Rags to Riches: Snakkle Reveals 13 Celebrities Who Went from Poor to Posh

william shatner young high school 1948 yearbook photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

William Shatner in High School, 1948

The Canadian actor and producer is perhaps best known as Captain Kirk of the wildly successful Star Trek franchise, which began first as a TV series in 1966. But before Star Trek became the culture phenomenon it is today, the original Captain Kirk boldly went where many impoverished actors had gone before. After his divorce and the cancellation of Star Trek in 1969, Shatner lived in his truck for a while.

william shatner young high school 1948 yearbook photo red carpet 2012

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Taylor Hill/Getty Images

William Shatner—Today

After the Star Trek series ended, Shatner went on to star in T.J. Hooker from 1982 to 1986 and in the six successful film follow-ups to the Star Trek TV show. Today, he is worth a whopping $300 million. The former Priceline Negotiator was said to have made a $600 million deal to be the company’s spokesperson, but Shatner denied it on Twitter, tweeting “Someone stupid said a stupid thing about me making $600M. It ain’t so. Relatives are coming out of the woodwork. Too bad it never happened.”

tom cruise young high school yearbook photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Tom Cruise in High School, 1980

Tom Cruise experienced a difficult childhood, with parents who were constantly on the move in search of employment. He attended 15 different schools in both the United States and Canada. By the time he settled in New Jersey with his mother and stepfather, Cruise had dreams of becoming a Catholic priest—until he decided to go to New York City at age 18 to pursue acting.

tom cruise young high school yearbook photo red carpet 2012

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Tom Cruise—Today

It didn’t take long for the actor with the million-dollar grin to make his mark on Hollywood. Cruise debuted in the film Endless Love in 1981. Leads in highly successful films followed, such as Top Gun (1986), Rain Man (1988), and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). He also appeared in hits such as the Mission Impossible franchises, Minority Report (2002), War of the Worlds (2005), and Jerry Maguire (1996), for which he received an Oscar nomination. He was seen in 2012’s Rock of Ages. Today, Cruise is thought to be worth $250 million.

Jared Leto as a Child

Before Jared Leto stole the hearts of teen girls everywhere as Jordan Catalano, he grew up with older brother Shannon all over the place. The brothers with their single mother Constance spent time in four different states including a Colorado commune and over a year in Haiti. At one point, the family slept in a truck before finding a more permanent living situation.

D. Long- Globe Photos Inc.

Jared Leto--NOW

After My So-Called Life was sadly canceled, Leto had bit parts in many films and wowed critics with his performance in Requiem for a Dream. His acting roles became more infrequent as he focused on his band (with brother Shannon) 30 Seconds to Mars. Leto's renaissance came with his role of Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club for which he wont many awards including an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Leto's now rollin' in both the accolades and the dough.

sylvester stallone young high school 1965 yearbook photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Sylvester Stallone in High School, 1965

Before Sylvester Stallone was an action hero, he was a child raised in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen, at times in foster care. Sly’s first role was for a soft-core porn film, The Party at Kitty and Stud’s (1970). Stallone later defended his decision by revealing that he had been homeless and living in the Port Authority bus station prior to accepting the part. “It was either do that movie or rob someone, because I was at the end, the very end, of my rope,” he has said.

sylvester stallone young high school 1965 yearbook photo red carpet 2011

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Sylvester Stallone—Today

Stallone’s luck changed with Rocky (1976), which garnered 10 Academy Award nominations. It won Best Picture and launched Stallone into superstardom. Stallone followed with five successful sequels to Rocky, also starring in action megahits like First Blood (1982), which spawned the Rambo franchise. Today, Stallone has a net worth of $275 million.

sarah jessica parker young high school 1978 yearbook photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Sarah Jessica Parker in Seventh Grade, 1978

