When we think of celebrities, many imagine a life of privilege and luxury. But for some, the road to fame was fraught with hardship and tragedy. These 10 celebrities endured tragedy early in life yet still rose to the top.
10. Woody Harrelson
Two-time Academy Award winner Woody Harrelson is the most recognized Person in Hollywood. His father was a hitman who served a long prison term. Despite a difficult beginning to his life, Woody turned things around and became one of Hollywood’s most adored and successful actors.
9. Shania Twain
The country music singer Shania Twain had a challenging upbringing by working in bars to make ends meet. Her mother and her stepfather raised her in poverty. Her family had to travel across Canada in quest of employment while living on an abandoned railcar. Shania was able to change her life and succeed as a musician.
8. Demi Moore
Demi Moore is World renowned actress who had a challenging background. Her father left her pregnant mother before Moore was born. Her mother remarried but had a complicated relationship with her husband. Her stepfather, who was also an alcoholic, continued to mistreat her. He later took his own life, and Moore left her mother to make her own life.
7. Leighton Meester
Leighton Meester is well-known for her part in the teen drama Gossip Girl. When Meester was barely two years old, her aunt and uncle were given care of her because both her parents were arrested when she was still a baby. Her mother single-handedly raised her. Meester has had a successful career since then.
6. Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd is an American singer. Despite her achievements, Ashley grew up in a difficult environment. Her father abused Ashley. As a child, Judd described in her autobiography how her father would strike her and her sister if they disobeyed him. Ashley is a renowned singer and social activist today.
5. Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix had a challenging upbringing. He spent much of his childhood traveling with his cult-affiliated parents as they traversed Mexico and the United States. When he was three years old, his parents divorced. He was later raised by his mother and her husband, after which Joaquin pursued acting and eventually rose to fame.
4. Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is an Oscar-winning actress. Her parents separated when she was a young kid, and her father later developed an alcohol problem. Her mother killed her father with a gun she had drawn in self-defense when she was just 15 years old. In court, Charlize had to testify as the lone witness to the incident.
3. Oprah Winfrey
One of the most recognizable people in the world is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey was born to a young single mother who lived in poverty for a large portion of her youth. She had sexual assault at the hands of male family members when she was a young girl, leading her to battle with low self-worth for most of her life. Since then, Winfrey has developed into one of the world’s most influential and inspirational women.
2. Ray Charles
Ray Charles was raised by his poor single father after his mother abandoned him when he was three. Charles was diagnosed with glaucoma at age five; by the time he was seven, he was blind. Despite his impairment, Charles had a tremendous passion for creating music and trained himself to play the piano, saxophone, and clarinet.
1. Kelsey Grammer
American actor and comedian Kelsey Grammer faced tragedy as a young child, making him a far from perfect life. At 13, Kelsey witnessed his father, Frank Grammer, being shot and killed during a heist. A serial killer kidnapped, raped, and killed his sister Karen two years later. His two younger half-brothers died in separate accidents as well.
