It’s the end of 2021, and it’s time to look back at who is on top. Forbes has released its list of the five richest billionaires in America for this year, with some surprises among the usual suspects. Here are your top five: Mark Zuckerberg (net worth $72 billion), Jeff Bezos (net worth $112 billion), Larry Ellison (net worth $54 billion) Bill Gates (net worth $93 billion) and Warren Buffett ($88 million). What do you think? Who would you expect to be on the list? We’ll post more details about these individuals soon!
So, the question arise by many celebs fans is that who are the richest celebrities of 2021?. Let’s find out about it.
Which celebrities ended 2021 as the top Seven richest billionaires?
- Jeff Bezos (net worth: $112 billion)
- Gates (net worth: $93 billion)
- Zuckerberg (net worth: $72 billion)
- Downey Jr. (net worth: $1.9 billion)
- DiCaprio (net worth: $1.5 billion)
- Winfrey (net worth: $2 billion)
- Clooney (net worth: $1.8 billion)
1- George Lucas
The filmmaker and creator of the “Star Wars” franchise, George Lucas, is the richest celebrity of 2021. Lucas has a net worth of $24.5 billion and is ranked as the number 20 richest person on earth. After selling “Star Wars” owner Lucas Film to Disney in 2012, George has made $4.05 billion from that sale alone. He is one of only five billionaires who made their money entirely through shrewd investments rather than inheritance or lucky accidents.
Lucas’s total net worth consists of $10 billion in Disney stock and $4 billion he keeps outside of the company as cash reserves. Also a generous philanthropist, George owns stakes in Apple, Facebook, a winery and a big real estate portfolio with properties all over the world including San Francisco’s Presidio Terrace street where each home costs almost $5 million dollars.
Besides being a billionaire, George is also a great filmmaker and has won several awards and nominations for his short and feature films.
2- James Cameron
At 62, James Cameron is another billion-dollar director with a net worth of $700 million – the same as George Lucas. Like Lucas, he made his money by revolutionizing movie making technology through movies such as Avatar and Titanic which grossed over $2 billion worldwide each.
He sold those rights to 20th Century Fox in 1994 for $350 million, but kept the lucrative licensing deals that come along with owning those properties. Now that’s how you make money! He also makes serious bank from selling documentaries like Ghosts of the Abyss and Aliens of the Deep and 3D versions of real life events like concerts and the Olympic Games.
James Cameron’s earnings come to $18 million per movie and $20 million from documentaries. With four more Avatar movies on the way, 2021 should be a very good year for Cameron!
3- Steven Spielberg
Ranked at number three on the list of richest celebrities in 2021 is Steven Spielberg with a net worth of $3.7 billion. The Hollywood legend has had an amazing career spanning over five decades and some of his biggest hits include Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones. He is also one of only two people who have won Academy Awards for Best Director, Screenplay and Picture – the other being Francis Ford Coppola.
Spielberg’s movies have grossed more than $8 billion at the box office and he has made over $5 billion from his films alone. His other assets include an art collection worth millions of dollars, homes in California, New York and Hawaii as well as a private jet. Spielberg is estimated to make an average of $30 million per movie.
His latest release as a director was The BFG (2016) which was based on the book by Roald Dahl and stars Mark Rylance as the Big Friendly Giant. He is currently working on Ready Player One with Zak Penn for 2018 release and is producing Jurassic World 2.
4- George Clooney
Rounding out our top five richest celebrities list for 2021 is other than Mr. George Clooney with a net worth of $2.5 billion. Clooney is the only actor to make this year’s list and his wealth comes from a range of sources. These include liquor, tequila and coffee endorsements, as well as stakes in Casamigos Tequila (sold last year for $1 billion) and Google Plus.
He also has ownership stakes in Miramax Films, television production company Smokehouse Pictures and consumer electronics manufacturer Nespresso.
