With a father who was a bank robber and a youth marked by struggles with drugs and alcoholism, this future Hollywood icon faced more challenges than most could imagine.
Yet today, he’s celebrated as one of Hollywood’s greatest actors, earning acclaim for multiple blockbuster roles.
Read on to discover the incredible story behind his rise.
His parents were just ”babies”
On June 27, 1975, a boy was born in Santa Monica, California, whose name we all know today. His parents, Wendy and Vincent, were just 18 and 20 years old when their future Hollywood star came into the world.
They weren’t married at the time, but tied the knot shortly after their son’s birth. However, Wendy and Vincent divorced when he was only three years old.
“They were just babies, doing whatever the heck they thought they should be doing,” the actor once said, reflecting on his parents.
In interviews, this film star has described his turbulent childhood as “tough and lonely,” with his father, Vincent, serving time for robbing a bank across the street —without a mask.
According to reports, his father was broke and believed he was dying of cancer. He entered a bank across from his home in Reseda, California, unmasked and unarmed, but with a note that read in part: “I have nothing to live for.”
The note also claimed he had a concealed weapon. He left with a bag of cash but was caught an hour later and spent two years in prison. The star himself wasn’t keen on discussing his father’s past when he grew up. A spokesperson bluntly said, “We’re not talking about this.”
Lived on groceries from neighbors
Beyond the bank robbery incident, the actor’s childhood was marked by poverty.
”As a kid, I was very poor. I mean, it’s all relative, but we would get groceries from neighbors,” the actor told The Guardian.
He has shared that, while he always had a roof over his head, he often slept on relatives’ couches and sometimes spent nights in shelters. His family relied on food stamps and government-provided health insurance.
”I realized at a young age that I was responsible for myself. My feelings of love or security or happiness – they were all in my own hands. I had plenty of difficult, emotional and scary times as a kid, but I don’t dwell on it,” said the star.
“Growing up the way I did, I had a very serious ambition to make some money, to have some security and comfort in my life”.
And he certainly went on to make that money — today, his net worth is estimated at $75 million. But it all started with just $100.
As a child, the actor dreamed of becoming a chef and even planned to take a home economics class in sixth grade. That’s when his mom stepped in with an irresistible offer: $100 to take a drama class instead. He said yes — and that single decision set him on the road to acting.
