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100

This actor auditioned for SUNY Purchase's acting program and was asked by the head of the department "What are you going to do when you realize you'll never make it as an actor?" He is known for his appearances in the MCU and in films like Foxcatcher and Begin Again.

Mark Ruffalo

100

This actress dropped out of high school and worked many interesting jobs (bricklayer, bank teller, licensed cosmetician) on the support of welfare. She later became an actress worth 60 million dollars and starred in things like The View talk show and The Long Walk Home.

Whoopi Goldberg

100

This actor/singer was fired after his first performance. Went on to become one of the most famous figures in the 20th century.

Elvis Presley 

200

This actor was told he wouldn't make it as an actor because of his accent and his body being "overly developed" since at the time he was a bodybuilder. His last name was also allegedly "too hard to pronounce." He is most notably seen starring in The Terminator.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

200

Author of Harry Potter series. Lived on welfare for years in mouse infested apartment while her first book was rejected 12 times.

J.K. Rowling
200
Cut from varsity basketball team his sophomore year. Woke up early every day to train and later became one of the most successful athletes in the world. 

Michael Jordan

300

Defeated in 8 elections but is one of the most respected presidents in US history.

Abraham Lincoln 

300

Was told she should not be an actress as she simply "wasn't pretty enough" and she "didn't have it." Later starred in Beetlejuice, Little Women, and Stranger Things.

Winona Ryder

300

Took him 700 tries to invent the lightbulb.

Thomas Edison

400
Was told he was talentless and was consequentially fired from his newspaper job. He started doing volunteer work for a church in an old garage where he sketched one of the mice that would later make him very famous.

Walt Disney

400

This famous actress said, "When I was younger, when I was 14, I was told by a drama teacher that I might do OK if I was happy to settle for the fat girl parts." She later starred in one of the most famous films of the time The Titanic.

Kate Winslet

400

Dropped out of Harvard University and later became the youngest millionaire and the CEO of Facebook.

Mark Zuckerberg

500

His book was rejected by 23 different publishers. The 24th that accepted his children's book sold 6 million copies.

Dr. Seuss

500

This actress said, "All I heard was, 'No, not right--not tall enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough.' But I didn’t really care about their opinions. I’m stubborn." She later starred in Legally Blonde.

Reese Witherspoon

500

His fried chicken recipe was rejected by over 1,000 restaurant owners before it was accepted by one.

Harland David Sanders (Colonel Sanders)

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