Clooney’s films have earned over $2.4 billion at the box office and he has been paid up to $20 million for a movie. In addition to all this, Clooney also owns several homes including one in London, England and another on Lake Como in Italy.
5- Robert Downey Jr.
Rounding out the top five richest celebrities in 2021 is another actor, Robert Downey Jr. with $1.9 billion to his name. The star of Iron Man and Avengers movies has earned over $2 billion from movies alone and he also gets a cut from merchandise based on his appearance in Marvel comic books and movies.
Iron Man 3 (2013) was the highest earning movie for RDJ in terms of box office grossing over $1 billion worldwide while Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows collected about half that amount at around $545 million. Some other big ticket items include Captain America: Civil War ($745 million), Avengers: Age of Ultron ($1.4 Billion) and Iron Man 2 ($623 million).
He owns a palatial estate in Malibu, California, an apartment in Manhattan and an estate in the English countryside.
6- Leonardo DiCaprio
At number four on our list of the top five richest celebrities is yet another actor, Leonardo DiCaprio with a net worth of $1.5 billion. He made his money from blockbusters such as Titanic which grossed over $2 billion worldwide and The Revenant (2015) which collected about the same amount at the box office. Some other big ticket items that add to Leo’s fortunes include Inception ($825 million), Catch Me If You Can ($352 million) and Romeo + Juliet ($147 million).
He also founded Appian Way Productions which is behind several big-budget movies including The Great Gatsby (2013), Shutter Island and Out of the Furnace. DiCaprio’s other assets include homes in Hollywood Hills, Malibu, Los Angeles and New York City. He also has an impressive art collection including valuable works by Picasso, Basquiat and Modigliani.
7- Oprah Winfrey
Rounding out our top five richest celebrities for 2021 is none other than media mogul Oprah Winfrey who has a net worth of $2 billion to her name. The iconic talk show host was the highest paid TV personality last year with earnings of $165 million thanks mostly to her OWN cable network but also from weight loss endorsements like Weight Watchers and her O, The Oprah Magazine.
She has also endorsed several companies including XM Satellite Radio and ‘O’ by Jennifer Lopez fragrances as well as appearing in TV shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2015). Despite all this, her most valuable asset is likely to be Harpo Productions which she co-owns with her long-time partner Stedman Graham; the company produces movies and TV shows that include The Butler (2013) starring Forest Whitaker. She also owns mansions in Chicago and California worth a combined $88 million.
Which celebrities ended 2021 as the top five richest billionaires?
- Jeff Bezos (net worth: $112 billion)
- Gates (net worth: $93 billion)
- Zuckerberg (net worth: $72 billion)
- Downey Jr. (net worth: $1.9 billion)
- DiCaprio (net worth: $1.5 billion)
- Winfrey (net worth: $2 billion)
- Clooney (net worth: $1.8 billion)
And that’s our list! We’ll be back soon with more articles about the richest people in America. In the meantime, let us know what you think in the comments below. Who do you think should have made the list? Do you think the net worths are accurate? Let us know your thoughts!
FAQs
1. How did Forbes come up with these net worths?
Forbes calculated the net worth of these celebrities by looking at their earnings (in the case of entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg), their stakes in companies (like Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway) and any other cash they may have stashed away.
2. Why is Oprah Winfrey only worth $2 billion?
Compared to some of the other names on this list, Winfrey is not worth as much. A big chunk of her fortune lies in her stake in Harpo productions which will only grow over time. Other big earners are her salary from OWN, endorsement deals with companies like Weight Watchers and her O Magazine.
3. Why are some of the net worths so much lower than I expect?
Well, remember that these are just estimates. However, it’s also possible that the celebrity has taken on debt, which would mean they’re not as wealthy as you might think. We will be covering this topic in more depth soon!
4. What happens next year?
We’ll be back with new articles looking at who is on top at the end 2020 and 2021; promising to make for interesting reading indeed…
Good luck! And if you enjoyed this article, please share with your friends!
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