Some of the entertainment industry’s most recognizable faces were fortunate to be born into luxury. While most of them got where they are today because of their talent, they also had a fair bit of vantage, courtesy of their connections with the right people and access to incredible opportunities. Having said that, these celebs have done their fair bit for the industry, giving audiences performances worth remembering and making the most of their privilege.
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jake Gyllenhaal has deep roots in Hollywood, with both of his parents working in the industry. His father, Stephen Gyllenhaal, is a director whose directing career dates back to 1978, and since then, he has given the world Paris Trout and Family of Spies, both of which were nominated for the Emmys. Jake’s mother, Naomi Foner, is a screenwriter with notable works to her name, including Very Good Girls and Running on Empty. As for Jake, he took to acting at an early age, with well-known films like Nightcrawler, Donnie Darko, and Brokeback Mountain, and he has amassed a net worth of a whopping $80 million.
Taylor Swift
The voice behind hits like Love Story and Blank Space has a net worth of more than $1 billion as of 2024. While a lot of her success is because of her singing and songwriting prowess, she did get a solid head start, thanks to her parents. Taylor Swift was born to Scott Swift, a Merrill financial adviser for 40 years, and Andrea Swift, a mutual fund marketing executive. Before the singer made it big and made her way into the three-comma club, her father reportedly invested considerable money to help establish her current record label, Big Machine Records.
Nick Kroll
Audiences might know Nick Kroll for voicing the flamboyant and enthusiastic pig Gunther in the Sing movies. He is also known for starring in and creating Big Mouth. He is also the star of his own sketch comedy series, Kroll Show. Today, he has a net worth of about $18 million but far from humble beginnings. His father, Jules Kroll, the pioneer of the modern investigation, intelligence, and corporate security industry, established Kroll, Inc., in 1972, which was eventually sold for a solid $2 billion.
Edward Norton
The actor is known for his stellar performances in films like Birdman, American History X, and Fight Club. Let’s not forget that he was also Marvel Studios’ lead star in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. With movies like this under his belt, it comes as no surprise that Norton has a net worth of over $300 million. But even without that, Edward Norton was quite well off, thanks to his grandfather, James Rouse, who invented the modern enclosed shopping mall. Rouse even financed low-income housing and designed Boston’s famed Faneuil Hall and the Baltimore Inner Harbor.
Adam Levine
The lead singer of Maroon 5 has multiple hits to his name, including “One More Night,” “This Love,” “Sugar,” and “Memories.” As of today, Adam Levine has a net worth of over $160 million. Interestingly, he was born into a wealthy family. His father, Fred, and his aunt, Mardi, founded the Los Angeles-based apparel chain M. Fredric, which continues to operate today.
Lana Del Rey
Lizzie Grant, better known as Lana Del Rey, has an impressive repertoire of songs that landed on the Billboard charts. Notably, her song “Summertime Sadness” reached No. 6 in 2013, and her album “Born to Die” sold over a million copies.
Lana has an impressive net worth of $30 million, but she is no stranger to wealth and lived the life of “Reyley” even before she made it big. She is the daughter of millionaire Robert England Grant, who founded WebMedia Properties in 1996—a global network of over 8,000 specialty websites. He has also established The Grant Family Foundation, which has gifted more than $1 million to universities, colleges, and secondary schools.
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid comes from a wealthy family—her father, Mohamed Hadid, has led the high-end real estate firm Hadid Development for over 30 years. The company’s portfolio includes top names in business, including the Ritz Carlton Hotels and luxurious private residences, and his work in this sector has led him to garner a net worth of about $5 million.
As for Gigi, she has appeared in several fashion shows for mammoth names like Chanel, Chloe, and Miu Miu. She has also been the face of campaigns like Prada, Marc Jacobs, and Maybelline, which has massively contributed to her net worth of about $29 million.
Psy
This singer took the internet by storm with his hit “Gangnam Style”–an encore song to several house parties and receptions. The song also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts in 2012, and in the same year, its music video became the first to hit 2 billion views on a popular video streaming platform.
The song and his body of work and investments got him a net worth of about $60 million. But even before he hit this financial milestone, Psy was privy to the life of the elites. His father, Park Won-ho, is a chairman and controlling shareholder of the South Korean semiconductor company D.I Corporation. His mother also owned a restaurant in Modern Bapsang in Seoul.
Ed Sheeran
This music artist has multiple hits to his name, like “Don’t,” “Sing,” and “Perfect.” His single, “Thinking Out Loud,” has secured top 10 hits on the Billboard charts, including two No. 1 spots. Sheeran had also set the record for highest-grossing tour of all time in August 2019, which garnered about $775 million during its two-and-a-half-year course. But money was never a problem for the singer. Sheeran’s father, John, is an art lecturer, and his mother, Imogen, owns a jewelry company. The couple also founded a successful art consultancy called Sheeran Lock, which has created art exhibitions for more than 20 years. Some notable events include the 50th Birthday Exhibition of The Prince of Wales at Hampton Court Palace and the United Nations Millennium Exhibition in New York.