15 Trust Fund Celebs Who Got Famous Because Of Their Rich Parents
David Craig Quick Links
Billy Ray Cyrus had a very special year back in 1992, for two massive reasons. The first reason, was that he released a little country tune that went by the name of Achy Breaky Heart. Sure, The Independent called it the absolute worst song ever written, but the track itself certainly proved its weight in gold, hitting #1 all over the world, going 3x platinum in Australia and shipping over a million units in the United States alone. This proved to be Billy Ray's biggest hit ever, and yet, in the greater scheme of things, it was still not the most memorable part of the man's 1992.
The second reason which made this year so significant, was the birth of Mr. Cyrus' first child. Her name was Destiny Hope Cyrus, but you may know her better as Miley. And if you thought Billy Ray had made a lot of money from his one song, then you should see what this girl has done! Not only has Miley hit the top-10 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts a total of nine times, but she also led her own television series for five years, called Hannah Montana. The girl even managed to get her dad a job show, which I guess is the least she could have done for old Billy. He did give her life, after all. Speaking of rich parents, here are 15 more celebrities who were born with a head start in life, effortlessly climbing even higher from their already elevated platforms, whilst you're still scraping together coins to afford guacamole on your burrito.
Ariana Grande
Ibi Designs bill themselves as a full service creative studio, offering pretty much anything you need to make your brand look good, including: graphic design, web design, photography, and videography. I hope that free promotion I just offered the company somehow reaches them, and then they give me money, because apparently, they have a lot of it. Or, at least, CEO Edward Butera does. He is better known as Ariana’s daddy, which is legitimately his Twitter bio, by the way. Edward and (the mother figure) Joan named their baby after Princess Oriana from Felix the Cat: The Movie, which many people hypothesize is the source of all Ariana’s power. That, and her father’s money, of course. Either way, Ariana used her financial pedestal to claw right to the top of the food chain, and now she’s richer than her dad and mom and all of us put together, probably.
Adam Levine
Before Adam Levine, there was Fredric Levine. He was one of the founders of the California retail chain M. Fredric. The “M”, by the way, most likely stands for Mardi, who is not only Fredric’s sister, but is also the other founder of M. Fredric. Why has she been reduced to a single letter in the shop’s title? That's anyone’s guess, but surely has something to do with oppression and the patriarchy, because what doesn’t these days? Regardless, the success of these shops meant Adam hit the real world running, getting an expensive education at the private Los Angeles school Brentwood, and then totally wasting it by starting a band and becoming a rockstar frontman for Maroon 5. They’ve sold 75 million records worldwide, so I believe his father wasn’t too upset about the career choice in the end.
Taylor Swift
Just look at Taylor’s insanely attractive face, and you can already tell that she was born rich. Poor people don’t have faces like that. This genetic story starts with Scott Kingsley Swift and Andrea Gardner Swift, Taytay’s parental humans. As is the topic of conversation, they had lots of money, both due to really boring reasons. Mommy Andrea was a mutual fund marketing executive, and daddy Scott was a financial advisor, both of which occupations revolve around the actual business of money, meaning that Taylor was surrounded by the stuff whilst enjoying a relaxing life growing up on an 11-acre Christmas tree farm. But this was not enough for our Taylor. She wanted more. And so she pursued the musical crown and eventually found it as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with a net worth of around $280 million. On a personal note, I am legit in love with Taylor Swift. This isn't some groupie creep thing either, it’s real love, please can someone let her know for me, thanks.
Robin Thicke
Singer/songwriter Robin Thicke is famous for an endless strew of massive chart hits, such as Blurred Lines, and… I think there was another one? No? Whatever, basically his parents were far more talented than he is anyway. Gloria Loring, for example, was not only Robin’s egg-maker, but also an actress who claimed her fame as Liz Chandler on Days of Our Lives, plus she had a singing career, once performing the duet Friends and Lovers with Carl Anderson, hitting number two on the Billboard Hot 100. On the other side of the fertilization equation, Alan is the father of our Thicke tale, who was eventually inducted into the Canada Walk of Fame for various roles, including that of Jason Seaver in Growing Pains. Together, this power couple gave birth to their son in 1977, and the rest is history. Speaking of history, let's talk about Robin’s career, as his only song Blurred Lines was widely banned for misogyny and then ruled in court as a Marvin Gaye plagiarism piece, which cost the artist around $7.4 million in damages. Might have to ask mommy and daddy for a little extra pocket money this month, eh.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
As far as “born rich” goes, very few can even stand next to Julia Louis-Dreyfus without stinking like a broke person. How rich are we talking here? You really wanna know? About $3.4 billion rich. That’s right. Julia’s father was none other than Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, which is a name you’ve probably never heard in your life, but as the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services, it is a name which comes with a lot of impressive stats. For example: this company is responsible for 10% of all agricultural product trading worldwide, not to mention it's also the largest cotton/rice trader on the planet. Sadly, they are only the second-largest in the sugar market right now, which simply isn’t good enough. This does mean, however, that whatever Julia wanted, she got. And what she wanted, was a role in one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, as well as more Emmy Awards than any other performer in history. You've got it!
