This doesn’t take away from their talent or cast doubt on if they deserve fame, but it’s certainly interesting that some celebrities got off to a good start early on—they were already wealthy before they became famous.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is the most successful pop star on the planet right now—to the tune of a net worth of nearly $300 million. That’s more money than most of us will ever see, but amazingly, it’s not nearly as much as the fortune Swift’s father controls. Scott Swift once worked as a financial adviser and senior VP for the investment firm Merrill Lynch. He managed assets and traded his way to $450 million.
Adam Levine
Adam Levine has lived a charmed life. He’s the lead singer of the hugely successful Maroon 5, he stars on the hit TV show The Voice, and in 2013, People named him its “Sexiest Man Alive.” Levine also comes from money. His father is Fred Levine, founder of the department store chain M. Frederic. (The “Fred” is short for “Frederic.)
Richard Simon
Simon and Schuster is one of the biggest and most successful names in book publishing. The “Simon” refers to Richard Simon, a former piano salesman who teamed up with Max Schuster to start a publishing company in 1924. About twenty years later, Simon and his wife, civil rights activist Andrea Heinemann Simon, had a daughter: Carly Simon, who went on to be a fairly successful singer-songwriter.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Thanks mostly to endless reruns of her 1990s TV series, Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is set for life, financially. She’s earned about $200m from the show…which she doesn’t even need. Her later father was Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, who ran the oil and gasoline divisions of the Louis-Dreyfus Company, a French company started by his great-grandfather. All told, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has a family fortune worth about $3 billion.
Chevy Chase
There’s a reason why Chevy Chase so convincingly played a smarmy blue blood in 1980’s Caddyshack: He is one. His real name: Cornelius Crane Chase. That’s the same Crane as in the Crane that makes plumbing equipment and bathroom fixtures. Chase’s family fortune totals about $50 million.
Kate Mara and Rooney Mara
Acting sisters Kate Mara (The Martian, House of Cards) and Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) have both found major success in Hollywood. They both opted to act instead of trying out the family business: pro football. Their maternal great-grandfather Art Rooney founded the Pittsburgh Steelers back in the 1930s. Their paternal great-grandfather put the New York Giants together in the 1920s. Rooney family net worth: $1 billion.