She walked away from the red carpet… and somehow walked straight into billions. Once just a quiet, introverted teen from suburban Glenview, Illinois, she is now reportedly worth well over three billion dollars — a number so staggering that most people still don’t believe it. It’s not Julia Roberts. It’s not Angelina Jolie. It’s not one of the household names that dominated the box office. It’s someone many people barely remember unless they were paying attention in the ’80s. Her films helped define an entire era, her characters became touchpoints for a generation, yet her bank account tells a far more unexpected story — one shaped not by Hollywood fame, but by the life she built after leaving it.
Jami Gertz didn’t enter Hollywood through the usual channels. She wasn’t the daughter of industry royalty, she didn’t grow up in Los Angeles, and she didn’t have agents banging down her door. She was discovered as a teenager through a national talent search — the kind thousands audition for, but almost no one wins. Suddenly, this shy Midwestern girl was appearing in films and TV shows that would become classics: The Lost Boys, Less Than Zero, Square Pegs, and a series of roles that captured the awkward sweetness and emotional honesty of young adulthood. She never played the loudest person in the room. She played the most relatable.
But even as her face appeared on posters and magazine covers, she never completely bought into Hollywood’s obsession with being seen. Fame was something she experienced, not something she relied on. While many of her peers chased leading roles, public attention, and endless auditions, Gertz valued something completely different: privacy, grounded relationships, and a life not consumed by the demands of celebrity. She wasn’t running away from acting — she simply wasn’t willing to build her entire identity around it.
That mindset led her somewhere far more extraordinary than anyone expected. In 1989, she met and married financier Tony Ressler, a man who at the time was talented, ambitious, and respected — but not yet the billionaire he would eventually become. When they first married, Jami was actually the bigger earner. Her Hollywood paychecks were steady, while Ressler was just beginning to climb the financial world. Neither of them knew they were about to build one of the most powerful financial empires in the country.
Over the next decades, Ressler co-founded Apollo Global Management, one of the largest and most influential private equity firms in the world. Later, he co-founded Ares Management, another financial giant. Along the way, he expanded into sports, becoming an owner of the Atlanta Hawks and a major partner in several major investment ventures. Through every expansion, every risk, every major leap, Gertz was more than a spouse — she was a partner in the full sense of the word.
While the outside world sometimes reduces her fortune to “marrying well,” those close to the couple describe something different: a marriage built as a true collaboration. Gertz raised four children, shaped the family’s philanthropic vision, and became a central figure in the Ressler-Gertz Foundation, which has donated tens of millions to education, healthcare, arts programs, Jewish organizations, and community development. She attended board meetings, helped direct charitable strategy, and maintained the reputation of a hands-on donor, not a symbolic one.
All the while, she maintained her distance from Hollywood’s chaos, returning only for roles that truly meant something to her or aligned with her values. She wasn’t chasing a spotlight — she was building a life. And in that quieter, more intentional space, her wealth skyrocketed.
Today, Jami Gertz is frequently listed as one of the richest actresses in the world — not because of blockbuster salaries or mega-franchises, but because she played a crucial role in the creation of one of America’s most powerful financial families. Her early acting career gave her independence, confidence, and financial footing. Her marriage gave her partnership, stability, and a shared vision. Their combined choices over three decades turned a once-working actress into a billionaire philanthropist whose impact reaches far beyond entertainment.
Her story challenges the standard Hollywood narrative. She didn’t fade away — she redefined success. She didn’t get lucky — she made deliberate choices that positioned her for a life of purpose and immense financial power. And perhaps the most striking part is this: while many actresses spent decades fighting for higher pay and more visibility, Jami Gertz quietly stepped back, built a different path, and ended up with a legacy far larger than fame alone could ever have provided.
Jami Gertz’s fortune is not an accident. It is the product of early success, intentional privacy, thoughtful partnership, and a shared commitment to philanthropy and long-term vision. She didn’t just walk away from the red carpet — she walked toward a life she designed herself, one that ultimately made her one of the wealthiest and most quietly influential women in America.