The Most Impressive Rags-To-Riches Stories On Forbes' Latest Billionaires List

Occupation: Founder and CEO, Amazon.com

Net worth: $27.2 billion

DOB: January 12, 1964

Family income proxy value: 0.93 (Dade County, Fla. 1979 median income $31,238; USA: $33,374)

Notes: Bezos was born to a teenage mother; his stepfather was a Cuban immigrant.

Source: Forbes

Occupation: Buyout investor

Net worth: $10 billion

DOB: May 13, 1931

Family income value proxy: 1.00 (Texas 1947 per capita personal income: $1,136; USA: $1,317)

Notes: Simmons grew up in a plumbing-and-electricity-less "shack" in rural Texas. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UT.

Source: Forbes

Occupation: Founder and CEO, Paul Mitchell cosmetics

Net worth: $4 billion

DOB: April 13, 1944

Family income proxy value: 2.36 (Los Angeles County, Ca. median income in 1959: $27,649; USA: $22,210)

Notes: The son of two immigrants who later divorced, DeJoria did not attend college, joining the Navy after graduating from high school.

Source: Forbes

Occupation: Media Executive

Net worth: $6 billion

DOB: February 21, 1943

Family income proxy value: -0.27 (Kings County, NY median family income 1959: $22,822; USA: $22,210)

Notes: Geffen's parents emigrated from British-mandate Palestine in 1931. Geffen attended a series of colleges, including Brooklyn College, but never graduated.

Source: Forbes

Occupation: Founder and CEO, Starbucks

Net worth: $2 billion

DOB: July 19, 1953

Family income proxy value: 1 (Kings County, NY 1969 median family income $27,881; USA: $30,169)

Notes: Schultz grew up in Brooklyn's housing projects and attended Northern Michigan University on a football scholarship.

Source: Forbes

Occupation: Vegas tycoon

Net worth: $3.9 billion

DOB: June 16, 1917

Family income proxy value: -0.97 (California per capita income in 1933: $546; USA: $372)

Notes: Kerkorian is the son of Armenian immigrants. He grew up during the Great Depression and never attended college.

Source: Forbes

Occupation: Founder and CEO, Icahn Capital Management

Net worth: $20.3 billion

DOB: February 16, 1936

Family income proxy value: 0.19 (New York per capita personal income, 1952: $2,047; USA: $1,751)

Notes: Icahn grew up in a lower middle class household in Queens and earned a scholarship to Princeton.

Source: Forbes

Occupation: CEO, Continental Resources

Net worth: $12.4 billion

DOB: December 11, 1945

Family income proxy value: 1.01 (Garfield County, Okla. median income in 1959: $19,200; USA $22,210)

Notes: Hamm never went to college, instead founding his own oil company at age 22 that is now worth billions.

Source: Forbes

Occupation: Founder and CEO, Hobby Lobby

Net worth: $5 billion

DOB: November 13, 1941

Family income proxy value: 5.63 (Jackson County, Okla. median family income in 1959: $16,167; USA: $22,210)

Notes: Green grew up the son of a poor preacher in rural Oklahoma and never attended college.

Source: Forbes

Occupation: Founder and chairman, Soros Fund Management

Net worth: $20 billion

DOB: August 12, 1930

Family income proxy value: n/a

Notes: Soros survived the war and moved to London to live with relatives, yet for awhile had "no money and no friends."

Source: Forbes

Occupation: TV Host, Mogul

Net worth: $2.9 billion

DOB: January 29, 1954

Family income proxy value: 0.15 (Davidson County, Tenn. 1969 median income: $29,814; USA: $30,169)

Notes: Raised by a single parent from the deep South, Winfrey grew up shuttling in between Milwaukee and inner-city Nashville.

Source: Forbes

Occupation: Co-founders (Head buyer and CEO, respectively), Forever 21

Net worth: $5 billion

Home county income proxy value: (n/a)

Notes: The couple moved to L.A. from South Korea as teenagers and have grown a single clothing store into a mega franchise.

Source: Forbes

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