Category: Celebrities

If you became famous, you’d probably never want to go back to a normal job, right? But these famous celebrities ended up taking on normal careers just like you and me, after they were famous!

1. Will Wheaton

Young Wesley Crusher from Star Trek the Next Generation won young girls’ hearts everywhere. His role as Doctor Beverly Crusher’s son lasted through the first four seasons of the show. After that, he reprised his role sporadically, as the story line needed. But being a child star took its toll on Will Wheaton. He later recounts his ongoing struggles with anxiety and depression in his blog and in his books. He is now a New York Times best-selling author who lives quietly with his wife and children in California, writing away.

2. Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba began her acting career at the tender age of 13. Her good looks quickly garnered attention and she rose to fame in the TV series, Dark Angel. Her acting career flourished in films such as Fantastic Four, Little Fockers, Good Luck Chuck and others. However, Jessica became disenchanted with the Hollywood scene, where she says she suffered from degradation and discrimination as a woman. She turned her sights on being a business woman. She founded The Honest Company, a line of natural products for home, baby and personal use. After taking her company public, The Honest Company is worth an estimated 1.7 billion dollars.

3. Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz had no shortage of acting work coming her way. Over the course of a 20-year acting career, she has appeared in dozens of blockbuster movies. She has won numerous awards and even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But Cameron famously retired from acting in 2014, citing a desire to live like a human being. That’s when Cameron decided to start a wine company with her best friend. The wine company is called Avaline, and is made with organic grapes, free of unwanted additives, and it’s already a booming enterprise.

4. Mark Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg, also known as Marky Mark, has enjoyed a successful film career spanning over 33 years. He still acts and is considered one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. But Mark took on a normal career after being famous. He now owns a total of five car dealerships, all of them located in Ohio. He has partnered with a dealer-operator, but Mark still takes a hands-on approach to his dealerships. The reason, he says, is that he loves cars and loves to be in the car business. Fans should note that Mark actually works at some of the dealerships selling cars when he’s not busy working on his latest film.

5. Vanilla Ice

Vanilla Ice became famous largely because of his hit song, Ice Ice Baby. Even now, you can probably hear the song in your head. Vanilla Ice was incredibly popular and successful as a musician, though he never again had a hit as big as Ice Ice Baby. Afterward, he became even more successful as a house flipper. He demonstrated his weirdly talented aptitude for figuring out if a house had potential, and even did much of his own renovation work. He ended up with his own reality show, which was also weirdly popular.

It just goes to show that maybe being a famous celebrity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Fame – it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, at least for some. Despite becoming household names, after a lifetime in the spotlight, plenty of well-known folks go to their graves essentially penniless. Here are five examples of famous people who die broke.

Number one – Michael Jackson

He was the king of pop, the man behind the moonwalk and hits like “Thriller” and “Billie Jean.” Jackson’s passing by overdose in 2009 was among the most shocking celebrity deaths of all time. Despite a career that made him one of the top-selling musical artists in history, he was spending tens of millions of dollars more per year than he was making on expenses like maintaining his 2,600-acre private estate Neverland. Jackson died hundreds of millions in debt.

Number two – Judy Garland

She took us over the rainbow as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” but that still couldn’t prevent her from ending up penniless before she died. Garland endured a difficult life despite her fame, suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues. By the end of her days, she was millions in debt, owing money to many different creditors. Like Michael Jackson, Garland died from an accidental drug overdose. She was just 47 years old.

Number three – Corey Haim

The teen icon rose to fame with a series of hit films in the late 1980s and early 1990s with frequent collaborator Corey Feldman. But like many younger actors, Haim dealt with trauma from his early years and struggled with drug addiction throughout his life. When Haim died of pneumonia in 2010, Feldman said that Haim had been so broke by the time he died he couldn’t even afford a car.

