World’s richest actress has $8-billion wealth but no hit films; richer than Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Rihanna combined…who can that be

The world’s richest actress had a not-so-successful film career and yet was able to build an empire larger than that of any celebrity in the world.

The richest actor on the planet (male) is Tyler Perry, a playwright-turned-actor who has made his fortune on the back of owning his own studio and creating one hit franchise (Madea). That has made him the owner of a $1.4 billion fortune. But imagine someone even richer, in fact more than five times as rich. And then you can get close to just how wealthy the world’s richest actress is. And again, it’s not a name you may be familiar with. (Also read: World’s richest actor has only one hit but $1.4 billion net worth, is richer than Tom Cruise, SRK)

The world’s richest actress
Jami Gertz, American actress-turned-entrepreneur, is the richest actor in the world – male or female. As per Forbes, Gertz has a more than impressive net worth of $8 billion (over ₹66,000 crore). This far exceeds the wealth of any celebrity in the world, let alone just actors. In fact, Gertz has more money than the next three actresses on the list put together. Taylor Swift comes in at number two ($1.6 billion), with Rihanna ($1.4 billion), and Selena Gomez ($1.3 billion) following suit. Madonna rounds off the top five as the first non-billionaire on the list.

It’s interesting to note that all the top five richest actresses have earned their wealth from something apart from acting. In Gertz’s case, it is business investments while for the other four, it is their music careers or makeup brands. The first mainstream actress in the list, who is best known for her acting career, is Reese Witherspoon at number seven. The only Indian in the top 10 is Juhi Chawla, with a reported net worth of $550 million as per Hurun Rich List.

Who is Jami Gertz?
Born in 1965 in Chicago, Jami Gertz began her acting career after being discovered in a talent search in the 80s. She made her film debut in 1981 with Endless Love. In 1987, she gained recognition with her appearance in Less than Zero opposite Robert Downey Jr. The same year, she had her most prominent role in vampire drama The Lost Boys.

As a lead actress, Gertz never tasted box office success, due to which, she moved to supporting roles, appearing in high profile films like Twister in the 90s and TV shows such as Ally McBeal. For Twister, she was nominated for the Worst Supporting Actress Award at the Razzies. However, for Ally McBeal, she finally won over the critics with an Emmy nomination. Jami Gertz was last seen on screen in a cameo in the 2022 film I Want You Back.

How is Jami Gertz so rich?
But if Jami Gertz’s acting career never took off, how is she the world’s richest actress? The answer lies in her business portfolio. In 1989, Gertz married Tony Ressler, American billionaire businessman. Together, they are the co-owners of the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In addition, Gertz also has sizable investments in various businesses, which has contributed to her immense wealth.