23 surprising stars who were once homeless

Rags to riches

We might crave the glamorous lifestyles of the rich and famous, but many of these well-known names quite literally had to work their way from rags to riches. 

From Jennifer Lopez to Jim Carrey, click or scroll on to discover the stars who were homeless before they made it, and what they're worth today. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars. The net worths of the famous faces who are no longer with us have been adjusted for inflation.

Tiffany Haddish – Net worth: $6 million

Tiffany Haddish lived in her car before making it as a Hollywood actress. When her long-time friend and fellow actor Kevin Hart discovered her situation, he gave her $300 so she could stay in a hotel for the week.

The most recent estimates suggest her net worth is $6 million.

Carmen Electra – Net worth: $8 million

Carmen Electra is a jack-of-all-trades in the showbiz world having hopped from modeling to acting and singing.

However, in the midst of it all, she claims to have spent a couple of years living homeless after a boyfriend stole her savings. 

Harry Houdini – Net worth: $9.2 million

Magician Harry Houdini ran away from home at a young age before he moved to New York City with his father. When they arrived, the pair were too poor to afford anywhere to live and had to sleep on the streets.

Harry soon landed a more comfortable lifestyle as he got his first job as a professional magician at the age of 17. By the time he died in 1926, he'd amassed a fortune of $500,000, the equivalent of $9.2 million in today's money.

Michael Oher – Net worth: $12 million

Michael Oher’s difficult childhood is commonly known as the inspiration for the film The Blind Side. The movie depicts how the young Oher lived on the streets while his mother lived in public housing and struggled with drug addictions.

He was eventually taken in by a wealthy family and drafted into the NFL by the Baltimore Ravens.

Harland Sanders – Net worth: $14 million

Better known as Colonel Sanders, the man behind KFC – the world’s favorite fried chicken chain – was homeless for periods of his life while he built what has today become a global empire.

Fast food’s famous goateed man lived in a car with his wife while they traveled around trying to convince restaurants to sell his chicken recipe. He was estimated to be worth $3.5 million at the time of his death in 1980, the equivalent of $14 million today.

Ella Fitzgerald – Net worth: $20.8 million

After suffering from a troubled childhood at the hands of her abusive stepfather, Ella Fitzgerald worked as a collector for the mafia before the police found her and put her in a school for girls. But Ella ran away and found herself homeless.

Her big break came when she won an amateur talent contest and the rest is history. At the time of her death in 1996 she was worth an incredible $10 million, or $20.8 million in 2026 money.

Idris Elba – Net worth: $50 million

When Idris Elba first moved to America in pursuit of an acting career, he was unable to find a job and slept in his van for eight weeks. The British star said he took any job he could to earn money and spent many years with nothing, but never gave up on acting.

His big break eventually came when he landed the role of Russell “Stringer” Bell in The Wire.

Kelly Clarkson – Net worth: $60 million

Before winning American Idol, Kelly Clarkson had to sleep in her car after the apartment she rented in LA burned down.

The blaze occurred on her first day in town after she moved to California from Texas, so she took to the road and slept in her car until earning her big break in the American singing contest. 

Sam Worthington – Net worth: $60 million

British-born Australian actor Sam Worthington had a busy film career in Australia before selling everything he owned and moving into his car "because I didn't like who I was."

Shortly afterwards, he was invited to audition for Avatar and landed the breakthrough role of Jake Sully.

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Hilary Swank – Net worth: $70 million

Million Dollar Baby star Hilary Swank was far from fortune when she moved to LA with her mother to pursue an acting career. The pair lived out of their car and sofa surfed.

But within a few months, Swank landed acting roles in local theater while her mother found work as a secretary.

Suze Orman – Net worth: $75 million

When personal finance guru Suze Orman first moved to California in the early 1970s, she lived in her van for four months as she couldn’t afford anywhere else.

She's now a financial advisor, podcaster, and motivational speaker, and owns real estate worth millions of dollars. 

Halle Berry – Net worth: $90 million

Halle Berry hasn’t always lived an A-list lifestyle, and spent her first days in New York living in a homeless shelter.

Two years later, the soon-to-be Bond star took on a role in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, kickstarting her Hollywood career. 

Chris Pratt – Net worth: $100 million

The star of blockbusters such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, Chris Pratt is one of Hollywood's most in-demand actors.

However, before finding fame, Pratt lived out of a van in Hawaii and has claimed he made just enough money to cover essentials such as gas, food, and fishing supplies. 

William Shatner – Net worth $100 million

After Star Trek came off the air, William Shatner struggled financially and ended up living out of his truck due to a lack of cash. Shatner claims he was recently divorced, had three children, and was “totally broke.”

But he soon found work and went on to reprise his most famous role as Captain Kirk on the big screen in multiple Star Trek movies. 

Kurt Cobain – Net worth: $110 million

Kurt’s background of financial insecurity, which was exacerbated by addiction issues, led to the Nirvana frontman living on the streets before finding fame.

He slept under a bridge and in hospital waiting rooms for nights on end before becoming the singer of one of the most famous rock bands of all time. At the time of his death in 1994, he reportedly had a fortune in the region of $50 million, or $110 million in today's money.

Daniel Craig – Net worth: $160 million

Before his acting career took off, the James Bond star hopped from couch to couch and slept on park benches in London while studying at the National Youth Theatre because he had no money for rent.

Work soon started to pick up, and he made his film debut in 1992 in The Power of One.

Jim Carrey – Net worth: $180 million

Before becoming a global comedic superstar, Jim Carrey experienced a period of homelessness at the age of 12 when his father lost his job.

Carrey and his family slept in a van for a while, and the future star left school at 15 to work as a janitor to support his struggling family.

David Letterman – Net worth: $400 million

Television host David Letterman spent time living out of his pickup truck as he made the move from his native home of Indiana across to Los Angeles, California.

He didn’t slum it for too long, though. He quickly picked up work writing jokes for comedian Jimmy Walker, which proved to be the gateway to his global fame and incredible fortune.

Jennifer Lopez – Net worth: $400 million

J-Lo’s ambition to make it as an actress was hindered when she was forced to couch surf because her parents didn’t approve of her decision to move to Hollywood.

She moved from place to place right up until she got her first break in the industry.  

Sylvester Stallone – Net worth: $400 million

This Hollywood superstar hasn’t always had it so easy. Back in the days before his fame, Stallone had a tough upbringing and was evicted from his apartment and forced to spend three weeks sleeping in an NYC bus station.

But things soon turned around when he sold his screenplay for Rocky to a Hollywood film studio. The rest is history. 

James Cameron – $1.1 billion

Before achieving success as one of Hollywood's most acclaimed directors, James Cameron was living in his car and barely making ends meet.

His luck changed when he sold the rights to his Terminator script. Although he only picked up $1 for it, the deal he struck saw him installed as director, and the movie went on to gross millions around the world.

Tyler Perry – Net worth: $1.4 billion

According to Forbes, actor and comedian Tyler Perry is now a billionaire. But in the 90s, when Tyler was working on the play I Know I’ve Been Changed, he used up all of his savings and was homeless on and off for around six years.

But by 1998, his play had become a huge hit, paving the way for a stellar and lucrative career.

Steve Jobs – Net worth: $10.2 billion

Apple entrepreneur Steve Jobs didn’t always live the high life. Before he built his empire, he had to sleep on the floor in friends’ rooms, return Coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food, and walk for miles just to get a good meal at a Hare Krishna temple. 

At the time of his death, he had an estimated net worth of $7 billion, the equivalent of $10.2 billion in today's money.

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Now discover how Steve Jobs' four children make their money today