Number four – Vincent Van Gogh

Today, Van Gogh’s paintings sell for tens of millions of dollars. They are among the most valuable pieces of art in the world. But when the Dutch painter died by suicide in 1890, he was not a commercial success at all. Van Gogh struggled through a life of poverty and mental illness, and still managed to create some of art’s most influential works. However, his rewards have come posthumously, as he died essentially broke.

Number five – Joe Louis

In his prime, Louis was one of the most feared and famous athletes in history. He held the world heavyweight boxing championship for a dozen years in the 1930s and 1940s and even served in the U.S. Army during World War 2.  Louis made millions throughout his career, but the majority of it was siphoned off by dishonest handlers and much of the rest was given away to family and friends. By the end of his life, he faced significant tax trouble and died more than a million dollars in debt.

There you have it – proof that even the most famous among us can have it all and lose it all by the time they check out.

Celebrities seem to have it all. But, is fame and fortune enough? For many, lasting love seems to elude them? Some, however, have managed to keep that love light burning. Let’s look at five such couples.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson

Although his first marriage to college sweetheart Samantha Lewes failed, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson appear to have struck relationship gold. Cupid’s arrow found its target while they worked together on the set of Volunteers. Tom reveals, “Rita and I just looked at each other and – kaboing – that was that.” They married in 1988. Tom shares of his wife, “I got lucky, she could have done better.” Rita reveals what she believes to be the secret of their long-term relationship, “We support each other in so many different ways, and want to be married to each other.”  Tom sums up their relationship, “… we have a bond that goes beyond words…”

Denzel and Pauletta Washington

Denzel and Pauletta also met on a movie set, Wilma, in 1977. It wasn’t until several years later and three marriage proposals, however, that they finally tied the knot. Since their marriage in 1983, Denzel has often expressed great appreciation for his wife. At one point when talking about Pauletta, he said that he had gotten lucky and married up! The two actors have had their ups and downs; however, both understand that a successful relationship requires work. Denzel shares, “I just think you have to work at it. Not give up on each other. It’s a commitment.” That and being able to laugh together. Denzel and Pauletta love to tease each other. Their humor and commitment to each other have kept their marriage strong.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Although you won’t see them in the movies, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are truly a celebrity couple. News of the college sweethearts spread in 2004. Although they had a brief breakup in 2007, they announced their engagement in 2010. Prince William shared, “We just spent more time with each other, had a good giggle, had lots of fun, and realized we share the same interests.” In 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot. Today, the love they share for each other and their three children is evident for all to see. On that subject, Prince William has this to say, “It is fantastic having a lovely little family, and I am so thrilled. Catherine has been doing an amazing job as a mother, and I’m very proud of her.”

Matt and Luciana Damon

Matt Damon and his Argentine wife met in a bar where Luciana worked as a bartender. She shared in a Vogue interview, “He had started getting recognized … it got kind of aggressive because people are drinking and stuff. So, he came and hid behind my bar.” Rather than allowing him to just hang out there, she put him to work. Realizing they shared a magical vibe, their relationship grew. They were married in 2005. Matt credits his wife with keeping their life private life, private and out of the line of the paparazzi. Luciana shares about their life and love, “We both feel really lucky to have met each other, so we don’t take that for granted. It’s life and marriage. Overall, it’s easy, and it’s fun.”

Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith

Three years after his first wife, Cassandra Harris, passed away from cancer, Pierce Brosnan met journalist Keely Smith. Since that time, the man famous for playing the notorious ladies’ man, James Bond, is a one-woman man. After their initial meeting, Keely found him handsome and captivating. “Tall, dark and handsome,” she said. “Everything that everybody would immediately be attracted to. He had this mischievous sparkle in his eyes. I thought, ‘Wow! Wow!’” Love blossomed almost instantaneously for both of them.  At her father’s wedding, Pierce’s late daughter with his first wife, shared, “Just seeing the ultimate love that these two people have for each other is unbelievable.” Pierce shared this about Keely, “I love her vitality, her passion. When Keely looks at me, I go weak at the knees.” What woman wouldn’t want to hear that?