Billion-dollar fortunes, Beverly Hills mansions, private jets, and haute couture wardrobes — that is everyday life for the most famous stars of our time. Yet behind every red carpet lies an origin story that could hardly be less glamorous than a weekly trip to the supermarket. We reveal the parents of fifteen of the wealthiest celebrities on the planet — and the breathtaking contrast between their modest beginnings and the extraordinary luxury their children enjoy today.
Maggie Baird & Patrick O’Connell — A Two-Bedroom House in Highland Park
She played bit parts in shows like The X-Files; he worked construction and tried his hand at acting — without a breakthrough. Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell lived with their two children in a tiny two-bedroom house in Highland Park, a far from glamorous neighborhood of Los Angeles at the time. The entire family shared the sleeping area. Instead of private schools there was homeschooling; instead of expensive tutors, they taught their children songwriting — every single day, with an obsession most people reserve for mathematics. There was no trace of luxury: their greatest wealth was musical talent and boundless patience.