When They Were Teens: 20 Facts About Popular Celebrities When They Were Young

Tony Iommi lost the tips of his middle and ring finger in an accident at the age of 17. He ended up tuning his strings to lower pitches so that the thimbles he had fitted could bend the strings more easily. This lead to Black Sabbath's distinctive sound and the invention of heavy metal.

While competing at the 2002 World Junior Championships at the age of 15, Usain Bolt became so nervous from the crowd's expectations that he put his shoes on the wrong feet. Nevertheless, he won the race, becoming the world's youngest junior gold medallist.

In 2000, 16-year-old Henry Cavill was an aspiring actor who had a chance encounter with Russell Crowe. Crowe sent him a gift box with a note saying "Dear Henry, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Russell." 13 years later, they starred together in “Man of Steel.”

At the age of 15, Jim Carrey and his family were so poor that they were all living out of a van, with Jim having to quit school and become a janitor to help support them.

Mila Kunis was 14 years old when she auditioned for "That 70's Show". She said she'd be 18 on her birthday but never said which birthday.

In 1984, Cynthia Nixon made Broadway history by appearing in two Broadway plays at the same time. Her roles were short, and the two theaters were only two blocks away from each other, so she would run from one to the other. She was 18 years old.

Soccer player Ronaldinho came to media attention at the age of 13 when his team won 23-0. He'd scored all 23 goals.

Jelly Roll Morton, at the age of 14 tricked his great-grandmother into believing he was a night watchman at a barrelhouse when in fact he was working as a piano player in a brothel. In that atmosphere, as he often sang smutty lyrics; he took the nickname “Jelly Roll”, which was slang for vagina.

Quentin Tarantino dropped out of high school at the age of 14 and got a job as an usher at an adult movie theater after lying about his age.

At the age of 18, Bruce Lee was sent to live with his sister in the US because he had beaten up the son of an organized crime family. Lee’s parents feared retaliation.