Former Foster Kids

Steve Jobs

Prior to becoming a leader in the tech industry, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was placed in foster care shortly after his birth in 1955. He was soon adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs where they raised him in California's Silicon Valley.

ICE-T

After losing both of his parents at a young age, ICE-T moved from his hometown of Newark, New Jersey to South Central Los Angeles to live with his aunt. As a youth living in one of the most crime-ridden cities in the United States, ICE-T attended Crenshaw High School. Crenshaw was majorly comprised of students who were members of the Bloods and Crips gangs. While never an actual gang member, ICE-T did affiliate with members of the Crips gangs to write and perform rhymes. ICE-T went on to join the U.S. Army, and eventually made his breakout as a rap artist in the music industry in the 1980s. He was signed by Sire Records in 1987, and his first album "Rhyme Pays" debuted soon after.

Marilyn Monroe

Before entering the spotlight, Marilyn Monroe was born "Norma Jean Baker." Upon her birth, she was placed in the foster care system up until age 7 when her biological mother's best friend adopted her. Even after being adopted, Monroe had experiences in multiple foster homes and orphanages until she left care at the age of 16.

Tom Vilsack

Preceding a successful career in American politics, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack experienced life as a foster kid. Born in 1950 in a Roman Catholic orphanage in Pennsylvania, Vilsack was baptized as "Kenneth" before being put up for adoption by his biological mother. He was adopted in 1951 by Bud and Dolly Vilsack who renamed him "Thomas." Vilsack attended a prepatory school in Pittsburgh and eventually went on to receive a Juris Doctor degree from Albany Law School in New York.

Eddie Murphy

Now a household name, Eddie Murphy credits the time he spent in foster care with influencing his comedic spirit. Murphy grew up in Brooklyn, New York with his brother and mom and dad. His dad was murdered when he was young, and at the age of 8 his mother became too ill to care for him and his brother. Both he and his brother were placed in foster care for one year following the ailing health of their mother. Murphy went on to write and perform his own routines at the age of 15, which eventually lead him to a spot on the cast of Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s.