We all know the Hollywood discovery stories; heck, we even know which celebrities teamed up to make rent during their leaner days. But for a few celebs, the real story is where they came from. Compared to the fame they’ve achieved, plenty of celebrities hail from relatively humble beginnings. So where did they start out in life and where are they now? We’ve assembled a list of some of the most interesting transitions.
Jimmy Fallon
Earning his pedigree on SNL before seizing the New York late-night crown, it’s only fitting that Fallon is a local boy at heart. Born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Fallon honed his comedic skills at his parents’ modest two-story spot in the suburban town of Saugerties, N.Y.
During filming, Fallon spends his time in his sprawling Manhattan apartment, which he and his wife carved out of five separate units they’ve purchased over the years. When he needs to escape the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, he retires to his Sagaponack, N.Y., farmhouse.
Kurt Cobain
For fan’s of the late grunge rocker’s tortured lyrics, Kurt Cobain’s childhood home effectively serves as Mecca, since it was where he spent many an hour learning to play the guitar and filling journals with lyrics that would make up some of the 90’s most iconic albums.. The modest home in Aberdeen, Washington, has apparently remained relatively unchanged since Cobain left in his teens; which might explain why it was put on the market last year for roughly $300k, when neighborhood comps clock in at around $40-60k.
Michael Jackson
Probably the biggest leap from poverty to riches belongs to Michael Jackson. The King of Pop grew up with 11 other family members in this two bedroom, one bath home in Gary, Indiana. After the success of the Jackson 5, the family set their sights on hollywood, where Jackson eventually built his iconic (and some would say, infamous, Neverland Ranch compound.
Kate Hudson
When your mom is Goldie Hawn and you count Kurt Russell as a step-father, you better believe that your childhood digs are going to be pretty posh. A beautiful Tudor-style mansion in the posh California neighborhood of Pacific Palisades was where Hudson learned the family craft. What’s most surprising is that she actually still lives in the home. Though the house had multiple owners in the interim, Hudson bought the property back in 2011 for $5.3 million.
Chris Pratt
Despite his current superstar status, Chris traces his beginnings to a modest home in Lake Stevens, Washington, where his family moved when he was in the second grade. At the age of 17, he defected to Maui, Hawaii, where he and a buddy waited tables and lived out of a van, a period Chris now refers to as his “retirement.”
Today, Chris lives with his wife, actress and comedian Anna Faris, in a relatively modest home in the Hollywood Hills.
Justin Bieber
Born in the small theater town of Stratford, Ontario, Bieber grew up in an unassuming split-level home where his mom filmed the now-famous YouTube videos of him performing. It’s hard to imagine either of them could have foreseen the insanely successful career they would ignite.
Though Bieber isn’t ready to buy, he sure knows how to rent in style. The singer currently pays $35K a month to crash in a five-bedroom Beverly Hills mansion with sweeping views of Los Angeles.
Ben Affleck
It’s hard to imagine that Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the shadow of Boston, would give rise to two of the world’s biggest movie stars, who would happen to become childhood friends. Both Affleck and Damon lived in the same neighborhood. While Affleck lived in the charming house pictured above, Damon and his mother called a 6-family ‘commune’ near the Harvard campus home.
