Net Worth: $27 Billion
Industry: Media
Notable Member(s): Patty Hearst
Claim to Fame: The Hearst Corporation (ESPN, Lifetime, etc.)
The Empire that is the Hearst Corporation began with William Randolph Hearst in 1887. Today, the family owns ESPN, Lifetime, Cosmopolitan magazine and Good Housekeeping magazine, among many other publications and media outlets. The company fast became known for its use of “yellow journalism,” which meant they didn’t always necessarily do their research, and they instead did what they needed to get eyeballs on their content.
William dabbled in politics and was elected to Congress, twice. He also tried to become both mayor and governor of New York City, but was unsuccessful in his attempts. But even after that, he kept going, he even considered running for president of the United States at one point. He, like many other billionaires, also became known for his extensive collection of rare art and memorabilia, that featured pieces like a Bible that had belonged to Thomas Jefferson.
Hearts passed away in the ’50s, leaving his estate behind to his children, including Hearst Castle, an elaborate and luxurious building concept in California that spans over 40,000 acres. Today, the family still controls a large portion of the media, including hundreds of print and online publications, and multiple television stations.
The Cubans
Net Worth: $4 Billion
Industry: Entertainment, Sports
Notable Member(s): Mark Cuban
Claim to Fame: The Dallas Mavericks
You’ve definitely seen Mark Cuban’s face, whether you realize it or not. The man owns a little bit of everything around Hollywood and throughout the sports world. He is perhaps most well-known for being the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, but there’s a good chance you’ve caught him on an episode of Shark Tank, too – where he sits as one of the main investors.
Cuban also launched his own film production company that he dubbed “2929 Entertainment,” with whom he created Good Night, and Good Luck, the indie film starring George Clooney. The film ultimately ended up being nominated for six Oscars. Other films produced by the company include 2007’s We Own the Night and, in 2014, Serena, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Over the years, Cuban has been both criticized and fined numerous times for his behavior and language towards those he doesn’t agree with, such as several NBA officials.
In 2018, he was ordered to pay the league $600,000 for a statement he made about The Mavericks. He’s also got his own company, broadcast.com, that has reportedly done quite well.
The Nicholsons
Net Worth: $400+ Million
Industry: Entertainment
Notable Member(s): Jack Nicholson
Claim to Fame: The Shining (Film)
Jack Nicholson can be called both one of the best – and one of the highest-paid – actors in the show business. His work in films like The Shining have earned him three Oscars, among many other nominations, and made him a small fortune of nearly half a billion. But, as much money as he’s made over the years, he’s also made some very questionable decisions about how he manages it. But hey, it’s his money, right?
Perhaps Nicholson’s role as The Joker made him lose a little bit of his mind – at least, for a while anyway. He once bought a house just to destroy it by burning it to the ground. In his defense, the guy who owned it before did say that he was going to fill the pool with electric eels to save money on the power bill, so…he wasn’t the only crazy one to own that piece of real estate. Today, Nicholson is mainly retired from the acting game, but he still enjoys his fair share of royalties. In fact, when he took the role of The Joker, he actually accepted a salary lower than the going rate at the time – because he had it written into his contract that he’d earn a percentage from the film and all of its merchandise, etc. – a move that ended up making him five times what he would have made had he taken the industry standard rate. Nice going, Jack!
The Hunts
Net Worth: $14 Billion
Notable Member(s): Lamar Hunt
Industry: Oil, Hospitality, Sports
Claim to Fame: Hunt Oil The Hunt family spread their wings, so to speak, and pieces of their wealth can be seen around every corner – or on the television screen. H.L Hunt, the original breadwinner of the family, was the basis for a character on Dallas, at one point. The family first got wealthy when H.L started the oil business, but they wouldn’t stop there…
H.L had 15 children, including Ray, who is the C.E.O of Hunt Oil these days, and Caroline, who decided to start an international chain of luxury resorts called “Rosewood.” Caroline would eventually sell the hotels in 2011, but not before opening over 25 of them across the world. W. Herbert was in charge of another oil (and gas) company they owned, named Petro-Hunt, but that business was also sold. Lamar, another one of H. L’s children, was actually responsible for naming The Super Bowl as it is known today. Lamar did quite well for himself in the world of sports and owned part of many teams, including The Kansas City Chiefs. As you can see, the family has a hold on multiple aspects of the Western world.
The Wynns
Net Worth: $3.4 Billion
Notable Member(s): Steve Wynn
Industry: Hospitalitynet
Claim to Fame: The Bellagio/Wynn Resorts
Unlike some of the other family members who made this list, Steve Wynn created his wealth from the ground up, building an empire of resorts and casinos throughout Las Vegas after moving there with his wife, Elaine, in the late ’60s. Elaine would become the head of the board of the chain of resorts, a position that she would keep even after their eventual divorce.
Wynn’s reach began to expand outside of Sin City, and he opened resorts and casinos across the globe, including one property in New Jersey, and another in China. One of his hotels in Las Vegas is notably the 6th largest in the entire world. Wynn spent a large percentage of his profits on rare art that he displayed in each of his resorts, like pieces by Van Gogh and Picasso. Unfortunately, things would go south for Wynn as the years went by. In 2018, The Wall Street Journal released a report about multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him, including reports from several people who had worked for him in the past. Wynn paid out millions of dollars to squash charges, such as the $7.5 million he paid to a manicurist that said he forced her to sleep with him.