This article was originally published on Lizanest.com
Hollywood’s biggest stars keep their most surprising stories off screen. Behind the red carpets and record deals, these celebrities built families through adoption, sometimes in secret, sometimes against the odds. One discovered his daughter at a Mongolian shelter. Another adopted three children with cancer. A few of those kids grew up to make headlines themselves. Where are they now?
#1: Walt Disney
Walt Disney brought Mickey Mouse and Disneyland to the world, but family mattered deeply to him. He and his wife, Lillian, adopted baby Sharon after she suffered another miscarriage. They already had daughter Diane and hoped to give her a sibling to grow up with.
Sharon grew up away from the spotlight and later raised three children of her own. She supported charities and served on Disney’s board. Sadly, she died of cancer in 1993. Today, her daughter Michelle leads the foundation Sharon created, supporting education, health, and the arts.