Celebrities are ordinary people like you and me. Other than their talents i.e., music or dance they are no different from people you pass in the street every day. However, some people elevate celebrities and make them their gods, worshipping and copying their behavior.
Because celebrities are ordinary human beings some of them are also very damaged and even break the law. Certain celebrities are more famous than others for their encounters with the police, however. This post will tell you about some famous celebrities who were sentenced to periods of imprisonment before they became famous.
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg is without a doubt one of Hollywood’s most lovable figures. The actor’s charming façade belies a dark history marred with crime, however; in his youth, Wahlberg was convicted of and imprisoned for a vicious racial assault. While a team of expert criminal defense attorneys in CT say that a single mistake shouldn’t define your entire future, Wahlberg has been in trouble for racial slurs seemingly from when he was a young teenager. As such he is now under fire in the media. Whether or not his career will survive the media backlash against him only time will tell.
Despite the actor’s troubled beginnings, however, he has made consistent efforts to improve his character and behavior. The victim of his crimes, a former South Vietnamese soldier who fought alongside the Americans during the Vietnam War, openly came out and forgave Wahlberg several years ago after the actor made a public apology to him. Since the 1990s Wahlberg has not gotten into any significant trouble and has largely avoided controversies. Wahlberg’s attempt at getting a pardon for his crimes was the only real media controversy he has got himself into save for everything that’s going on at this moment in time.
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur is inarguably one of the hip-hop world’s biggest legends; unfortunately, the star’s career was cut short in a hail of gunfire in 1996. The troubled rap star made a name for himself as a lyrical genius who during a time when hip-hop was more about guns and violence spoke about real problems in the African American community. Songs like Brenda’s Got A Baby, Dear Mama and Keep Ya Head Up were his way of communicating with his community and letting them know that they needed to be strong in order to survive in a world and country where everything was against them.
Despite Shakur’s love for the African American community and his good education, the rapper was convicted of a shooting early on in his career. For his involvement, he spent a short period in prison. After his release, the rapper released songs ridiculing the prison staff he had been under the supervision of, which attracted media controversy at the time. Others in Shakur’s circle like Suge Knight also spent time in prison; in fact, Suge Knight is serving a lengthy sentence right now for manslaughter.
Tim Allen
Tim Allen is a very famous actor. In fact, he is one of Hollywood’s most loved figures. The actor’s most popular portrayal was of Santa Clause however he has also featured in a number of other films. As a leading Hollywood figure mainly starring in family-friendly films, the average person has no idea that the actor was once convicted for playing a role in a drug smuggling ring. His period of imprisonment lasted for two years and four months. He realized that a criminal life wasn’t for him during his period of imprisonment and decided to change his life for the better.
The actor was caught smuggling 1.43 ounces of cocaine at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek Int’l Airport. For his crimes, Allen faced life imprisonment. However, he ratted out the people from whom he bought the drugs, saving himself. By ratting on them the actor put his life in danger. Fortunately for him and for us, Allen was able to avoid being injured or killed for his role in the imprisonment of major drug dealers who had commissioned him to smuggle on their behalf. Allen’s career continues to blossom and grow and he is due to feature in several films in the near future.
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson is one of the most popular boxers in the history of the sport. Iron Mike as he was dubbed in his youth sadly had a very troubled upbringing. Years ago he was convicted of assaulting his ex-wife and was also found in possession of drugs. The actor’s worst crime was a rape he was convicted of, for which he was sentenced to six years. He served three and began building his career again.
After the actor’s legal trouble, he went on to have some of the most infamous fights in boxing history, like his match against Evander Holyfield where he bit his rival’s ear. He also went bankrupt, started his own podcast, and opened marijuana companies. Tyson’s investment in the marijuana industry has proved to be his most lucrative as he now makes more money from it than he did from boxing and he made a lot of money from boxing.
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey’s career is an incredible one. The actor was typecast as the love interest in romantic comedies for a number of years but managed to break into character acting, becoming a fixture in the crime genre. In particular, the actor’s involvement in True Detective propelled him to new heights and opened doorways for him. Dallas Buyer’s Club was also a great film that showed the world he could do more than just look good.
Comically and in true McConaughey fashion, the actor was arrested and spent a night in jail for playing the bongos to Congolese music on his doorstep, high as a kite. While no convictions were brought against the actor it shows that he is a character on and off of the screen. Other than that he has not gotten into much trouble which is not hard to explain since he is a very humble individual. His career is seeing massive success right now and he, like Tim Curry, is scheduled to feature in what look to be some fantastic films in the coming years.
Celebrities are normal human beings. Everybody makes mistakes from time to time. Some of the mistakes made by the actors featured here are pretty serious, though. It just goes to show however that no matter what you do, redemption is possible. Even the worst criminals can turn their lives around and achieve success.
