“My family was kind of about that whole parties and horse-racing thing.”
Being a celebrity usually comes with fame and fortune -- but sometimes the fortune comes before the fame! It turns out that some stars were extremely wealthy even before anyone knew who they were. These celebs were actually born into ultra rich families, many of them growing up in the lap of luxury. Whether their parents owned major corporations or their grandparents founded NFL teams, it’s clear that these celebrities were extremely well off way before they were famous.
Read on to find out which stars are super rich…
1. Cara Delevingne
Cara Delevingne was born into an extremely wealthy family. Her father Charles Delevingne made millions as a property developer and a partner in many real estate ventures. Meanwhile, her mother Pandora also came from a privileged background as the daughter of publishing magnate Sir Jocelyn Stevens and Jane Sheffield, who was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret.
“I grew up in the upper class, for sure. My family was kind of about that whole parties and horse-racing thing. I can understand it’s fun for some. I never enjoyed it,” Cara told Vogue.
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View Story2. Nicola Peltz
Actress Nicola Peltz was raised in incredible wealth thanks to her father Nelson Peltz’s multi-billion dollar company. After building up his family’s wholesale food distribution company, Nelson eventually purchased several other major food businesses. Through the years, Nelson invested in many other companies and in 2005, he founded the investment firm, Trian Fund Management. He is currently worth over $1.7 billion, according to Forbes.
3. Gigi & Bella Hadid
Many people may recognize Gigi and Bella Hadid’s mother Yolanda from her modeling career and appearances on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but their father Mohamed has also amassed a fortune as a real estate developer. Throughout his career, Mohamed built luxury homes and hotels, including several Ritz Carlton properties. Despite their wealth, Gigi says she was raised to be independent and hard working.
“You know, obviously, beautiful homes and great opportunities have come from having them as parents, but I think the best thing that they've given me is their work ethic,” Gigi once said on an episode of RHOBH.
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View Story4. Nick Kroll
Comedian Nick Kroll’s father is billionaire businessman Jules Kroll. Known as the man behind the “invention of the modern corporate investigations industry,” Jules founded corporate investigations and risk consulting firm Kroll Inc. over 50 years ago. In 2004, he sold the company for an incredible $1.9 billion, per Forbes. Despite his wealth, Nick says he lived a normal childhood and his father was very involved in his life.
“There were kids whose dads were middling accountants in Port Chester who couldn’t make it to a game. My dad, who’d been out chasing Marcos and Baby Doc, was the coach. He never said, ‘Oh, I have a big job, I’m busy,’” Nick told The New Yorker, jokingly adding that his dad did sometimes show up to his games in a limo.
5. Kate & Rooney Mara
Kate and Rooney Mara were raised in a family that has made a fortune in the sports industry, with both their mother and father coming from football family dynasties. On their mother Kathleen McNulty Rooney’s side, they are majority owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers -- a team which was founded by their great-grandfather, Art Rooney. The Rooney family is reportedly worth over $1.2 billion, per Forbes.
On the side of their father Christopher Mara’s side, their family are partial owners of the New York Giants, a team founded by their great-grandfather Tim Mara. While some of the family has sold their stake in the team, Christopher remains a Senior Player Personnel Executive, per the Giants website.
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View Story6. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus came from a wealthy family helmed by her father, Gérard Louis-Dreyfus. He served as the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services, a subsidiary of his family’s company, the Louis Dreyfus Group. While there were reports that Gérard was at one point worth over $3 billion, Julia says that simply wasn’t the case.
“The reports of my father’s wealth are, in fact, greatly exaggerated in the press. He’s referred to as a billionaire, and I’m referred to by some heinous term like ‘billionaire heiress.’ It’s incorrect! My father -- unfortunately -- was never a billionaire. Far from it,” Julia told The New Yorker.
7. Edward Norton
Edward Norton’s grandfather James Rouse earned a fortune as the creator of the first indoor shopping malls. Decades ago, he launched a real estate development company called the Rouse Company, which eventually helped create many city centers and even build the city of Columbia, Maryland. While he died in 1996, his company was sold eight years later for $7.2 billion in cash, per The Washington Post.
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View Story8. Steve & Devon Aoki
DJ Steve Aoki and his model sister Devon Aoki didn’t have the most traditional upbringing with their wealthy father Rocky Aoki, the founder of Benihana. The siblings were just two of Rocky’s seven children whom he welcomed with three different women. While Steve and Devon weren’t raised together, Steve says their father brought his children together for extravagant trips around the world throughout their childhood.
Before his death in 2008, Rocky told The New Yorker that his corporation was worth “between $60 million and $100 million.” In the years that followed, there was a major legal battle regarding his children’s inheritance -- eventually leaving only Steve and Devon in his will. Despite the fortune and partial ownership of Benihana he left behind, much of Rocky’s estate was left in the hands of his wife Keiko. Since then, Steve and Devon have fought Keiko in court but it’s still unclear if they’ve been able to claim their share of the estate.
9. Lydia Hearst
Actress Lydia Hearst was raised in an incredibly wealthy family as the great-granddaughter of businessman William Randolph Hearst, who developed Hearst Communications. Despite Forbes estimating the family to be worth over $22 billion, Lydia says she never considered herself a “socialite” and her childhood was very normal.
“Everyone always seems so taken aback by this answer but it was normal. I grew up in a beautiful but modest home in Connecticut. I went to a local public school, I played after-school sports, my mom baked cookies and dinner every night,” shared on Larry King Now.
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View Story10. Megan Ellison
Film producer Megan Ellison is the daughter of billionaire businessman Larry Ellison who co-founded software company Oracle Corporation. He amassed a massive fortune while serving as the company’s CEO for over three decades and is worth over $146 billion, according to Forbes. He still serves as chief technology officer and executive chairman, owning just under 40% of the company.