Jami Gertz has been famous since the 1980s. She got her start in Brat Pack films like Sixteen Candles (1984) and The Lost Boys (1987), before transitioning to supporting roles on long-running TV shows such as Still Standing (2002-06). It’s not a surprise to anyone that she’s a wealthy person, but it is surprising when you consider just how wealthy she is.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Gertz is worth $3 billion. No, that’s not a typo, it really is billion with a “b”. The actress who didn’t have a square to spare on Seinfeld is now a legitimate billionaire. She’s worth more than all of her Brat Pack peers, and that includes mega-successful actors like Rob Lowe and Robert Downey, Jr.
This leads many to beg the question: How did an actress best known for her supporting work amass such an eye-watering amount of money?
What is Jami Gertz best known for?
Well, for starters, Gertz has always stayed busy. She was a very prolific actress in the 1980s, appearing in cult classics like Quicksilver (1985), Crossroads (1986), and Less Than Zero (1987), in addition to the aforementioned hits.
She took a break from acting to work as a scent designer for Lanvin, and when she returned, she managed to score the biggest hit of her career with Twister (1996). Gertz’s performance was critically panned, and she was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress. Twister ended up grossing $495 million at the worldwide box office, so she ultimately got the last laugh.
She moved to television in the 2000s and had notable guest spots on major shows like ER, Entourage, and Ally McBeal. Gertz’s performance in the latter earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2001, proving that the critics’ previous take on her was incorrect.
How did Jami Gertz make most of her money?
These gigs paid well, but the biggest source of Gertz’s wealth comes from her business investments with her husband, Antony Ressler. He may not have Gertz’s celebrity profile, but Ressler is a big player in the world of international business. He co-founded the private equity firms Apollo Global Management, in 1990 (a year after marrying Gertz) and Ares Management in 1997. As a result, Forbes lists his net worth at a staggering $7.1 billion.
Gertz and Ressler are also part-owners of the Atlanta Hawks NBA team, and they also own a minority stake in the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team. In addition to these substantial income sources, Capitalism.com lists Gertz as the founder and owner of JG&A, LLC, a consulting firm that provides entrepreneurship advice for new companies. He is also the co-founder of Henry Rose, which is a lifestyle collection that sells home goods and accessories.
Ressler praised Gertz’s business acumen during a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I think it’s fair to say that she makes a better impression on our fan base than any of us in the organization,” he noted. “I’m very active in the business and player personnel decision-making. But Jami steps in when it comes to so many parts of the business that I did not appreciate or have any experience in.”
Gertz has proven to be an absolute force to be reckoned with, and she takes pride in the fact that she and her career have defied easy categorization. “I get it,” she said in the same interview. “It’s not your everyday Hollywood actress tale.”