World’s richest actor who you’ve never heard of hits back after criticism over how she became so wealthy

You probably think of a few well-known performers when you think of the wealthiest people in the world.

She has responded to criticism about how she got so rich, even if you’ve probably never heard of the person who is.

Yes, she did. Look, it’s okay to acknowledge that Tom Cruise, Adam Sandler, and Robert De Niro were among the well-known figures that came to mind.

However, the actor Jami Gertz from The Lost Boys is the one who is frequently tipped with the title. Okay, so she has a job as an actor but hasn’t been very active in the TV and movie industries lately.

Gertz is thought to be the richest actor in the world, with an estimated net worth of $3 billion, or £2.45 billion for those of us in the UK (estimated in 2023).

Recently, Gertz hasn’t been on screen as frequently.

This has previously left others perplexed on social media, forcing them to “Google” her. One person wrote: “Why do I rarely see Jami Gertz in movies? Did she earn it through acting or did she have other sources of income?

Well, Twister, Crossroads, and Sixteen Candles are some of her well-known movie roles. She has also been on television in shows like This is Us, Modern Family, The Neighbours, and Seinfeld. She most recently starred in the movie I Want You Back, which came out in 2022.

Given that Gertz and her husband own a portion of the NBA team, the Atlanta Hawks, it’s safe to assume that her remarkable riches came from sources other than acting.

She also acknowledges that her life outside of the spotlight, including running a basketball team with her spouse, is “not your everyday Hollywood actress tale.”

In 1989, the 59-year-old married Tony Ressler, a rich investor.

About forty years ago, they first met. (Getty Images for An American Fantasy/Vivien Killilea)
The Hollywood Reporter previously quoted Gertz as saying, “Everyone thinks she married a rich guy.”

She clarified, though, that this isn’t quite the case: But when I first met Tony, I was making a lot more money than he was.

“I purchased our first home. I covered the cost of our first trip. I fell in love with him, therefore I married him.

Ressler didn’t fully know her credits when they first met in their 20s, but he understood she “was a working actress.”

Gertz continued, “He was a good man with a job.” Which is what every Glenview Jewish girl would desire. A doctor or a lawyer would have been ideal, but a banker was also acceptable.

Indeed, the couple is wealthy, but they are also well-known for their philanthropic work.

Following a record $10 million donation to the Ressler-Gertz Foundation, which primarily supports Jewish, educational, health, and artistic organizations, Gertz and her husband were named the top charity donors by the Giving Back Fund in 2012.