America has been around for a relatively short time compared to other countries. Despite its comparative newness, it has still managed to become the homeplace of some of the world’s most successful multinational corporations – and some of the richest celebrities in the world.
From Facebook to Hilton, Amazon to Ford, acting dynasties, and sports legend, America is practically synonymous with innovation. And because they are the best of the best, they have managed to make quite a profit. In America, it’s still common to pass down your wealth, whether it’s to your kids, your spouse, or beyond.
Even if they’re not interested in entering the family business, they still get a healthy part of the fortune. On this list are the richest heirs and heiresses in America. Some names you’ll recognize, while others keep a low profile, choosing to be rich but not famous.
1. Brooke Shields
Net Worth: $25 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Frank Shields
Brooke Shields is an actress and former famous child model (she also did some modeling in her adulthood as well). She was born in Manhattan, and she still resides there. It was her role in the movie Pretty Baby, by Louis Malle, which got her critical acclaim.
Brooke Shields ©Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.comAfter Paramount Pictures’ Pretty Baby, she appeared in other dramas and continued modeling. She appeared in The Blue Lagoon and Endless Love, two famous 80s films that have become cult classics through the decades.
She was briefly married to tennis star Andre Agassi for two years, but they divorced in 1999. Since then, she has been married to Chris Hency for eighteen years. The two have two children. She is the heir to Revlon executive Frank Shields’ fortune.
2. Ariana Rockefeller
Net Worth: $2.8 billion*
Wealth Inherited From: Standard Oil
Ariana Rockefeller is a rich heiress to Standard Oil and a member of the historic, highly prominent Rockefeller dynasty. The Rockefellers date back to the early nineteenth-century when their patriarch founded Standard Oil and made billions. The family has remained wealthy, but they have also managed to be very charitable.
Ariana Rockefeller © lev radin / Shutterstock.comStandard Oil was bought by BP, meaning another big payday for the wealthy family. Rockefeller is very interested in fashion, and she studied at Columbia University. She had an internship at the United Nations, but she decided to start her own fashion brand. Her label is very successful, and she just added a handbag line.
Rockefeller is a major supporter of the Humane Society, and she chaired the NYBG Winter Ball. She lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan with her husband, an entrepreneur named Matthew Bucklin.
3. Kate Hudson
Net Worth: $80 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Goldie Hawn
Kate Hudson is an Oscar-nominated actress, and daughter of Hollywood legend Goldie Hawn. Her biological father is actor Bill Hudson, and her stepfather is actor Kurt Russell. Hudson first began acting when she was eleven, appearing onstage. Her venue was the Santa Monica Playhouse. She then moved up, trying her hand at film in 1998’s Desert Blue.
Kate Hudson ©DFree/Shutterstock.comShe had her breakthrough in Sony’s Columbia Pictures feature Almost Famous. Her unforgettable performance as band groupie Penny Lane won her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. She also has appeared in Fool’s Gold, My Best Friend’s Girl and Bride Wars, among others. Hudson also has her own fashion label, Fabletics.
While Kate has certainly made a sizable fortune of her own from her acting and business pursuits, she stands to inherit a fortune when her mother passes away. Goldie was a formidable actress herself for decades and is still a true Hollywood icon.
4. Dakota Johnson
Net Worth: $14 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Don Johnson
Dakota Johnson is an actress. Her parents are Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, two actors. She was born in Austin, Texas, and she resides in Los Angeles. She is also a model. She has been in the film industry since 2010. She is best known for her role as Anastasia in Fifty Shades of Grey film series.
Dakota Johnson © Tinseltown / Shutterstock.comFor her Fifty Shades role, she won the People’s Choice Award and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Rising Stars. She also appeared in Suspiria, The Social Network, 21 Jump Street, Wounds, and The Peanut Butter Falcon, which is streaming on Amazon. She is typically cast in dramas, but for this young star, the sky’s the limit!
As the daughter of two established Hollywood personalities, Dakota has always been well-cared for and never short of a buck or two. That being said, she hasn’t always seen eye to eye with her parents. Melanie raised an eyebrow at her daughter’s choice of roles.
5. Alexander Soros
Net Worth: $20 billion*
Wealth Inherited From: George Soros (Father)
Alex Soros is the son of billionaire philanthropist and businessman George Soros. He attended NYU and Berkeley, the latter of which granted him a Ph.D. in history. He is the Open Society Foundations’ deputy chair, and he also has a successful writing career. He has published his writing in Politico, The Guardian, The Forward and many more.
