George Lucas tops ‘Forbes” Celebrity Billionaires list
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on April 3, 2024
Each year, Forbes ranks those who have made the very exclusive billionaire’s list, and with it, which people from the entertainment community are among them.
Topping the World’s Celebrity Billionaires list for 2024 is Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchise creator George Lucas. Lucas first made the list back in 1997, largely thanks to owning the merchandising rights for his galaxy far, far away. However, the deal in 2012 to sell his Lucasfilm to ABC News’ parent company Disney for more than $4 billion in cash and stock boosted his net worth to $5.5 billion.
Coming in second is Lucas’ longtime friend and Indiana Jones franchise partner Steven Spielberg. His net worth was estimated at $4.8 billion, largely from profits from blockbusters he’s had a hand in, from the Indy movies to Shindler’s List, to the Jurassic Park franchise, Forbes notes.
Michael Jordan ranked third, with $3.2 billion. He made $1.8 billion from Nike’s Air Jordans and other endorsements, and turned a $175 million investment in the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets back in 2010 into $3 billion when he sold the team in 2023.
Oprah Winfrey came in at #4 with an estimated worth of $2.8 billion, while Jay-Z ranked #5, thanks to money moves in the spirits industry, in addition to his music empire.
Another famous entrepreneur, Kim Kardashian, was #6 with $1.7 billion; Lord of the Rings Oscar winner Peter Jackson took the #7 slot with $1.5 billion, thanks to a billion-dollar sale of some of his Weta Digital company in 2021.
Entertainment mogul Tyler Perry was #8 with $1.4 billion — same as singer, actress and entrepreneur Rihanna (#9). Tiger Woods rounded out the top 10 with $1.3 billion.
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