15 Filthy Rich Celebs Who Used To Live In Trailer Parks And Vans

For many celebrities, they make success look easy. We see all the glitz and glamour, which makes it easy to forget that becoming an overnight success actually takes an average of six years. You rarely hear about the tough times and setbacks that these stars experienced, as they are so focused on their accomplishments that they don't want to remember the tough times.

It's very true that everybody has a calling in life and it's your purpose to figure out what that is. For these following stars, they would have found it difficult to believe that great things were on the horizon as they spent each night sleeping in either a trailer park, a van or a car. Some of them even had to turn to theft just to survive. Waiting for luck to strike can take a long time, but these following stars didn't give up.

The latest statistics from The Economist found that 578,424 were recorded as being without shelter in America: sleeping on the streets, in tents or in cars - there are also 1.49 million people using homeless shelters. Here are some of those stories and living proof that one day you can be in the gutter and the next dancing with the stars.

15 Ryan Gosling Lived In A Trailer And Supported His Family

Canadian born Ryan Gosling moved around a lot as a child with his Mormon parents but he could "never really could identify with (Mormonism). He landed his big break as part of the Mickey Mouse Club, alongside Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, and became the sole earner for his struggling family.

Unlike his other Disney cast members, he couldn't afford to stay in a hotel so instead, his family had no other option but to live in a trailer park.

Gosling had a pretty tough childhood, he had no friends and was bullied at school, so when he joined the Mickey Mouse Club it was like all of his dreams had come true. Now, as one of the biggest heartthrobs in Hollywood, all his family's sacrifices have clearly paid off.

14 Chris Pratt Lived In A Van Until He Landed His First Script

Jurrasic World star Chris Pratt shared a photo to his Facebook of the van he used to live in during his homeless days in Maui, Hawaii. Pratt appears in the photo beside the van which features a picture of Shaggy and Scooby Doo on the side and he captured the photo:

"Can't believe I found this picture!!! That is the van I lived in!!! In my hand is the script for the movie that got me out of Maui. Crazy."

He was paid $700 to appear in Cursed 3 and it was his first step to international stardom.

Whilst filming Guardians of the Galaxy, he revealed the one thing he misses about not being famous is being able to surprise people. He said, "What I really miss is sitting down and talking to strangers who don't know me, so we can discover each other. I'd say the majority of people I meet have an idea about me before they meet me. There's something nice about being able to surprise somebody."

13 Eminem Was Evicted From The Trailer He Lived In

Eminem's struggle growing up with a drug and alcohol dependent mother has been well-documented on his rap albums. Living with his mother in a Detroit trailer park, he revealed, "As soon as I turned fifteen, my mother was like, 'Get a f*****g job and help me with these bills or your a** is out." The rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, then started to make his own mix tapes hoping to land his big break.

After the birth of his baby sister, he recalls, "I didn't have a job that whole summer. Then we got evicted because my friends and me were paying rent to the guy on the lease, and he screwed us over." He only discovered he was locked out after returning from a trip to L.A, he said,

"I had to break in. I didn't have anywhere else to go. There was no heat, no water, no electricity. I slept on the floor."

Not long after, he was spotted by Dr. Dre and he is now considered one of the most successful rappers of all time.

12 Jim Carrey Lived In A VW Camper Van On His Sister's Lawn

When Jim Carrey's father fell on hard financial times, he dropped out of high school and moved to Canada living in a VW Camper Van with his family. They would park in various different places and once even pulled up on his older sister's front lawn. Carrey said it was during these tough times when he was growing up that helped him to develop a sense of humor.

During a speech at the Maharishi University of Management, he told the graduates, "My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn't believe that was possible for him, and so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant, and when I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job and our family had to do whatever we could to survive." Adding, "I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love."

11 Britney Spears Hid From Her Parents At Her Aunt's Trailer

When Britney Spears was younger, her parents would have such fiery arguments that Britney hid out at her aunt's trailer park in McComb, Mississippi. Britney's uncle told the Mirror online, "We Spears men are known for fighting. It was rough, but the sad thing is that it became normal life. At first, Britney was a scared child and you'd catch her crying."

"As she got older, she would scream and curse at her parents, trying to get them to stop fighting."

It was this turbulent start in life that led Britney down a path of her own relationship problems. By the age of 18-years-old, she was a nervous wreck and had been prescribed Prozac for depression and panic attacks. Now that she's much older and has better control of her life, she's never been better.

10 Hilary Swank Head For California Without A Place To Live

Academy Award winner Hillary Swank has always taken on challenging roles throughout her career from Boys Don't Cry to Million Dollar Baby. Considering her tough upbringing, she always looks to those times when there is a difficult role. She told the Mail Online, "My background is not something I forget. It helps me to not take what I have for granted."

"Growing up in a lower-income family, you don't have the resources to make ends meet and you have to find creative ways to get by."

When Swank was 15-years-old, her mother lost her job and they headed to Los Angeles in with her and they both slept out in the car with just $75 cash to last them a couple of weeks. In 1991, she landed small roles in Harry and the Hendersons, Growing Pains and Buffy the Vampire Slayer but it wasn't until she appeared in The Next Karate Kid that Hollywood started paying attention to the talented actress.

9 Demi Moore Had One Of The Roughest Upbringings

The story of Demi Moore's childhood is one of poverty and heartbreak. Born in born in Roswell, New Mexico, her father left before she was born and she grew up with her mother and stepfather in a trailer park. Both of her parents were alcoholics and Moore witnessed a lot of physical violence at home.

Before she was 14-years-old, she had moved homes more than 30 times and struggled to make any friendships.

