Stephen Fry is probably one of the most interesting personalities in the entertainment realm being that he appears to be a seeker of truth. He's starred in fictional-based television shows and movies all the while participating in documentary style travel and nature shows and even autobiographical pieces. Fry still currently works on the series, Last Chance To See, a show where Fry and his zoologist partner scour the world in search of nearly extinct animal life and even played his doppelganger in the 1997 film, Wilde.
Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright and poet who became extremely popular for his flamboyant dress, unwavering wit, and inspiring conversational skills and wrote historical novels/plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest, Salome, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Unfortunately, he died poor and alone after going to jail for two years for gross indecency with men, his final work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol detailed his grim experience in jail. Both Stephen Fry and Oscar Wilde are two treasured public figures never to be forgotten.
Not all celebrities have fame and fortune, some are just famous – and in a ton of debt. They came from rags to riches, then went back to rags. Whether they’ve filed bankruptcy, ended up in court, or just can’t stop spending, celebrities mismanage their money just like everyone else. They just hide it well.
50 Cent coined the term “wanksta,” then “partied like it was his birthday” until he filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015. The rapper was said to be anywhere between $10 million and $50 million in debt. In 2016, a federal bankruptcy court judge in Connecticut approved a plan for the founder of G-Unit to pay his debts back. He was able to get his bankruptcy discharged in February of the following year.
Following a 45-year-long career in Hollywood, acting in more than 70 films, actor Gary Busey found himself in more debt than he was worth. In 2012, it was reported that Busey owed between $500,000 and $1 million worth of debt, but only had $50,000 to his name. The 74-year-old actor owed money to hospitals, banks, the L.A. Waterworks District, and even a storage company. He filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy that same year. Despite his longstanding career in Hollywood, Busey's net worth is now only $500,000.
Burt Reynolds is still worth five million dollars, but his battles with debt date back more than 20 years. Between bad investments and a pricey divorce from actress Loni Anderson, the 1970s superstar had to deal with over $10 million in debt and decided to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996. While testifying in a 1994 custody hearing, the South Florida native said he spent $40 million getting through his divorce.
The former Hollywood bad boy, Charlie Sheen owes the IRS nearly $5 million. But that's not all. In 2016, his net worth was reportedly still as high as $150 million, but he was nonetheless $12 million in debt at the time – including mortgages, legal fees, and taxes. That same year, Debt.com reported Sheen owed nearly $300,000 on an American Express card alone.