Cin·der·el·la 
(sĭn′də-rĕlə)
(sĭn′də-rĕlə)n.
One that unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity and neglect.
[After Cinderella, the fairy-tale character who escapes from a life of drudgery and marries a prince, translation of French Cendrillon.]