Alexander Soros ©lev radin / Shutterstock.comHe is also a philanthropist like his father. He has contributed to the Jewish Funds for Justice, which is an American charity helping Jewish causes. He also is on the board of Global Witness, which campaigns against human rights abuses by multinational companies in poor countries.
He also works with environmental activists, giving out major grants every year to help stop destruction of the Amazon rainforest and to improve the lives and working conditions of domestic international workers.
6. Anderson Cooper
Net Worth: $110 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Gloria Vanderbilt
Anderson Cooper was born in New York City, and he is related to the Vanderbilt family, which holds one of the largest fortunes in America. He is successful in his own right, as he is a journalist, author, and TV personality. He hosts the popular news show on CNN called Anderson Cooper 360.
Anderson Cooper © Stacey Newman / Shutterstock.comHe attended Yale University. Before that, he took after his fashionista mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, and he modeled for Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. He also was a child model for Harper’s Bazaar. He first started as a fact-checker for Channel One before moving up the ranks. To his current gig on AT&T’s CNN.
Not many people realize just how well-connected Anderson Cooper is, probably because of his last name. Cornelius Vanderbilt was a prominent figure in the 1800s, holding his position as the richest man in America for many years thanks to his success with shipping and railroads.
7. Amanda Hearst
Net Worth: $100 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Hearst Corporation
Amanda Hearst is an American socialite born in New York, and she is the heiress to the Hearst Corporation. She is also a model. She is involved in Friends of Finn, a charity she founded. Friends of Finn is an organization that focuses on preventing and stopping puppy mills, which treat dogs inhumanely.
Amanda Hearst © lev radin / Shutterstock.comHearst works at Marie Claire, where she is the associate marketing editor. She received her education from Fordham University. Her great-grandfather was William Randolph Hearst. Her father, who was not part of the Hearst bloodline, left her mother before she was born.
Hearst is a distant and direct relative of gold tycoon George Hearst, whose ruthless business dealings in 1800s America (if a bit over-dramatized) became the central plot of HBO’s beloved series Deadwood. Nevertheless, the entire Hearst fortune can be traced back to these origins.
8. Billie Lourd
Net Worth: $25 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Carrie Fisher
Billie Lourd is an actress, and daughter of Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, who sadly passed away in 2016. Her father is Bryan Lourd, perhaps one of the biggest talent agents in Hollywood. Lourd’s roots make her the heiress to Carrie Fisher’s fortune and estate. She also happens to be the granddaughter of Debbie Reynolds, another Hollywood legend.
Billie Lourd © lev radin / Shutterstock.comLourd currently resides in Beverly Hills and attended NYU. She has appeared in television shows such as Scream Queens and American Horror Story. She portrayed the role of Lieutenant Connix in Disney’s recent Star Wars trilogy, which has released films from 2015 to 2019.
Billie also lost her grandmother shortly after her mother passed away. While it was a tragedy of epic proportions, Lourd inherited a tidy sum. That’s not to say that she hasn’t been working hard in the industry herself, which adds to her fortune.
9. Jake Gyllenhaal
Net Worth: $65 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Stephen Gyllenhaal
Jake Gyllenhaal is the son of Stephen Gyllenhaal, a famous Hollywood director. He is the brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. His mother, Naomi Foner, is a screenwriter. He was born in Los Angeles, and he attended Columbia University. He started acting when he was a child, appearing in the 1991 film City Slickers.
Jake Gyllenhaal © lev radin / Shutterstock.comHe had his first breakthrough role in October Sky, where he played Homer Hickam. He won an Indie Award for his role as Donnie Darko in the eponymous film. He acted in the film alongside his sister Maggie. He also has appeared in Comcast’s Focus Features movie Brokeback Mountain, receiving critical acclaim.
Stephen Gyllenhaal amassed his fortune by directing movies like Family of Spies and Waterland, as well as several different TV shows including The Mentalist and Blue Bloods. His connections in the industry certainly didn’t hurt Jake’s career.
10. Carly Simon
Net Worth: $65 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Richard L. Simon
Carly Simon is a singer-songwriter and a published children’s book author. She became famous in the 1970s with her records. She has had thirteen Top 40 hits in the U.S. Carly Simon started out as part of a duet, The Simon Sisters, before trying her hand at a solo career. Her first album, Carly Simon, took off, and she received a Grammy for her work.
Carly Simon ©Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.comShe is the daughter of Richard Simon, who co-founded the book company now owned by ViacomCBS, Simon & Schuster. He was also a classical pianist, sparking his daughter’s interest in music. She was also briefly married to James Taylor.
At the age of 75, Carly is reportedly worth a staggering $65 million. Not only is she a talented songstress, but Simon has also starred in a handful of movies over the years. In 1985 she had a famous cameo in John Travolta’s Perfect.
