Most of these big name movie stars and TV personalities are talented, in some form or fashion. And they’ve all achieved a lot in their careers as a result.
But we bet you didn’t know that each one of them had a pile of cash with his or her name on it, whether they hit it big or not.
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, more commonly known asLady Gaga, is a megastar. And apparently her music career wasn’t enough. She’s now an Oscar nominated actress (A Star is Born).
Gaga’s net worth is greater than it’s ever been. But did you know she had money from the outset?
Attending private school on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Gaga had accomplished parents. Mom Cynthia Louise was a business executive, and dad Joseph Germanotta an Internet entrepreneur, owning and operating a number of businesses.
Currently, Gaga’s father works on her management team, and sits on the board of her charitable organization. He provided for her, now she’s returning the favor.
Edward Norton
Before he was churning out intense performances in ‘90s classics likeAmerican History XandFight Club,Edward Nortonwas doing quite well for himself.
Norton’s father was an environmental lawyer who also worked as a federal prosecutor. But Norton’s money goes even further back.
His maternal grandfather was real estate developerJames Rouse, who founded The Rouse Company. And what did they do? Well, they invented shopping malls!
The Rouse Company sold in 2004 for a whopping $7.2-billion. Coming from that kind of money, Norton may have had a few advantages growing up.
Olivia Wilde
Known for her roles inHouseandTron: Legacy, actressOlivia Wildedidn’t struggle much before making it big.
Wilde attended Georgetown Day School, a private school in D.C., followed by Phillips Academy, a boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts. She even got to travel, spending her summers in Ireland. How, you might ask?
Well, her parents had a bit of money. Wilde’s father is producer Andrew Cockburn, who comes from an upper class British family.
Her American born mother, Leslie Cockburn, is also a producer and writer. It pays to have parents in the business. And parents with money, to boot.
Robin Williams
He was one of the great comedians of our time - a legend on the stage and the screen. There will never be anotherRobin Williams.
You know of his funniest movie performances, and probably his best dramatic ones as well. But did you know he was a rich kid?
Williams’s father was a senior executive in the Lincoln-Mercury Division at the Ford Motor Company. His mother Laurie was a model. Even his great-great grandfather had money - he was a Mississippi governor.
Robin attended a private day school outside of Detroit, where his parents raised him on a forty-room farmhouse that sat on twenty acres. Not bad, Mork!
Ariana Grande
If you made a list of young stars oozing with talent,Ariana Grandewould have to fall on it somewhere. She’s been demonstrating her singing and acting abilities for a decade now, after being cast in a Nickelodeon show before she could drive a car.
Before that? She was growing up with money.
Grande is the daughter of two successful parents. Her mother Joan Grande was CEO of manufacturing company Hose-McCann Communications. Her father Edward owned a graphic design firm in Florida.
Her parents’ notoriety helped Grande get gigs performing with orchestras and on cruise ships. She even sang the National Anthem before a Florida Panthers game.
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooperis a four-time Academy Award nominated actor. And now he’s a nominated director and screenwriter, thanks toA Star is Born.
You don’t get to the top of the A-list without talent. In Cooper’s case, he had some advantages early in life.
Cooper often makes reference to his Philadelphia roots. He’s not as public about his education. His stockbroker father’s salary was enough to send Bradley to Germantown Academy, an exclusive Philadelphia private school.
For college, Cooper enrolled at Villanova, then Georgetown. Which means his folks spent a ton of money on tuition! Fortunately, he makes enough now to pay his parents back tenfold.
Rooney Mara
You may know actressRooney Marafrom her Academy Award nominated performance inThe Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. She’s been a highly sought after star ever since.
But she didn’t come from nowhere. There’s a reason her name seems so familiar, especially if you’re a fan of pro football.
TheCarolstar’s family comes from not one, buttwostoried NFL franchises. Her paternal great-grandfather was Tim Mara, founder of the New York Giants. And her maternal great-grandfather was Art Rooney, founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers!
That’s a lot of football money for she and sisterKate(also an actress) to kick around.
Adam Levine
You don’t have to be aMaroon 5fan to knowAdam Levine. His work as a judge onThe Voiceintroduced him to an even wider audience.
He’s got a fragrance line, too. And a record label. And a production company. As a child, you guessed it, he had money.
Levine grew up in the upscale Brentwood area of Los Angeles. His father Fred owned and operated M.Frederic, a popular retail chain.
Of course, wealth doesn’t equal happiness. Levine’s parents divorced when he was just a boy. All the money in the world can’t replace what was lost there, but Levine seems to have bounced back pretty well.
Carly Simon
Carly Simonis an icon of American music. The singer-songwriter’s mega hit “You’re So Vain” will always be a mega hit. She’s collected two Grammys over her career, and landed twenty-four singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
And, as a kid, she was part of the “one percent.”
Carly’s dad is Richard L. Simon. Nope, not a recognizable name. But Simon & Schuster sure is. That’s right, Carly Simon’s father was the co-founder of one of the most profitable publishing companies the world has ever known.
With such affluence all her life, it’s no wonder Carly hung around some pretty vain folks.
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper’s work anchoring his CNN show has made him a household name. But had the silver haired newsman’s TV career never taken off, we’re pretty confident he would have made out okay.
Thanks to his mother.
Cooper’s mom wasGloria Vanderbilt, of the Vanderbilt family. The Vanderbilts were, for a time, the wealthiest family in the United States.
Fashion designer and heiress Gloria had a net worth of over $200-million. Her son has done pretty well for himself, but it helps when you’ve got a pedigree like he does.