Edward Norton
Climbing a little bit further up the tree this time, it wasn’t Norton’s parents who showered their son with riches, but rather, Edward’s maternal grandfather. His name was James Rouse, founder of The Rouse Company, and he was known for his pioneering real estate development and urban planning specialities. The list of his impressive works is lengthy, including shopping malls and planned communities, but perhaps his most ambitious project was when he decided to build a whole new city, and then did just it. Columbia, Maryland? That was 100% conceived by James, and was also where Edward Norton himself was raised, probably boasting to his school friends every day about how cool his grandpa was. James Rouse was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton, and then he died at the age of 81 in 1996, the same year Edward made his acting debut in Primal Fear. It’s kind of sad that James would never know about his grandson’s three Academy Award nominations, but at the same time, some people have real problems in the world.
Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal
This riveting story begins in 1946, with the birth of Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal. The story then continues to three years later, when Stephen Gyllenhaal was born. These two lived their own separate lives, then met, then fell in love, then married in 1977, then fell out of love, then divorced in 2009. During that special married period, however, the two created magic, together and apart. Stephen directed Paris Trout (nominated for five Emmy Awards) and Family of Spies (nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy). Naomi wrote the screenplay for Running on Empty (nominated for an Oscar and winning a Golden Globe). And the couple also collaborated with one another professionally and personally, ultimately forcing two children out into this world. These were actors Jake and Maggie, both of whom outgrew their parents’ success with substantially longer Wikipedia articles to their names. And you can go ahead and check that for yourself.
Kristen Stewart
Known as potentially the greatest film franchise ever made, The Twilight Saga may have brought Kristen Stewart into the world of famous people, but it did not bring Kristen Stewart into the world. Like all of us, Kristen was made up from bits of her parents, who go by the names John and Jules, both of whom also carry impressive film/television resumes themselves. John “The Dad” Stewart has stage manager/TV producer references from Fox and Comedy Central. Pretty cool. On the other side, Jules “The Mom” Mann-Stewart was even cooler, having written and directed a film named K-11. But it's not a competition. Related: when the K-11 film was announced, it was sold as a flick featuring both Kristen Stewart and her Twilight co-star Nikki Reed. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, both actors were forced to drop out. So sorry about that, mom! Thanks for giving birth to me though! And raising me! And giving me lunch money!
Lindsay Lohan
When looking at Lindsay’s troubled run with stardom and the law, it’s difficult to work out where it all went wrong. Take her mom, television personality Dina Lohan, for example. Dina has been nothing but a supportive maternal figure for her daughter, including the decision to become Lindsay’s manager, accused by many as exploiting her child for her own fame gains, and then there was that time she got arrested for speeding whilst drunk in 2013. Oops! Ok, ignore that. But her father, Michael Lohan, has been the epitome of a good example, leading an ambitious (and very successful!) career as a Wall Street trader, admitting to a former cocaine addiction, and getting arrested multiple times on an array of vastly unrelated charges, such as: insider trading, violating probation, attempted assault, DUI, domestic violence, and skipping on hotel bills. Wow, ok, Lindsay actually turned out alright considering!
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth may have her Oscar and a long-running romance with Iron Man these days, but growing up, she didn’t have it quite so easy. Just kidding, as both of the Paltrow parents were celebrities in their own right. Her father, Bruce, was the producer for the television shows The White Shadow and St. Elsewhere, which is very impressed. But not as impressive as the time he married Emmy award winning actress Blythe Danner, who was a regular in Will & Grace and played Teri Polo’s mother in Meet the Parents (as well as all of its dismal sequels). Together, this rich couple had two rich babies, Gwyneth and Jake, and they were one big happy family until Bruce’s unfortunate passing in 2002 from oral cancer, at age 58. Gwyneth was reportedly so distraught by this incident that her then-husband Chris Martin wrote the song Fix You for her, which was actually a pretty good Coldplay track. There aren’t that many of them, be honest with yourself, Coldplay sound like water sliding downhill ever since 2008.