Before Sarah Jessica Parker was the epitome of New York style as Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, she was one of eight siblings growing up in relative poverty in Nelsonville, Ohio. Her mother was a teacher and her stepfather, who raised her, was often out of work. She began singing and dancing at a young age to help support the family. In 1976, she won her first role on Broadway in The Innocents. Because of her humble beginning, Parker is pragmatic about wealth. “I don’t want my children to feel they have a sense of entitlement. I want them to work hard and be challenged,” the actress has said. “That’s hard to do when you have everything you need and want, so I am working on those values all the time.”

sarah jessica parker young high school 1978 yearbook photo red carpet 2012

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Simon Russell/Getty Images

Sarah Jessica Parker—Today

After her 1982 breakout role as the lead in TV’s Square Pegs, Parker worked steadily in both TV and film. She appeared in hits such as L.A. Story (1991) and Honeymoon in Vegas (1992). In 1998, she landed her seminal role as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City. Today, the actress is said to be worth $90 million.

sam worthington bootmen 2000 movie photo

Philip Le Masuvier/Wenn

Sam Worthington in 2000

Sam Worthington is not afraid of a nomadic life. The actor has admitted to living in his car while struggling as an actor in bit parts for almost a decade. This was before his 2009 breakout role as Jake Sully in the billion-dollar movie Avatar. He went on to success in Terminator: Salvation (2009) and Clash of the Titans (2010).

sam worthington bootmen 2000 movie photo red carpet 2012

Philip Le Masuvier/Wenn, Tim Whitby/Getty Images

Sam Worthington—Today

Worthington is set to appear in the next Avatar film, slated for 2015. Today, the actor is worth $5 million. But don’t expect him to invest in real estate anytime soon. As he recently told reporters, “The white picket fence at home in Australia has never really appealed to me. I'm not very responsible when it comes to mortgages, bills, paperwork.”

oprah winfrey young high school yearbook 1971 photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Oprah Winfrey in High School, 1971

Before Oprah was a talk-show titan and producer, she grew up in poverty. Born in rural Kosciusko, Mississippi, to a single mother in 1954, Winfrey spent a childhood moving between her mother, grandmother, and finally father in Tennessee. However, her grandmother taught her to read at age 3, instilling a life-long love of books. Here we see the daytime diva at Nashville East High School.

oprah winfrey young high school yearbook 1971 photo red carpet 2012

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

Oprah Winfrey—Today

After graduating from college, Winfrey became the first African-American woman and youngest person ever to anchor the TV news at WTVF-TV in Nashville. In 1984, she moved to Chicago to host a morning talk show which was soon renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. Nationally syndicated in 1986, Oprah took over ownership of the program through her company Harpo, Inc. The rest is daytime history. Today, Winfrey is worth a staggering $2.7 billion. For more Oprah, click here.

kelsey grammer young high school yearbook 1971 photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Kelsey Grammer in High School, 1971

Grammer may be known for his “to-the-manor-born” demeanor, but the Juilliard-trained actor has paid his dues. Grammer once camped out in the alley near the back of a theater behind his motorcycle. His life has also been riddled with tragedy, including the murders of his father in 1968 and his sister in 1975.

kelsey grammer young high school yearbook 1971 photo red carpet 2012

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Kevin Winter/Getty Images for DGA

Kelsey Grammer—Today

Grammer has certainly attained the high life after his tragic beginnings. The five-time Emmy winner got his break in 1982 with his role as Dr. Frasier Crane on TV’s Cheers, which he parlayed into an equally successful stint on Frasier (1993-2004). He’s gone on to more success as a producer and actor on shows such as Hank (2009), Medium (2005), and Boss (2011). Today, Grammer is said to be worth $120 million—though ex-wife Camille Grammer is said to be receiving $50 million of it in a divorce settlement.

