stars who went from living on the streets to walking red carpets.
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