Everyone loves a “rags to riches” story – especially in Hollywood and all its stories of a talented, young kid plucked from an underprivileged life and thrown into super stardom. But what about the “rich to richer” celebrities? Not every A-List actor or Billboard pop star waited tables to scrape by until they got their big break. Some of them had more than a little help from their well-connected family or a top-notch theater programs at elite (and expensive) colleges. Click through this gallery to find out who had it a tad easier breaking into the fame game over other stars who struggled to find fame.

Happy 18th Birthday to Gabby Douglas! Take a look at some of Team USA’s shining stars before they were stars…

Remember the star basketball player from your high school days? Or the drama-club star who was also the most popular girl in your class? Now imagine that that kid grew up to actually be a pro athlete or a movie star. That’s exactly what happened with this bunch of celebrities, who were all voted Most Likely to Succeed—including a few that just might surprise you….

Snakkle unearthed these funny, poignant, and in some cases wildly inappropriate messages from celebrities to their classmates!