REX USA

J.K. Rowling in 1993

J.K. Rowling is a graduate of Exeter University and was raised in a middle-class household. But when the world’s most famous children’s author wrote the first Harry Potter book, she was a single mother living on state benefits in a rented Edinburgh tenement flat. When she returned to the flat in 2007 to film a documentary, she burst into tears. “It was my life, and it was very hard, and I didn't know there was going to be this fairy-tale resolution. This room is full of ghosts,” she told filmmakers.

j k rowling young writer 1993 photo red carpet 2012

REX USA, Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

J.K. Rowling—Today

Rowling became a literary sensation in 1999 with the skyrocketing success of her first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. By 2000, the first three novels of the series had taken in $480 million in three years, with over 35 million copies in print in 35 languages. Today, Rowling is Great Britain’s wealthiest woman—topping the Queen. She is thought to be worth $1 billion.

jim carrey young high school yearbook 1970s photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Jim Carrey in High School, 1970s

Carrey knew he was destined for Hollywood from the start, even mailing his résumé to The Carol Burnett Show at age 10. When his father lost his job, the family was briefly forced to live in a Volkswagen camper just outside of Toronto. After attending several high schools, the funnyman dropped out of school to start making the rounds on the Toronto comedy club circuit.

jim carrey young high school yearbook 1970s photo red carpet 2011

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Jim Carrey—Today

After landing supporting roles in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), Carrey got his big break in Hollywood in TV’s In Living Color (1990). Then in 1994, a banner year for the rubber-faced comedian, he had three huge hits with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber. He went on to more success in films like The Truman Show (1998) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Today, Carrey is worth a purported $150 million. For more Jim Carrey, click here.

hilary swank young high school yearbook 1988 photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Hilary Swank in Eighth Grade, 1988

Before Swank was a million-dollar baby; she was a bright-eyed swimming and gymnastics champion who lived with her family in a trailer park in Bellingham, Washington. When she was 15 years old, her parents separated. Swank moved with her mother to Los Angeles to pursue acting. There, they lived in a car until they were able to afford an apartment.

hilary swank young high school yearbook 1988 photo red carpet 2012

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Rob Kim/Getty Images

Hilary Swank—Today

In 1994, Swank got her breakout role in The Next Karate Kid. She’s worked nonstop, winning Oscars for Boys Don’t Cry (1999) and Million Dollar Baby (2004). Swank credits her success to her mother. As she told The Telegraph in 2010, “My mother gave up her whole life for her family,” she said. “She put my father through college, gave up her career as a dancer, and instilled in me and my brother the belief that we could pursue whatever we wanted in life.” Swank is said to have a net worth of $40 million.

halle berry young high school yearbook 1984 photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Halle Berry in High School, 1984

Before Halle Berry was an Oscar-winning actress, she was a (barely recognizable) homecoming queen and cheerleader at Bedford High School in Bedford, Ohio. After winning several beauty pageants, including Miss Teen All-American in 1985, Berry moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting and modeling. Once there, she ran out of money and lived briefly in a homeless shelter after her mother, determined that Halle make it on her own, refused to send her money.

halle berry young high school yearbook 1984 photo red carpet 2011

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Jemal Countess/Getty Image

Halle Berry—Today

Berry’s mother may have motivated the actress well. In 1991, Halle had her breakthrough role as a crack addict in Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever. Quickly cycling through successful roles, including Dorothy Dandridge in TV’s Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which got her a Golden Globe nod, Berry became the first African-American woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress for her role as emotionally tortured Leticia Musgrove in Monster’s Ball (2001). She is now worth a purported $70 million.

daniel craig young high school yearbook 1979 photo

REX USA

Daniel Craig in Grammar School, 1979

The future Mr. Bond spent part of his childhood in Liverpool, England, where visits to the Liverpool Everyman Theatre inspired the young thespian. He was accepted into the National Youth Theatre (NYT) troop at age 16. He moved to London and was soon waiting on tables while picking up various theater roles. During this time, he also slept on park benches when cash was limited.

daniel craig young high school yearbook 1979 photo red carpet 2012 photo

REX USA, Larry Busacca/Getty Images

Daniel Craig—Today

Craig’s first big cinematic break occurred in 2001 with a role in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Success soon followed in films such as Road to Perdition (2002), Layer Cake (2004), and Munich (2005). In 2005, he became the first blond actor to take on the role of James Bond, which he reprised in 2012’s Skyfall. Today, the former park-bench sleeper is said to be worth $45 million.