10 Celebrities Who Were Rich Before They Were Famous

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The term rich is defined by having a great deal of wealth and or assets as well as resources. Being born into families with such opportunity can allow for a higher chance of becoming rich. Many celebrities on this list were born to parents who were already famous, acting or singing their way to big paydays. Some were born into affluent families that did not obtain their wealth via acting or singing. Either way these stars were definitely rich before they became famous.

Take Ariana Grande for instance. Born and brought up in Boca Raton, Florida, Grande had a wealthy upbringing. Her father is the CEO to a very successful design company Ibi Designs Inc. that caters to clients such as comedian Eddy Murphy and the famous toy store FAO Schwarz. The star became famous during her teen years as an actress on the Nickelodeon channel, and now gaining even even more popularity as a singer.

Another famous example is Angelina Jolie, who was born into a family of rich Hollywood actors. Both her parents, father Jon Voight and mother Marcheline Bertrand, were wealthy actors when she was born. Today, Jolie is one of the wealthiest actresses in Hollywood with her own personal net worth of $140 million.

Here’s a list of 10 celebs who were rich before they were famous:

10. Robin Thicke: Net worth $15 million

Robin Thicke is the son of Alan Thicke, who played the role of Dr. Seaver in the hit television show Growing Pains. Funny enough, the show was about an affluent family living in New York. Thicke’s mother Gloria Loring is also a former television actress, though not as popular as her husband. Growing up in a family of actors, the Blurred Lines singer was rich long before he attained celebrity status. Currently, his net worth is at $15 million.

9. Paul Giamatti: Net worth $25 million

Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti was born to Angelo Barlett Giamatti, a professor at Yale University who later went on to become the president of the university, and then the commissioner of Major League Baseball. Though his mother was an English teacher, she began her career as an actress. As a kid, Paul attended private schools and had a very fortunate upbringing. Giamatti did both his bachelors and masters at Yale, and later went on to participate in many Broadway theatre productions. Though his total net worth is $25 million, he is considered one of Hollywood's finest A-list actors today.

8. Psy: Net worth $25 million

Psy rose to stardom after his YouTube music video Oppa Gangnam Style went viral (over 1.864 billion views). However, it is surprising to note that he actually hails from Gangnam District in Seoul, South Korea, which is one of the wealthiest regions in Seoul; kind of like the Beverly Hills of South Korea. Like most of the families living in Gangnam District, Psy’s too was very affluent. His father is the executive chairman of DI Corporation, whereas his mother is an owner of a restaurant. With a wealth of around $25 million, it’s no wonder Psy wants to savor the finer things in life; Oppa Gangnam Style!

7. Adam Levine: Net worth $35 million

Adam Levine is the lead-singer of the prolific band Maroon 5, and has built up quite a reputation for himself on the hit television show The Voice as a coach. He even has his own successful clothing line and fragrances. Not to mention nabbed a Victoria Secret model, Behati Prinsloo, the couple announced their engagement back in 2013.

Thanks to his multiple business adventures, and personal wealth of around $35 million, he is one of the richest reality TV stars. However, before he was a famous celebrity, Adam Levine was the son of Fred Levine, founder of M. Fredric, a successful retail chain. He was raised in Los Angeles, and attended Brentwood School, a private school where he also met his two future band mates. Later, he also attended a private camp at the French Woods Festival of Performing Arts. Thus, long before he was famous and he had been surrounded by those of affluence.

6. Chevy Chase: Net worth $50 million

Chevy Chase is well-known for his roles in the immensely popular National Lampoon’s Vacation series. His ancestors can be traced back to the early 1600s, with him being a fourteenth generation New Yorker based in Manhattan. Chase’s father was a well-known magazine writer and book editor, and his mother was adopted as a child by Cornelius Vanderbilt Crane, the heir of Crane Plumbing Company. Pierce Hawthorne, Chevy Chase’s character in the television comedy Community, reflects and makes fun of Chase’s personal life of opportunity and wealth. Currently, his personal net worth is pegged at around $50 million.

5. Anderson Cooper: Net worth $100 million

Anderson Cooper is famous today for his television appearances, especially on his own show on CNN channel; his annual salary from his television show is reportedly $10 million. Nevertheless, he grew up in a very rich family. His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, is an heiress of the ultra-wealthy Vanderbilt family; Gloria alone has a net worth of $200 million. The Vanderbilt fortune was kickstarted by Cooper's great-great-grandfather Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was one of the pioneering businessmen in shipping and railroad industries; he even has his own public statue in New York City. As expected, Cooper was born rich long before he became famous.

4. Taylor Swift: Net worth $105 million

Taylor Swift was born in 1989 to Andrea Finlay and Scott Kingsley Swift. Her father worked as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch, whereas her mother used to work as a mutual fund marketing executive. Suffice to say, Taylor Swift had a very upper-class upbringing with all the bells and whistles. She grew up in the family’s 11-acre farm in Pennsylvania, attended private schools, and vacationed in New Jersey at the family’s beachfront summer-house. Her father even provided the initial seed money for starting Big Machine Records, which had Taylor Swift as the first signed artist. He currently owns three percent of the record label company.

3. Miley Cyrus: Net worth $150 million

Miley Cyrus is no stranger to making the headlines. However, the same year she was born, her father's song Achy Breaky Heart was already on the top of Billboard Country Charts; the song also hit No. 4 position on the Billboard Hot 100. Having sold 1.4 million copies of the song, Billy Ray Cyrus was rich and famous. Having had a successful career in music, he co-starred with his daughter in the hit television show Hanna Montana; the rest is history. Hanna Montana catapulted Miley Cyrus to unprecedented success, and subsequently wealth. Today, Miley Cyrus is a name recognized all over the world. With a net worth of $150 million, she is one of the richest young celebrities her age.

2. Lady Gaga: Net worth $190 million

Lady Gaga’s birth name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, and she was born to mother Cynthia Bissett and father Joseph Germanotta, a successful and wealthy internet entrepreneur whose company installs Wi-Fi accessibility in hotels and restaurants. Consequently, she had a very luxurious upbringing in Upper West Side, New York. Though her parents weren’t very rich when she was born, they had climb up the wealth ladder by during her early childhood. Today, Lady Gaga is one of the most popular pop stars alive, and her $190 million personal fortune will surely make her parents proud.

1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Net worth $3 billion

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is well-known for her role as Elaine Benes on the popular American sitcom Seinfeld. However, not many know that she hails from a family that is exorbitantly wealthy. Born to Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, a billionaire who runs the Louis Dreyfus Energy Services company. Her family’s wealth harks back to the 1850s when her great-great-grandfather Leopold Dreyfus founded the Louis Dreyfus Group, a multinational company dealing in commodities and shipping. Her family still owns the business to this day. In all fairness, Julia has not yet inherited the money, but as the oldest of the four children it is rumored that she will inherit most of the family's $3 billion fortune because she has made her own success working on television shows like Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Let us not forget that the last few seasons of Sienfeld, Louis-Dreyfus was making $600,000 per episode.