7 Celebrities with Criminal Records before Making It Big ...

By Lindsey

It's hard to believe that there are actually celebrities with criminal records who were still able to attain stardom. This just goes to show that celebrities are more like us than you'd think and are capable of making mistakes, er, rather big mistakes. Some of the names on this list may be rather shocking and totally unbelievable. Stay tuned for this list of celebrities with criminal records before making it big:

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1

Matthew Broderick

Matthew Broderick I bet you wouldn't have imagined Ferris Bueller on a list of celebrities with criminal records. Technically this criminal charge happened a year after Ferris Bueller's Day Off was released, so Broderick had already reached some level of stardom, but it's hard to believe that Broderick crossed into a wrong lane while driving in Ireland, which led to a head-on collision that killed the other driver and passenger immediately. He was charged with careless driving and had to pay a fine of just $175.

2

Tim Allen

Tim Allen We're so happy that Tim Allen got his life back on the right path after being arrested at 25 for drug possession. Allen even served a 2.5 year prison sentence, but has since really cleaned up his act and become quite the successful actor. Unfortunately, in 1997 he was charged with driving under the influence, for which he was sentenced to a year of probation and rehab—let's hope this is the last of his run-ins with the law!

3

Bill Gates

Bill Gates The billionaire was arrested in 1975 for driving without a license and speeding, and again in 1977 for driving without a license and failing to stop at a stop sign. You would think this brainiac would have thought about the consequences of his actions before getting behind the wheel!

4

Jay Z

Jay Z As talented and incredible as HOV is, when he first entered the spotlight he had an altercation with a record executive at a nightclub and stabbed him in the stomach. He was later sentenced to three years probation.

5

Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey We hate to think Matthew would do anything wrong, but unfortunately in 1999 he was charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He was even found by the police dancing naked in his home. Oh Matthew! The drug charges were dropped but he still had to pay a fine for a noise complaint that led to the entire investigation.

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6

Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson Similar to his buddy McConaughey, Woody was arrested in 1982 for dancing in the middle of a street (at least not naked). He didn't end up being jailed after paying a fine, but what a way to be arrested!

7

Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars Who would've thunk that this smooth singer was arrested before becoming famous? Mars was arrested in 2010 for cocaine possession and paid a $2,000 fine as well as completed 200 hours of community service. He also completed a drug counseling course. Let's hope this past is far behind him.

Did you know that some of these stars had serious offenses? While some of their charges may not have been as small had they not had a bit of stardom at the time of their arrest, it's crazy to think that the people that we see on screen and in concert are actually capable of criminal acts. Were you surprised by any of these celebrity arrests?

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Please stop butchering the English language - the word is 'thought' NOT 'thunk' (not even in America!)

Didn't know any of this! =O

thunk is slang... I'm sure the writer knows it's not a word already and just used it to be fun and lighthearted

They didn't do hard time in prison or anything..How do you look drug free?? Everyone makes mistakes in their past, drugs will take a toll on you after awhile and affect your appearance in some cases. Whatever, just happy he is good and blessing us with his talents.

no way bruno mars he look so sweet and drug free

Why not just say " famous people with a record" since all weren't before they were famous?

In his defense, Bruno just bought the cocaine for the first time because he hit a rough patch in his life. He was caught with possession but never actually used the drug. He said in an interview that he would never get involved with drugs again.

Only $175! Wow

"Thunk" I'm dying.

Haha I'm listening to Pandora and right as i scrolled to Bruno "locked out of heaven"came on

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