She starred in some of the most memorable films of the 1980s, worked alongside future Hollywood legends, and became a familiar face to millions of television viewers.
Yet when lists of the world’s wealthiest actresses began circulating, her name appeared above stars with far bigger filmographies, larger salaries, and more famous careers.
The estimated fortune attached to her name reached billions.
It left many people asking the same question: How did an actress remembered for The Lost Boys become wealthier than nearly every major female star in Hollywood?
The real answer involves ambition, an unusually grounded marriage, a vast investment empire, professional sports—and one detail that overturns almost everything people assume about her wealth.
No Powerful Family Opened the Door
Born in Chicago in 1965 and raised in the suburb of Glenview, Illinois, she did not grow up inside a Hollywood dynasty.
Her father worked as a builder and contractor, while her mother raised their family. There were no studio executives arranging auditions or famous relatives introducing her to producers.
Her path into acting began through a nationwide talent search.
She was discovered while still young and eventually moved toward professional acting, securing early television work before making the transition to film.
Her appeal was immediate. She could project intelligence, vulnerability, warmth, and toughness without appearing overly polished.
During the 1980s, that natural quality made her ideal for stories about rebellious teenagers, complicated families, and young people caught between privilege and danger.
The Movies That Made Her Unforgettable
One of her most recognizable performances came in The Lost Boys, the 1987 vampire film that became a defining cult classic.
Playing Star, a mysterious young woman connected to a dangerous group of vampires, she brought an emotional dimension to a movie remembered for its style, music, and youthful cast.
The same year, she appeared in Less Than Zero, a bleak drama about addiction and excess among wealthy Los Angeles teenagers. The film featured Andrew McCarthy and a young Robert Downey Jr., whose performance would later be recognized as one of his earliest dramatic breakthroughs.
She also appeared in films including Sixteen Candles, Crossroads, and Quicksilver.
Television gave her another kind of longevity. She became known to sitcom audiences through roles in Square Pegs, Still Standing, Seinfeld, and The Neighbors.
Her acting career was successful.
But it did not explain the enormous fortune eventually associated with her name.
She Was the Successful One When They Met
In 1989, she married businessman Tony Ressler.
Looking at their later lives, many people assumed she had married an already established billionaire and simply stepped into extraordinary wealth.
The beginning of their relationship tells a very different story.
At the time, she was the better-known and more financially established partner. She has recalled paying for the couple’s first home and even financing an early vacation because her acting career was generating more income.
Her husband was ambitious, but his vast business success was still ahead of him.
That detail changes the meaning of their story. She was not an unknown actress rescued by a wealthy financier. She entered the marriage with her own career, earnings, and independence.
The fortune came later—and it was built during their partnership.
From a Modest Beginning to a Financial Empire
Ressler went on to co-found Apollo Global Management before later helping establish Ares Management, one of the world’s most prominent alternative investment firms.
As those businesses grew, so did the family’s wealth.
Estimates associated with the couple eventually reached several billion dollars. Because celebrity rankings often combine or attribute shared marital assets to the better-known public figure, she began appearing on lists as the richest actress in the world.
But the description can be misleading.
Her billions were not earned through film salaries alone. Much of the estimated wealth came through the investment empire built by her husband and the assets they accumulated together.
That does not make her own accomplishments meaningless. It simply makes the real story more complex than the sensational headlines suggest.
She had achieved independence before the fortune existed—and helped support their life when she was the higher earner.
Hollywood Meets Professional Basketball
In 2015, the couple led a group that purchased the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association.
The acquisition moved them into the elite world of professional sports ownership and made the former actress one of the most recognizable women connected to an NBA franchise.
She has represented the Hawks at important public events, including the NBA Draft Lottery, where fans unfamiliar with her film career suddenly became curious about the woman representing the team.
Her involvement also reflected a broader transformation.
The actress once known for teenage dramas and vampire films had become a business figure whose influence extended into finance, sports, philanthropy, and civic life.
What They Chose to Do With Their Wealth
The couple became known not only for their fortune but for giving away substantial portions of it.
Through their family foundation and other charitable efforts, they have supported education, healthcare, cultural institutions, and community programs.
They have repeatedly appeared on lists recognizing generous American donors.
Her personal philanthropy has included work connected to melanoma research, an especially significant cause because of the disease’s devastating impact on families. She has served on the board of the Melanoma Research Alliance, helping support research and greater public awareness.
For her, wealth appears to have become less about luxury than leverage—the ability to direct resources toward institutions capable of changing lives.
The Truth Behind the Billion-Dollar Headline
Calling her Hollywood’s richest actress creates an irresistible headline.
But it leaves out the most interesting parts of the story.
She did not earn billions by commanding enormous movie salaries. She also did not begin her relationship as a struggling performer pursuing a wealthy man.
She was already successful.
She paid for their first home, helped finance their early life, and built a career entirely separate from the investment fortune that followed.
Her journey is ultimately not a fairy tale about marrying rich. It is a story about two people whose financial positions changed dramatically over the course of a long partnership.
One found success first beneath Hollywood lights.
The other went on to build a financial empire.
Together, they became team owners and major philanthropists whose influence reached far beyond entertainment.
The former star of The Lost Boys who unexpectedly became known as the world’s richest actress is Jami Gertz.
