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.
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 Jolies
Net Worth: $160 Million
Industry: Entertainment
Notable Member(s): Angelina Jolie
Claim to Fame: Tomb Raider
Angelina Jolie is another one of the world’s highest-paid actors, creating $160 million net worth after an extensive career, during which she earned herself 2 Oscars and 3 Golden Globes. Recently, she’s earned $33 million to act in Maleficent, alone – a film that grossed just over $70 million in theatres.
Jolie’s money hasn’t solely come through her acting, however, as she’s been known to dabble in directing, too. She directed Unbroken, a drama about World War II, along with By the Sea, a film that she worked on with ex-husband Brad Pitt. Her incredible on-screen abilities earned her an Academy Award for her role as a troubled teen in the hit film, Girl Interrupted. Of course, acting is in her blood, as Angelina is the daughter of Hollywood legends Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand. Jolie was the highest paid actress in existence until Scarlett Johansson recently beat her out.
The Lucas’
Net Worth: $6 Billion
Notable Member(s): George Lucas
Industry: Entertainment
Claim to Fame: Star Wars
George Lucas has retired from making films since he sold LucasFilm to Disney in 2012 for billions of dollars, but he’s still rolling in royalties from his heyday. In fact, Lucas owns the rights to a lot more than you could possibly imagine – such as part of your cell phone. George Lucas actually trademarked the word “droid,” back in the 70’. Of course, he doesn’t own the entire world, just those 5 letters of it.
LucasFilm is, of course, responsible for all of the Star Wars movies you know and love, but also for some other films you may not realize came from them: Indiana Jones, American Graffiti, and even the classic, but super strange, Labyrinth. And they weren’t just pumping out blockbuster hits in the theatre, but they were also creating the video games to go along with them. The company produced hit games like The Secret of Monkey Island until 2013 when it was reported that they would no longer be making games – that is, until 2019 when EA announced LucasFilm would be making a comeback to help them create some Star Wars games alongside Disney. Keep your eyes peeled, as they’ve said they’ll be releasing a variety of “interactive games,” for all different types of devices and consoles.