How the richest actor in the world made her billions despite not being well known

There’s no denying that a lot of movie stars are rich. Like mega, multiple cars, multiple homes, rich.

But when we think of the ‘richest’ actors in the world, we might not actually be thinking of the one that is the richest of them all.

And that’s because she’s not so well known. Yes, she – take that gender bias.

The richest actor isn’t Dwayne Johnson, Tom Cruise or Morgan Freeman, it’s The Lost Boys star, Jami Gertz.

With a crazy net worth of $3 billion, or £2.45 billion to us UK folks, Gertz is the richest actor in the world right now.

Some of you might be asking ‘who on Earth is she?’ - and you wouldn’t be alone.

There seems to be plenty of people who are unable to put their finger on Gertz or any of her roles.

One person had to reach out to the internet for enlightenment: “I’m off to Google first cos this is giving I don’t know who this person is.”

Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

Someone who is actually a fan of the actor wondered why she’s been out of the limelight: “How come I hardly see Jami Gertz in movies?

“Did she make it from acting, or does she have other incomes?”

So, just how did Gertz become the richest actor in the world?

Well, her notable film roles include Twister and Sixteen Candles.

She's also popped up on the small screen in Seinfeld, Modern Family and This is Us.

Gertz also features in Crossroads, Quicksilver and The Neighbours.

All in all, she's been active for 40 years, from 1981 up to 2017 - with one film in 2022, I Want You Back.

But these acting gigs aren’t enough alone to bag her a fortune to dwarf the likes of Robert De Niro and Adam Sandler's net worth.

Taylor Hill / Contributor/Getty Images

Gertz and her husband, Tony Ressler, are part owners of NBA team the Atlanta Hawks and minority owners of the Milwaukee Beavers.

Ressler is a billionaire businessman with a net worth estimated at $7.5billion (£6.08billion) – which Gertz may have some sort of tie into.

But this is maybe beside the point, as Gertz and Ressler are also known for their charitable endeavours.

In 2012, the Giving Back Fund named the pair as the number one donor to charity of any other celebrity after a record $10 million donation to the Ressler-Gertz Foundation, which primarily focuses on the arts, education, health and Jewish organizations.

Gertz is also a board director for the Melanoma Research Alliance.

So, although a lot of people don’t seem to know who she is, she has accumulated wealth beyond her acting gigs - and her philanthropy is perhaps what sets her apart.

Topics: Celebrity, Money, TV and Film, Celebrity Net Worth, Charity

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_