18 Famous Celebrities Who Were Already Wealthy Way Before Hollywood

Golden cutleries for everyone!

Chelsi

• Published in Film & TV
• June 17, 2022

You know who Oprah Winfrey is, right? The 68-year-old host, producer, businesswoman, author, and actress is a bona fide multi-billionaire.

This wasn't always the case for the beloved icon. Ms. Winfrey was born in Mississippi to a single mother and was no stranger to poverty from a young age.

She had a rough childhood in Milwaukee and was sent to live with her father, Vernon Winfrey, in Nashville. Oprah landed a job at a radio station while she was still in high school and by the age of 19, she was the co-anchor for the local news.

Her hosting skills directed her to daytime talk show hosting. After just a few months of hosting, Oprah made the morning talk show the highest-rated show in Chicago.

It was then renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and went on to become America's number one talk show. Oprah was listed as Forbes' only black billionaire worldwide from 2004 to 2006.

At one point, Oprah was the richest self-made woman in the entire United States. Her skills and business acumen cemented her place as one of the fearless business and media leaders in America.

Not every celebrity in Hollywood had to struggle and work for their wealth like Oprah. Some of our favorite celebs were already born into wealth with several doors already open. Here are those celebs:

1. Ariana Grande

The singer's parents are both big names in the corporate world. Her dad owned a graphic design firm in Florida while her mother was the CEO of Hose-McCann Communications.

Their favorable background gave Ariana the headstart she needed to break into Hollywood. Their connections landed her performing gigs on cruise ships and allowed her to sing the National Anthem at sporting events.

2. Adam Levine

Adam Levine attended the elite Los Angeles school, Brentwood School where he promptly met two of his Maroon 5 bandmates. Adam's family owns the high-end retail chain, M. Frederick.

3. Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga's dad was an owner of a telecommunications company while her mom was a vice president at Verizon. The Germanotta siblings attended an elite school on the Upper East Side.

4. Kate and Rooney Mara

The Mara siblings have NFL legacy written on both sides of their family. Their maternal family founded Pittsburgh Steelers in 1933 and their paternal side of the family helped establish the New York Giants in 1925.

5. Taylor Swift

Taylor's dad was a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch. Before the controversial split, he also famously bought a 3% stake at Big Machine Records while Taylor was recording her first album.

6. Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the daughter of Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, the chairman of the Louis-Dreyfus Group. He earned his $4 billion from being one of the biggest traders of grain all over the world.

7. Nick Kroll

Nick's father is the founder of Kroll, Inc. The investigations company has uncovered corporate fraud and was sold by Jules B. Kroll for $1.9 billion.

8. Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde grew up in the midst of Hollywood legends. Her mother is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker similar to her dad who is a journalist and an editor for Harper's magazine.

Their connections meant that the actress/director grew up seeing the likes of Mick Jagger and Steven Spielberg attend dinner parties at their house. Her path was pretty clear even as a child.

9. Anderson Cooper

The broadcast journalist is from the historically wealthy Vanderbilt clan. Cornelius Vanderbilt, Anderson's direct great-great-great grandfather, had more money than the entire US Treasury at one point.

10. Rashida Jones

Rashida Jones is the daughter of legendary music producer, Quincy Jones. He's no big deal since he only worked with musical legends like Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra.

11. Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch comes from a wealthy family but their riches have tainted origins. They were the owners of a sugar plantation in Barbados which meant they were slave owners.

12. Riley Keough

Riley Keough is the granddaughter of the King himself, Elvis Presley. Her mom, Lisa Marie Presley is the daughter of the legendary musician and the sole heir to his $100 million estate.

13. Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek had three pet tigers when she was growing up. Her father, Sami Hayek Dominguez, was an oil industry executive and he also owned an industrial-equipment business.

14. Edward Norton

Edward Norton's grandfather, James Rouse, was credited as the inventor of shopping malls. He was a real estate developer, he also developed the entire city of Columbia, Maryland, and was a Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee for his work in urban design.

15. Carly Simon

Carly's father is a co-founder of one of the biggest publishing houses in the world, Simon & Schuster. He started it with his friend when they noticed the absence of crossword puzzle books in the market.

16. Darren Criss

His father was an investment banker and founder of EastWest Bank where he served as chairman and CEO. Later on, he served as the director of several opera companies including the San Francisco Opera.

17. Chevy Chase

The actor comes from the old New York Society where his father was an editor and author while his mother's paternal side earned their wealth through the successful Crane Company. His parents divorced and his father married into the Folgers Coffee family.

18. Paul Giamatti

Paul Giamatti's father was the president of Yale University. He went on to become the commissioner of Major League Baseball, earning $22 million annually.

It must feel pretty great to know that your spot in society is pretty much paved for you. We are not diminishing the amount of hard work these celebs have put into their craft but it certainly doesn't hurt to have a cushy safety net in case the Hollywood thing doesn't pan out.

Let's hope these celebs use their considerable clout and wealth for good causes. I have to say, I want to learn more about the family of Benedict Cumberbatch and Anderson Cooper.

Chelsi