11. Nicky Hilton
Net Worth: $20 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Hilton Hotels
Nicky Hilton is an heiress, fashion designer, and businesswoman. She is the sister to Paris Hilton, and she is also an heiress to the Hilton Hotels fortune. She was born in New York City and attended Convent of the Sacred Heart. She is married to James Rothschild, an heir to the Rothschild fortune.
Nicky Hilton © JStone / Shutterstock.comNicky Hilton has also worked as a model. It was her fashion design business that really took off. She has a line of handbags called Nicholai, and she also has handbag lines for eLuxe and Samantha Thavasa. Her lines have appeared during New York Fashion Week.
Most recently, she worked with Tolani, a baggage company. She designed a “Mommy and Me” capsule. She launched the collection in 2017 and 2019, while the bags actually hit the stores in 2018 and, upcoming, in 2020. Nicky hasn’t used her fortune as an excuse to slack.
12. Chevy Chase
Net Worth: $50 million*
Wealth Inherited From: The Crane Company
Chevy Chase is a comedian, writer, and actor who was born in Manhattan. His real first (and middle) name is Cornelius Crane. He was born to a Manhattan book editor and magazine writer, Edward Tinsley Chase. His mother was a concert pianist, and she was the heir to The Crane Company because she was adopted by Cornelius Vanderbilt, her stepfather.
Chevy Chase © s_bukley / Shutterstock.comChevy’s nickname, Chevy, was given to him by his grandmother. He was nicknamed after “The Ballad of Chevy Chase,” a medieval English song. He is famous for his appearances on Comcast’s NBC hit Saturday Night Live, as well as his many comedic movies like Caddyshack and Fletch.
Thanks to his familial connections and his hard work in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Chevy Chase is worth around $50 million. While he’s slipped off the radar and doesn’t appear on our screens as much as he used to, Chevy is still an American icon.
13. Olivia Wilde
Net Worth: $20 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Andrew Cockburn
Olivia Wilde is an actress, heiress, and activist who was born in NYC and attended the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland. She has also directed a film, Booksmart, which was released at the end of May 2019 (May 24th, to be exact).
Olivia Wilde © DFree / Shutterstock.comWilde got her start in television. She was on the Fox’s popular medical series, House, from 2007 to 2012. She played Dr. Hadley (AKA “Thirteen”). She’s also had roles in films, including Conversations with Other Women, Tron: Legacy, Butter, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, The Lazarus Effect, Rush and more.
While her film career took off back in 2005, the bulk of Wilde’s wealth actually comes from her father, journalist Andrew Cockburn, whose million-dollar fortune gave the young actress a significant safety net during her early years in Hollywood.
14. Balthazar Getty
Net Worth: $200 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Getty Oil
Balthazar Getty (whose first name is actually Paul) is the heir to the Getty Oil fortune. He is also a musician and producer. He produces the music for The Wow, a rap duo, and he is part of the band Ringside. He also was an actor in his childhood.
Balthazar Getty © s_bukley / Shutterstock.comHe played Ralph in Lord of the Flies, a cult classic about a bunch of morally-questionable boys stranded on an island. In TV he also played Thomas Grace on Disney’s ABC show, Alias. But our personal favorite performance is most definitely his bizarre auto mechanic in David Lynch’s hypnotic film Lost Highway.
Getty also appeared in films as a teen icon, acting in Natural Born Killers, White Squall, Big City Blues, Ladder 49 and more. He is also a philanthropist. He is part of The Lunchbox Fund, which provides food to impoverished children in Africa.
15. Lydia Hearst-Shaw
Net Worth: $28 billion*
Wealth Inherited From: William Randolph Hearst
Lydia Hearst Shaw is an heiress, blogger, and model. Her mother was the infamous, aforementioned Patty Hearst, whose tragic kidnapping forever impacted the family. She was born in Connecticut, and she attended Sacred Heart University. Her modeling agency is Radius Entertainment, while the APA is her theatre agent.
Lydia Hearst-Shaw © lev radin / Shutterstock.comShe is married to podcaster and comedian Chris Hardwick. Hearst-Shaw is also an acclaimed runway model both nationally and abroad. She’s appeared in shows for clients including Fendi, Chanelle, Nicole Miller, Jeremy Scott (a Moschino spinoff), Rebecca Taylor, and more.
She has also appeared in million-dollar advertising campaigns modeling for Prada, Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, G-III’s DKNY, NARS Cosmetics, and more cosmetic and fashion companies. Hearst-Shaw also designed her own line of handbags for Puma French 77.