20+ Famous People in the Past Who Were Once Homeless People

Homelessness can affect anyone. No one is immune. Just take a look at these famous people on this list. Before they rose to fame, these people were struggling hard to make ends meet.

Some of them weren’t only poor, but actually living on the streets not knowing where their next meal would come from, or where they’d rest their heads.
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1. Col. Harland Sanders

Colonel Sanders was homeless for most years of his life. He and his wife lived out of a car while he was trying to convince restaurants to sell his chicken recipe.

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2. Sylvester Stallone

Stallone lived in a NYC bus station for three weeks after being evicted.

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3. Cary Grant

He was abandoned by his father when he was 10. His mother was in an institution, so Cary spent his childhood in Southampton, England, sleeping in alley ways and getting jobs where he could on the docks.

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4. Shania Twain

Shania lived with her family in a shelter in Toronto so they would have enough food to eat. She began singing in bars at the age of 8 to help support her family.

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5. Sam Worthington

Right before playing Jake Sully in the movie Avatar and breaking several box office records, this Australian actor was living out of his car.

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6. William Shatner

When Star Trek drew to a close, William Shatner found tough times and was living out of his truck.

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7. Kelly Clarkson

The apartment she rented in Los Angeles after moving from Texas burned down on her first day in town. She ended up sleeping in her car until she made it big on American Idol.

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8. David Letterman

When he moved to Los Angeles in 1975, Letterman was living out of his truck. He got the break he needed when Jimmie Walker hired Letterman to write jokes for him.

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9. Jim Kramer

When a thief broke into his apartment and stole everything, Kramer was left with nothing and was forced to live out of his car early in his career. Now he’s the star of Mad Money and advises people how to invest their money.

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10. Benjamin Franklin

He ran away from home at the age of 17 and took a boat to New York City. He ended up walking to Philadelphia. He lived on the streets until his future wife’s family took him in and cared for him.

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11. Kurt Cobain

He lived under a bridge and slept in waiting rooms at hospitals before becoming Nirvana’s front man.

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12. Dr. Phil McGraw

He lived out of a car with his father until they eventually got a room at the downtown YMCA for $5 per week.

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13. Suze Orman

She lived out of her van for four months back in 1973, but now she advises others on their finances. Suze is worth $25 million.

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14. Drew Carey

Drew lived out of his car for 18 months while trying to get a spot on The Tonight Show.

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15. Sean Parker

Before he launched Napster, Sean lived on other people couches and didn’t have a place to call his own.

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16. Heather Mills

Because of family issues Heather was forced to live in a cardboard box near London Waterloo station at the age of 14.

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17. Tyler Perry

Tyler lived out of his car after his theatrical production failed. He kept rewriting the script until it went big at the House of Blues.

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18. Halle Berry

She stayed in New York to pursue her acting dream and after she ran out of money, she lived in a homeless shelter before landing a role on ABC.

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19. Jennifer Lopez

After her parents didn’t approve of her decision to move to Hollywood, Jennifer ended up couch surfing until she got her break first in Europe and later in LA.

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20. Djimon Hounsou

As a teen, the African-born actor was homeless on the streets of Paris fighting for survival and scrounging for food.

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21. Jewel

Jewel’s family lived in a house without plumbing and she would write songs out of her van before she made it big.

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22. Hilary Swank

She and her mom lived out of a car and booked auditions using pay phones until Hilary got some roles.

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23. Jim Carrey

When Carey’s family fell on tough times, they lived out of a van. He got a job as a janitor and in his spare time he went to open mic night. He eventually landed the lead role in Once Bitten.

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