Famous People Who Filed Bankruptcy

If you're feeling alone and depressed because you have problems with debt, cheer up -- you're in the company of the (fleetingly) rich and (mostly) famous. As the following list of famous people confirms, anyone can find themselves unable to pay their bills. A high income does not prevent your from financial problems. This list proves that financial trouble are not limited by socio-economic status. People with all levels of income can overcome their financial problems by filing bankruptcy. Most of these celebrities not only recovered financially, but many went on to earn great wealth after filing bankruptcy.

Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum - Founder of Barnum Circus (who later merged his circus with James Bailey to form Barnum & Bailey Circus)
Kim Basinger - Actress
L. Frank Baum - Wizard of Oz author
King Edward II - 14th century English King
Lorraine Bracco - Actress (Dr. Melfi - Sopranos)
Mathew Brady - Distinguished Civil War photographer
Toni Braxton - Singer
George Clinton - Singer ("Atomic Dog")
Samuel L. Clemens ("Mark Twain") - Author
Natalie Cole - Singer
Gary Coleman - Actor (Arnold - Different Strokes)
John Connally - Former Texas Governor
Francis Ford Coppola - Film Director/Producer
Cathy Lee Crosby - Actress
Vic Damone - Singer
Dorothy Dandrdge - Actress
Dino De Laurentis - Film Producer
Walt Disney - Film Producer & Theme Park Pioneer
Eddie Fisher - Actor
Mick Fleetwood - Singer (Fleetwood Mac)
Heidi Fleiss - Clothing Line Founder & Famous Hollywood Madam
Henry Ford - First two automobile companies failed
William Fox - Co-founder of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation
Marvin Gaye - Singer
Andy Gibb - Singer
Charles Goodyear - Founder of Goodyear Tire Co.
Ulysses S. Grant - 18th U.S. President & Civil War General
Bob Guccione - Publisher/Founder of Penthouse Magazine
Merle Haggard - Bakersfield, California raised County & Western Singer
Corey Haim - Actor (Star of The Lost Boys (1987))
Dorothy Hamill - Olympic Ice Skater
M.C. Hammer - Singer/Rapper ("Can't Touch This")
Richard Harris - Actor/Producer/Director
Isaac Hayes - Songwriter/Musician/Singer
Henry John Heinz - Famous Condiment Manufacturer
Sherman Hemsley - Actor (George Jefferson from The Jeffersons)
Milton Snavely Hershey - Founder of Hershey's Foods Corp.
Ron Isley - Singer
Jermaine Jackson - Singer (Michael Jackson's brother)
Joe & Katherine Jackson - Parents of the Michael Jackson
La Toya Jackson - Singer (Michael Jackson's sister)
Randy Jackson - Singer (Michael Jackson's brother)
Tito Jackson - Singer (Michael Jackson's brother)
Thomas Jefferson - American Founding Father and President
Don Johnson - Actor/Producer
Kacey Jones - Singer
Chaka Kahn - 80's R & B Singer
Larry King - Talk-show Host/Author
Bowie Kuhn - Former Major League Baseball Commissioner
Lorenzo Lamas - Actor
Cyndi Lauper - 80's Singer
Stan Lee - Co-creator of Spider Man, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Men, etc.
Jerry Lewis - Actor
Jerry Lee Lewis - Singer
Meat Loaf - Singer
Jorge & Joanne Lopes - Winners of the $110.3 million 2002 Big Game Multi-state Lotto jackpot.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Famous Musical Composer
Willie Nelson - Country & Western Singer/Songwriter
Wayne Newton - Famous Singer/Actor who regularly performs in Las Vegas
Immanuel Nobel - Father of Alfred Nobel (who founded Nobel prizes)
Johnny Paycheck - Country & Western Singer
Tom Petty - Singer
Susan Powter - Exercise/Fitness Expert
Burt Reynolds - Actor/Director
Debbie Reynolds - Actress/Singer
Rembrandt Heremenszoon Van Rijn - Famous Dutch painter
Juan Rodriguez - $149 million New York Mega Millions Lotto jackpot winner (He filed shortly before winning).
Mickey Rooney - Actor
Harry Saltzman - Film Producer (James Bond movies)
Shenandoah - Country Music Band
Anna Nicole Smith - Model/Actress
James & Lynne Spears - Britney Spear's parents
William G. Stern - British property mogul
J. Fife Symington - Governor of Arizona
Donald Trump's Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts Inc.
Mike Tyson - Boxer
Johnny Unitas - Hall of Fame Quarterback
Oscar Wilde - Acclaimed Author and Poet
Tammy Wynette - Singer