Oprah Winfrey
With a current net worth estimated to be $2.7 billion, Oprah is in her own category of success. She grew up in poverty on a small farm in Mississippi living with her grandmother and single mother. Oprah was also sexually assaulted by a relative when she was 9 years old. Despite the hardships of her situation she persevered and went on to become the modern day media mogul and celebrity.