Moore also suffered from a lot of health problems, including being born cross-eyed, so she had to wear an eyepatch alongside suffering from kidney dysfunction. When she was 16-years-old, she moved away from her parents and set off to L.A. to begin a career as a model. Despite her many attempts to make contact with her mother, the drinking demons were too much and they haven't spoken since 1990.

8 Jewel Had To Make Ends Meet By Living In Her Van

Folk singer Jewel has been busting some myths about homelessness in a documentary about public housing. She was homeless for two months as a teenager who had run from her alcoholic father and lived out of her car in San Diego, California, whilst performing gigs at cafes.

She revealed, "It's very difficult to work your way out of that when you don't have a physical address to put on a job application."

She also recalled how she was looked at by a group of women who had witnessed her washing her hair in a Denny's bathroom. "They were just so judgmental and so happy to write me off which we do every day with homeless people, " the You Were Meant For Me singer said. "It makes you feel very insignificant." It wasn't long after this that Atlanta Records snapped her up and she has since sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

7 William Shatner Lived In His Truck

William Shatner, who became famous around the world for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, was once so broke he had to live in his pickup truck. Before his big break in the late 1960s, he was struggling to make ends meet and revealed,

"I was recently divorced. I had three kids and was totally broke. I managed to find work back East but couldn't afford hotels."

He continued, "So I lived out of the back of my truck, under a hard shell. It had a little stove, a toilet, and I'd drive from theater to theater. The only comfort came from my dog, who sat in the passenger seat and gave me perspective on everything. Otherwise, it would have just been me counting my losses." Now he has an estimated net worth of $100 million so he'll certainly be able to afford a night in a hotel now.

6 Sam Worthington Went From Sleeping In His Car To Avatar

Actor Sam Worthington went from living in his car to Avatar in just a number of years. He had to sell all his possessions to afford the $2,000 motor when things weren't working out for him as a bricklayer. He told The Times of India, "I do admit that (Avatar) has changed my life. I am extremely proud of being a part of his legendary film. Right now, I don't think that I will repeat those (homeless) days."

He also revealed his mantra in life that he sticks by, revealing, "There is a saying that fits here, 'Life is like a blanket too short. You pull it up and your toes rebel, you yank it down and shivers meander about your shoulder; but cheerful folks manage to draw their knees up and pass a very comfortable night.'"

5 Kelly Clarkson Lived In Her Car Before Her Big Break

Kelly Clarkson confessed that she did American Idol - the show that made her an international superstar - because she had an electricity bill that needed to be paid for. The singer has had her fair share of tough times as she revealed a "really rough upbringing" was a huge part of her life.

The Because Of You singer told The Guardian, "My goal was just to be a backup singer - I never intended to be in front. But then my apartment in LA burned down and I had to move home, I had no money and I had to sleep in my car for three days. I just auditioned for this thing that said they'd pay you, and it happened to be American Idol. I didn't go into it thinking this would happen; I went into it thinking it might pay my electric bill." She then went on to win the show and has since sold over 25 million albums worldwide.

4 James Cameron Wrote 'The Terminator' When Living In His Car

James Cameron was so broke as an aspiring screenwriter that he was "barely making ends meet, even living in his car for a time", reported IGN. During this time, he wrote The Terminator and would pitch the idea to many different production companies.

Finally, a producer bought the rights to the screenplay for just $1 and named Cameron as the director - the movie then went on to make $77 million worldwide.

Despite his humble beginnings, he has a reputation for not putting up with any funny business on set and has been known for destroying mobile phones that ring at work. He told The Telegraph, "I don't have to shout anymore because the word is out there already. I did once nail-gun 20 mobile phones to a wall but I swear it was the first time I'd ever done it." He might be scary to work with but actors are often guaranteed an Oscar after working with him.

3 Steve Harvey Lived In His Car And Had To Steal Gas

When Steve Harvey was a struggling comedian he even turned to theft just to try and survive. He was sleeping in his Ford Tempo and taking essential fuel from gas stations that he needed without paying - something he's very ashamed of now. Speaking with People magazine, he revealed,

"It was crushing. I realized, 'You're on your own. You have nothing or no one.' All I knew was that I could make people laugh."

In his first year on the comedy circuit, he made just $3000 and his wife divorced him. He recalls, "I sat down and started crying, but a voice said, 'If you keep going, I'm going to take you places you've never been.' It was like God said, 'Don't quit, you're almost there.'" Not long after he landed his first gig on Live at the Apollo and he now has a net worth of $100 million.

2 Tyler Perry's Story Proves That Tenacity Is Everything

Actor, comedian, filmmaker and writer, Tyler Perry has a staggering net worth of $600 million but he revealed to Oprah Winfrey that for six years he was homeless. Living in Atlanta, he used all of his money trying to put together the stage plays that would eventually make him famous. He said that his car was the best place to see at night as the only rooms he could afford were at "pay-by-the-week hotel that was full of (criminals).

He said, "From 1992, to 93, to 94, I was doing one show a year. I kept on doing the play. Every year it would fail, until 1998, the seventh year of me trying. I was about to give up and walk away." In 1998, his play I Know I've Been Changed was a hit and it set him on the path to stardom eventually working his way up to being one of the highest paid entertainers in showbiz.

1 Colonel Sanders Slept And Worked From His Car

Colonel Sanders' story is one that inspires many people to never give up. At nearly 60-years-old, he was sleeping in his car and would sell his chicken legs from the back. At age 65, he was suicidal and began writing his own will - then he decided to make a different choice, borrowed $87 and started selling his special secret chicken recipe door-to-door. 13 years later - he sold KFC for $2 million ($15.8 million today).

He famously said, "I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it." By the time he passed away aged 90-years-old, there were around 6,000 KFC locations in 48 countries.