14 Celebrities Who Were Filthy Rich Before You Even Know Them

Elise Feyrer

Do you find it interesting that many famous people come from rich backgrounds? Inheritance and other sources of wealth helped set these folks up long before they became renowned. Most actors have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet while chasing their Hollywood goals. It's no secret that being born into a family of actors has opened many possibilities for several well-known people.
Considering that Paul Giamatti's father held the positions of president of Yale University and commissioner of Major League Baseball, it's safe to assume that the actor has never worked in a less than prestigious capacity.
In terms of wealth, these people are unquestionably among the top earners in the world. One of the wealthiest child actresses of all time was likely Miley Cyrus. Adam Levine, the lead vocalist of the band Maroon 5, comes from a wealthy family, and his sister and her husband are among the most prominent ps in American football.

1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus

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The $4 billion net worth of Julia Louis-father, Dreyfus's Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, makes him a very wealthy parent.

2. Anderson Cooper

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Gloria Vanderbilt is Anderson Cooper's mother, the only child of railroad heir Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt.

3. Brooke Shields

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Many Italian aristocratic families may trace their ancestry back to Brooke Shields. Her father was a Revlon cosmetics CEO, and his parents were a professional tennis player and a princess whose family amassed their wealth overseeing the Vatican's finances.

4. Jake Gyllenhaal

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Both Stephen Gyllenhaal, Jake's father, and his mother, Anne Gyllenhaal, a screenwriter nominated for an Academy Award, come from a filmmaking family.

5. Giada De Laurentiis

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Giada De Laurentiis is the granddaughter of cinema mogul Dino De Laurentiis and the daughter of two actresses.

6. Chevy Chase

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Cornelius Vanderbilt Crane, a scion of the Crane Plumbing Corporation, was Chevy Chase's maternal grandfather. Unlike Anderson Cooper, he is not a first cousin. His grandfather married into the Folgers Coffee family, making her his second mother.

7. Taylor Swift

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Taylor Swift's parents are both professionals; her dad is a financial adviser and mom used to be in marketing.

8. Adam Levine

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Fred Levine, the founder of the apparel retailer M. Fredric, is the father of Adam Levine, lead vocalist of Maroon 5, and judge on The Voice.

9. Edward Norton

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Ed Norton's dad was a federal prosecutor in the Carter administration and an environmental lawyer.

10. Ariana Grande

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Ariana Grande's father's design business is called Ibi Designs, Inc.

11. Psy

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Park Jae-sang is the son of Park Won-ho, the executive chairman of DI Corporation in Seoul.

12. Paris Hilton

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Conrad Hilton, Paris Hilton's great-grandfather, created Hilton Hotels, and Paris is the company's heiress. Her fortune is pegged at $300 million.

13. Miley Cyrus

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In 1992, the year Miley Cyrus was born, her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, recorded a song that eventually went nine times platinum.

14. Kim Kardashian

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Robert Kardashian, Kim's dad, is a famous lawyer who famously represented O.J. Simpson in the Nicole Brown Simpson murder trial. He also helped start the radio & Records business magazine, which he sold for a tidy sum. Caitlyn Jenner, then known as Bruce, won the Olympic decathalon in 1976, and her mother subsequently married her.