These Celebrities Were Rich Before They Were Famous

Sometimes, it seems the people tabloids cover live in a different stratosphere than many of the rest of us. And that wouldn't be so wrong. While the rest of us wake up, go to work, go home, and go to sleep, high-net-worth individuals in the public eye live according to different set of expectations, and enjoy an elevated access to luxury.

It would be wrong to assume that all celebrities grew up with such privilege. Sarah Jessica Parker grew up in an Ohio coal-mining town; Oprah Winfrey was born on an isolated Mississippi farm; Demi Moore was raised in a trailer park. We celebrate these rags-to-riches stories, and hold them up as markers of the American dream at work.

Less common, however, is to hear of the celebrities who were born rich. Some are the children of billionaires. Others have family trees that trace back to the Vanderbilts and the Mayflower. One's grandfather is even credited with inventing the shopping mall.

It probably comes as no surprise, but many of your favourite actors have lived in the upper crust for their whole lives. Here are a few notable celebrities who were born into privilege.