Learn Before Dreaming An Actor | Deadly Struggle Of 5+16 Stars

What An Aspiring Actor can Learn From Great Hollywood And Bollywood Actor's Struggle Stories

Hollywood Celebrities

1. Jim Carrey

Career: Actor
Jim Carrey, who as a child lived out of a van with his parents. After his father lost his job, Carrey had to quit high school to help support his family, taking odd jobs as a janitor. To help his family survive, and to care for his chronically ill mother, Carrey had to give up dreams of ever finishing high school. On top of this, he has had to battle depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder throughout his career. With all of these hurdles, Carrey has still managed to become one of the most recognizable and bankable comedians in the movie business.

2. Russell Brand

Career: Comedian/Actor
Born into a tumultuous relationship, Brand’s parents divorced when he was only six months old, with his mother raising him. At the age of seven, he was sexually abused by a tutor, and at the age of eight his mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer, followed by breast cancer. This would scar him for life, leading to him developing bulimia and a taste for illegal drugs. Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder, Brand would also go through a period of self-harming. He would use these difficulties as fodder for his early stand-up acts, gaining him recognition and pushing him from small English clubs to become a widely recognized comedic actor.

3. Charlize Theron

Career: Actress
Now one of the most desired actresses in Hollywood, Theron dealt with a tumultuous childhood in an area rife with troubles. Born in the racially-divided South Africa, Theron’s father was an alcoholic who eventually met his end at the hands of her mother, in a shooting deemed self-defense. Setting out as a model, she also had aspirations to be a ballet dancer, dreams that where destroyed when she suffered severe knee injuries. With both of these paths fading, she moved to Los Angeles, and caught a lucky break when a talent agent saw her in a bank. In 2003, she truly broke into Hollywood stardom with her role as Aileen Wuornos in Monster, which garnered her nominations and awards across the globe, including winning best actress at the Golden Globes, the Oscars, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

4. Marlee Matlin

Career: Actress
While not born deaf, Marlee Matlin lost almost all ability to hear at the age of 18 months, with only 20% of hearing ability in her left ear remaining. Even so, she showed interest in acting from an early age, debuting on stage at age seven as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Molested by a babysitter, and later a teacher in high school, Matlin continued to seek comfort on the stage. This would eventually lead to her being discovered by Henry Winkler. In her debut film at 21 years of age, she would become the only deaf performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Children of a Lesser God, as well as the youngest person to ever receive the award. She also received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for the role. She continues to be one of the most recognizable faces for performers with handicaps, working in television and film to this day.

5. Oprah Winfrey

Career: Talkshow host
Long before she was the most powerful female in show business, Oprah was the daughter of a poverty-stricken single teenage mother. Born in Mississippi, she lived with her grandmother until she moved to Milwaukee to be with her mother at age six. Molested by family members from the age of nine, Winfrey herself became a pregnant teenager at age 14. After the loss of her son in infancy, her mother sent her to live with the man she thought was her father, Vernon Winfrey, in Nashville. It was living with Vernon that finally allowed Oprah to blossom, and got her on her path to become the entertainment juggernaut she has become.
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Bollywood Stars

In a highly competitive and crowded  Bollywood industry, can you wait for 5 to10 years for a break?
Can you arrange sufficient money for living in Mumbai for long periods without a job?

There is no arguing the fact that behind every successful man, there is a woman. But a lesser known fact is that behind every success story there is a period of hardships, failure, and misery.
Fame never comes easy, especially for stars. Contrary to popular belief, not all Bollywood stars were served fame and money on a silver platter.
Many biggies like Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Dharmendra faced failure, disapproval and the wrath of sadists but what makes their story worth giving a read is that they went against all odds and came out winners.
The struggle period was long and frightening! Many of them had no house, not even a morsel of food and survived on a petty amount. They never gave up! Just went on kicking with sheer grit and incredible determination.

1. Amitabh Bachchan 

After being rejected by a radio company many times, Amitabh Bachchan used to sleep on a bench on Marine drive during his struggling days. Struggled for 8 years before he was an established star.

2. Madhuri Dixit

She never got positive reviews as a newcomer in Bollywood. People never thought that she would become this big in the industry. Struggled for 5 years before a true break.

3. Boman Irani 

Munnabhai MBBS fame Boman Irani used to work as a waiter at the Taj hotel! Struggle period to be in Bollywood-5 years.

4. Jackie Shroff 

Before becoming a star, Jackie Shroff used to live in a Chawl in Teen Batti, Mumbai and use to walk longer or travel by local train for a role for 6 years.

5. Shah Rukh Khan

The Badshah slept on roads near the Oberoi hotel for many days before he got a role in Deewana opposite Divya Bharti. Struggled for 20 years before his film was a hit- "DDLJ"

6. Dev Anand

This legendary actor worked as a clerk before he became a star. He earned Rs 85 per month for 5-7 years.

7.  Dilip Kumar

During struggling days, Dilip Kumar had no money to shuffle between home and film studios. Former BCCI president PM Rungta would give him money to travel. A story of 7 year struggle.

8. Neha Dhupia

The former Miss India Neha Dhupia used to help models with their shoes backstage for a long period.

9. Akshay Kumar 

Would shuffle between Bangkok, Singapore, and India and sell clothes and other products. The Khiladi also tried his hands at aiding people to buy and sell flats, he would cut his
commission in between. Struggled for 5 years before a true break.

10. Dharmendra 

It has been reported that there were times when Dharmendra didn’t even have a morsel of food. Had to face a terrible struggle for years.

11. Rajnikanth

The God of the south, Rajinikanth was a bus conductor in Bangalore. Struggled for 9 years before was established as a star.

12. Zeenat Aman

Before Hare Rama Hare Krishna happened for Zeenat Aman, she was all packed to return to Germany with her mother as all her movies had failed miserably. Struggled for 4 years before a true break.

13. Johnny Lever 

Johnny Lever Was A Part Of Kalyanji-Anandji’s Group, But Was Hardly Getting Any Work. In Those Days, One Of The Comedian’s Friends Gave Him A Musical Instrument. Lever Did Not Know Much About It And Gave It To Kalyanji-Anandji. The Duo Started Using The Instrument In Their Compositions And Paid Lever Rs 1,000-1500 Per Month For The Same. Struggled for 9 years before recognition.

14. Irrfan Khan

Early In His Career, The Versatile Irrfan Khan Wasn’t Paid For Some Of The Movies In Which He Acted. The Producers Bluntly Told Him That His Work Doesn’t Merit Any Pay. Struggled for 6 years for a true break

15. Govinda

Who Used To Stay In A Chawl In Virar, Would Go To Rajshri Studio On Each Day, But Was Rejected On The Basis Of Being Too Young. Not Disheartened, Govinda Even Made A Show Reel In Which He Was Seen Acting And Dancing And Showed It To The Production House. Struggled for 8 years before a true break.

16. Manoj Bajpai

At A Time When Manoj Bajpai Had No Money At All, He Agreed To Do The Serial Swabhimaan For A Mere Fee Of Rs 2,000. Struggled for 7 years.
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Author's comments:

The Success Requirements for An Actor in Today's Competitive Environment:

• Trust your dreams, and yourself
• Learn contemporary acting techniques
• Developing your acting instrument (body and mind)
• A first-grade knowledge of the entertainment industry
• To be an excellent public relations man or a woman
• Developing a thick skin to face rejections, sarcasm, and insult
• Excellent command of Hindi and English
• Knowledge of computers and to be an internet research freak
• To be a great marketing and promotional guy
• An access to sufficient financial resources for a long time

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