She Was Just a Little Girl, Now She Is the Richest Actress Alive!
In a weathered mid-century photograph, a young girl with wide, inquisitive eyes gazes into the camera, her expression strikingly familiar. She embodies an ordinary Midwestern childhood—no inherited privilege, no spotlight, only the quiet consistency of suburban life in Glenview, Illinois. Raised on public schools and grounded family values, nothing in that grainy image hints that this child would one day become one of the wealthiest figures connected to Hollywood.
Jami Gertz’s evolution from a dependable working actress into a billionaire business presence is a story of foresight, restraint, and long-term strategy. Her life did not begin in wealth or elite circles. It began when legendary producer Norman Lear discovered her during a nationwide talent search, abruptly shifting her trajectory. The girl from Glenview soon found herself cast in roles that secured her place in popular culture.
By the 1980s, she had become a defining face of the era, appearing in films such as Sixteen Candles, The Lost Boys, and the unflinching Less Than Zero. Unlike many contemporaries swept up in the frenzy of “Brat Pack” celebrity, Gertz charted a different course—one rooted in consistency rather than constant exposure.
Respected and steadily employed, she resisted the industry’s appetite for spectacle. She prioritized privacy over tabloid attention and sustainability over chasing blockbuster status. That discipline—both personal and professional—quietly laid the groundwork for what would become an extraordinary financial ascent.
In 1986, at the height of her early career, Gertz met Tony Ressler, then a young banker. Their relationship defied the usual Hollywood narrative. Gertz has often corrected the assumption that she married into instant wealth, noting that she was already earning more at the beginning of their relationship and supporting their early life together.
They married in 1989 as the global financial world was rapidly transforming. While Gertz continued acting—earning acclaim in projects like Ally McBeal and later starring in the sitcom Still Standing—Ressler built a powerhouse career in private equity, co-founding Apollo Global Management and later Ares Management, firms that now oversee vast sums in global assets.
Gertz was never merely a bystander in their shared success. Over time, she became an active public face of their broader legacy, particularly in professional sports ownership. The couple invested in major franchises, including stakes in the Milwaukee Brewers and later becoming majority owners of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
Today, Gertz is often the most visible representative of the Hawks’ ownership group, appearing at league events and helping lead major philanthropic and community initiatives, including arena renovations and youth development programs throughout Atlanta.
As of 2026, estimates of the family’s net worth range into the multi-billion-dollar level, placing Gertz among the wealthiest entertainers by association—though her fortune is tied far more to long-term investment and ownership than to acting income alone.
The girl in the photograph did not simply become an actress. She became part of a rare Hollywood story: one where fame was never the final goal, but a stepping stone toward something more enduring.
Her life illustrates a fundamental truth of the modern era: celebrity may capture attention, but ownership builds permanence. Jami Gertz passed through Hollywood’s glare, then helped shape a legacy far beyond it—one rooted in discipline, partnership, and the quiet power of long-term strategy.
