The little girl in this photo grew up to become the richest actress in the world — can you guess who she is?
If you asked most people to name Hollywood’s wealthiest actor, guesses would likely include George Clooney, Meryl Streep, or Angelina Jolie.
They’re big names, of course, but none come close to the staggering fortune held by a woman many remember only from a handful of films in the 1980s and 1990s.
”I was found at a search”
She rarely makes tabloid headlines. She isn’t a fixture on the red carpet or leading the latest blockbuster. Yet, she is reportedly worth more than three billion dollars.
How did someone relatively low-profile surpass every A-lister in Hollywood?
Before shocking the world with her wealth, this future billionaire was just a girl from suburban Glenview, far from the glam of Los Angeles. She attended public schools and her dad was a builder and contractor.
Nothing in her early years hinted at her future fortune – but then she was discovered in a nationwide talent search. As a teen, she landed roles in films that would become cult classics.
”I was found at a search, thrown right in, that was it,” she once said.
Her performances were warm, relatable, and instantly memorable.
Throughout the 1980s, audiences saw her in some of the decade’s most beloved movies, the kinds of films that shaped an entire generation’s nostalgia.
”When I was 16, I made more money than my dad,” she said. ”That changes the dynamic. That changes a lot of things in your life.”
Didn’t chase the Hollywood spotlight
Her rising career even included TV appearances, with small but memorable roles in fan-favorite sitcoms. By the early 1990s, her acting career was steady, respected, and fondly remembered by moviegoers.
But unlike many rising stars, she didn’t chase the exhausting Hollywood spotlight. She avoided fame for fame’s sake, staying grounded in privacy, stability, and a life with lasting meaning.
That choice changed everything. It also led her to meet the man who would become her husband — a young financier initially unaware of her acting career.
They married in 1989, long before imagining the dramatic financial success that lay ahead. She has spoken openly about their early years together, saying she earned more than he did when they met and even paid for their first home and vacation.
“All I knew was that she was a working actress. I didn’t know [her movie and TV credits],” her husband explained in The Hollywood Reporter interview.
Her husband’s ambitions soon grew: in 1990, he co-founded Apollo Global Management, which evolved into one of the world’s most powerful private equity firms. Later, he co-founded Ares Management and expanded into sports ownership, acquiring stakes in major teams including the Atlanta Hawks.
Top donors
Through it all, she remained deeply involved — raising their four children and guiding their philanthropic efforts.
Their wealth hasn’t been just about accumulation.
In 2012, they were recognized as the year’s top charitable donors after giving over ten million dollars to their foundation. Their giving supports the arts, education, health initiatives, and Jewish organizations. She also serves on the board of the Melanoma Research Alliance, the largest nonprofit funder of research into the disease.
Despite assumptions that her wealth comes solely from her husband, she has pushed back on this narrative. When they met, she was the breadwinner, reports note.
”Everyone thinks I married a rich guy,” she once said. ”But I made more money—way more money — than Tony when I met him. I paid for our first house. I paid for our first vacation. I married him because I fell in love with him.”
Today, her fortune is the result of choices they made together — long before billion-dollar valuations.
She helped build the life she lives today and fully deserves credit for it.
And the world’s richest actress is…
Jami Gertz, 60.
Known for roles in Twister and The Lost Boys, as well as appearances on hit TV comedies like Seinfeld and Modern Family, she may not chase fame, but she’s instantly recognizable to many.
Yet it’s her savvy in the business world — alongside her husband Tony Ressler — that has made her the richest actress alive today.
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