Before They Were Famous: How These New Yorkers Got Their Start

Rosario Dawson

In a real-life rags-to-riches story, Rosario Dawson went from squatting in an abandoned LES building with her family to becoming a widely celebrated actress, singer, and writer. Her mother, Isabel, had Rosario at age 16, and when Isabel was 21, she moved the family into the abandoned building where she and her husband installed plumbing and electricity themselves. Years later, Rosario Dawson was discovered by Larry Clark and Harmony Korine while she was outside sitting on her front porch step. She was cast in Harmony Korine's screenplay that later became the movie, "Kids," and the rest is history. [Photo: Rosario Dawson, Chloe Sevigny via]