Jason Schwartzman
Wes Anderson’s favorite man on the Hollywood scene has had his foot in the door since before his foot had even developed in his mother’s famous womb. Talia Shire, ever heard of her? Connie Corleone in The Godfather films? Of which she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award? Or how about Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series? Nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award this time? That’s Jason Schwartzman’s mother! His father, on the other hand, was Jack Schwartzman, a film producer, with an impressive CV which includes a Bond film (Never Say Never Again), but still not as cool as Talia, sorry. Is this enough for you? You want more? Ok, I didn’t want to play this card, but you’ve forced my hand. Jason Schwartzman is also cousin to Nicolas Cage. I mean, what kind of genetics does this family tree have? Hallucinogenetics? Is this even the real world anymore??
Brooke Shields
Behold: the umbilical cord of prosperity which connects Brooke Shields to the wide world of unfair advantages. In fact, the privileged Shields ancestry dates way back to 1355, where her name has been linked to all sorts of noble Italian families, leading all the way down to her paternal grandmother, Princess Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi, daughter of Marino Torlonia, the 4th Prince of Civitella-Cesi. This princess granny married tennis player/actor Francis Alexander Shields, Sr., and they had a son who they imaginatively named Francis Alexander Shields, Jr. This son grew up as they all do, met actress Teri Schmon, and accidentally impregnated her. Frank Junior’s parents did not like this, and paid Teri a whole load of money to terminate the child. Teri took the money, but didn’t get the abortion, and gave birth to Brooke in 1965, thank goodness for that. Reportedly, when Brooke was only five days old, Teri told everyone that she was going to push this kiddo into showbiz, which is exactly what she did, and now Brooke is rich too.
Paul Giamatti
Paul may have been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award thanks to his work in Cinderella Man, but he still has a way to go before he can wear the biggest shoes in the family. I’m talking, of course, about the man’s dad, A. Bartlett Giamatti, whose list of achievements were enough to push the question “Oscar who?”. Father Giamatti first came into the forefront of academic accolade as a professor of English Renaissance Literature at Yale, and then he slowly rose up the clever chain until he reached the very top, serving as the president of the university from 1978 to 1986. Side fact: he is still praised as the youngest president in Yale’s history. And yet even this wasn’t enough, Giamatti quickly moving towards his passion for sports next, becoming the seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball, then dying of a heart attack five months later, remembered as the shortest-tenured baseball commissioner ever. That's good old A. Bartlett Giamatti for you. Setting records even in his passing.
Nick Kroll
Not exactly a household name, but his credentials are impossible to ignore, including roles in Get Him to the Greek, Little Fockers, Sausage Party, The Simpsons, Parks and Recreation, Community, New Girl, and Family Guy, not to mention his contributing writer credit on Chappelle's Show, as well as creating the Netflix animated series Big Mouth, which currently holds an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, not to give Kroll a big ego or anything. And yet, all of these successes are like dandruff in the wind compared to his father, Jules B. Kroll, the founder of Kroll Inc. What’s Kroll Inc., you didn't ask? It’s a corporate investigations and risk consulting firm. Does that sound boring to you? How about when Jules sold the business to Marsh & McLennan Companies for $1.9 billion? Does $1.9 billion sound boring to you? I would build a giant igloo made out of stacks of money if I was that rich.
Chevy Chase
At age 74, Chevy’s five-decade strong career has definitely covered some impressive ground, from his first leading film role (Foul Play) getting two Golden Globe Award nominations, to his regular slots on Community and Saturday Night Live (the latter of which he won two Emmys for). And then he hosted the Academy Awards. Twice. Unfortunately, I didn’t watch those years, but I bet he was really funny, because that’s the only way to get a job like that. Such a nice story. Ok, but what are his parents like? Well, his mother, Cathalene Parker, has an interesting enough story, as she was adopted by a man named Cornelius Vanderbilt Crane, heir to Crane Co., an American industrial products company. Translation: a lot of money hanging in the family tree. That said, this didn’t stop Chevy from chasing his own riches, and he eventually became such a success that he could afford a two-gram a day cocaine habit in the 70s. He went to rehab 10 years later, which everyone agreed was a "good idea".
