7 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Adopted

It’s a well-known fact, or at least one we seem to widely accept: a person’s upbringing will determine his or her success. If you look into the portrait of many notorious criminals and serial killers, you can easily point out how inappropriate their childhood was, how marked by violence and fear their development was. Not all parents are suitable for raising their children.

But it’s unfair to always blame the parents. Socio-economically disadvantage areas can be to blame. Numerous sociology studies have demonstrated how poverty can limit one’s success. Whether it’s being enrolled in a “tough” school or hanging around a bad crowd, being poor is nearly a death sentence if you want to become a somebody when you grow up.

Happily, some of the older people in this predicament realize they cannot rise to the challenge of raising a child, so they put them up for adoption, or entrust their care to someone they know they trust will take good care of their kid. With better education and financial possibilities, these children sometimes rise to become great people.

So if you were adopted or know someone who was, don’t be scared! You might rise up to be the next president or prime minister of your country!

Here are the top 7 celebs you didn't know were adopted

7. Faith Hill

Born Audrey Faith Perry, Faith Hillis an American country pop singer and actress. Having sold more than 40 million records worldwide, Faith Hill is one of the most successful country artists of all time.

Hill was born in Mississippi, and was adopted as an infant. According to Wikipedia, she was raised in the town of Star, 25 miles outside of Jackson, where she was adopted. Raising their own two biological sons, Edna and Ted Perry adopted Hill and raised her in a Christian environment.That’s probably why many of her songs have have themes of Christianity.

6. Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson, was known for being a sex symbol back in the 1950s, when the first movement of sexual liberation was effervescent. She was also known for her affair with president John F. Kennedy.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, the “City of Sin”, Monroe found herself in foster homes and into an orphanage, before she married for the first time at 16 years old. She went on to become a successful actress, model, and singer. So things worked out quite well for her; that is before overdosing on various drugs in 1962.

5. John Lennon

John Winston Lennon was an English singer and songwriter who became famous worldwide because he co-founded the band The Beatles, which is the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music.

Lennon was born in war-time England, to Julia (born Stanley) and Alfred Lennon, a merchant seaman of Irish descent, who was away at the time of his son’s birth. What most people don’t know is that Mimi Smith, Julia’s sister, complained to social services twice about Lennon’s familial situation – or lack thereof – before she assumed custody of her nephew.

4. Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxxis an American actor, singer, comedian, writer, and producer. He won a Grammy Award for producing three albums (Unpredictable in 2005,Intuition in 2008 and Best Night of My Life  in 2010) which scored high rankings on the USBillboard.

Born Eric Marlon Bishop, Foxx is the son of Darrell Bishop  and Louise Annette Talley Dixon. Foxx was adopted and raised by his mother’s adoptive parents shortly after his birth. He had little contact with his birth parents, who were simply not part of his life as a child. He often said that his grandmother’s influence was the reason for his success

3. Bill Clinton

William Jefferson Clinton(born William Jefferson Blythe III) was the 42nd president of the United States of America, and known for having the highest approval rating since World War II. In 1998, he had to go before a Grand Jury due to his affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House employee.

Clinton wasn’t officially adopted. His father died before his birth and his mother was away for years, leaving the young William Jefferson Blythe III with his grandparents, who cared for him like their own child. When his mother came back, she married Roger Clinton Sr., and Bill assumed his stepfather’s surname when he was 15.

2. Steve Jobs

Steve Jobswill forever be remembered as an innovator. The American businessman was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Apple Inc. as well as the CEO for Pixar Animation Studios. Jobs is widely recognized as a pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s because of his work with Apple.

Jobs’s adoptive father, Paul Reinhold Jobs, had been in the army and was a well-known tough guy who rebuilt cars before becoming a repo man in his later years. His adoptive mother was of Armenian descent. The couple adopted Jobs in 1955 after it became apparent they wouldn’t be able to conceive a child naturally

1. Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandelawas a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, a politician, and a philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was also the country’s first black president, as well the first to be elected in true democratic election. Initially committed to non-violent protest, in 1961, he led a sabotage campaign against the apartheid government. In 1962, he was arrested and sentenced to life in prision following the Rivonia Trial. He served 27 years in prison.

After his father’s death, Mandela’s mother took him to the “Great Place” palace, where his care was entrusted under the guardianship of Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, according to Wikipedia. Not seeing his mother again for many years, Mandela said that Jongintaba and his wife Noengland treated him as their child, raising him alongside their own son and daughter, Justice and Nomafu, according to Wikipedia.

Sources: Wikipedia

Complied by: Adekunle Adewale