The little girl in this photo grew up to become the richest actress in the world. Can you guess who she is?
Ask most people to name Hollywood’s wealthiest star and you’ll probably hear the usual guesses: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie. Huge names, no doubt. But none of them come close to the staggering fortune held by a woman many remember from only a handful of films in the 1980s and 1990s.
“I was found at a search.”
She isn’t a constant tabloid presence. She’s not a red-carpet regular, and she isn’t headlining the latest blockbuster. Yet she is reportedly worth more than three billion dollars.
So how did someone so relatively low-profile end up surpassing every A-lister in Hollywood?
Long before the headlines about billions, she was simply a girl from suburban Glenview, far from the glamour of Los Angeles. She attended public school, and her father worked as a builder and contractor. Nothing about her early life screamed “future billionaire,” until a nationwide talent search changed everything. Discovered as a teenager, she started landing roles in films that would later become cult classics.
“I was found at a search, thrown right in, that was it,” she once said.
Her screen presence was warm, relatable, and instantly memorable. Throughout the 1980s, audiences watched her appear in some of the decade’s most beloved movies, the kind that still define 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 rise also included television work, with small but memorable roles in fan-favorite sitcoms. By the early 1990s, her acting career was steady, respected, and warmly remembered by moviegoers.
But unlike many rising stars, she didn’t pursue the exhausting Hollywood spotlight just for the sake of being famous. She valued privacy, stability, and a life that felt real and lasting.
That decision shaped her future in ways no one could have predicted. It also led her to the man who would become her husband, a young financier who initially had no idea about her acting résumé.
They married in 1989, long before either of them could imagine the level of financial success that was coming. She has spoken candidly about those early years, noting that when they met, she earned more than he did, and even paid for their first home and their first vacation together.
“All I knew was that she was a working actress. I didn’t know [her movie and TV credits],” her husband explained in a The Hollywood Reporter interview.
Not long after, his ambitions accelerated. In 1990, he co-founded Apollo Global Management, which would grow into one of the most powerful private equity firms in the world. Later, he co-founded Ares Management and expanded into sports ownership as well, acquiring stakes in major teams including the Atlanta Hawks.
Through it all, she stayed deeply involved at home and behind the scenes, raising their four children and helping shape their philanthropic work.
Their wealth hasn’t been only about building and accumulating. In 2012, they were recognized as the year’s top charitable donors after giving more than 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 melanoma research.
And despite the common assumption that her fortune exists only because of her husband, she has pushed back strongly against that narrative. By many accounts, she was the breadwinner when they first got together.
“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 reflects choices they made together long before billion-dollar valuations ever entered the picture. She helped build the life she has now, and she deserves full credit for it.
And the world’s richest actress is…
Jami Gertz, 60.
Known for roles in Twister and The Lost Boys, along with appearances on hit TV comedies like Seinfeld and Modern Family, she may not chase celebrity, but she’s instantly recognizable to many.
What truly sets her apart, though, is her business-world savvy alongside her husband, Tony Ressler—an advantage that, together with their long-term decisions, has made her the richest actress alive today.
