There’s a certain magic to watching 80s movies like The Lost Boys — and a certain surprise in discovering one of its stars became one of the wealthiest women on Earth. Jami Gertz, who lit up screens in the late 80s and 90s, quietly built a life far from the Hollywood machine. According to a 2026 profile in People (celebrity news magazine), her husband Tony Ressler’s net worth was estimated at $10.8 billion, and together they co-own the Atlanta Hawks. Here’s how she traded the red carpet for a billionaire’s boardroom.

4 related posts

Net worth (family): Est. $8 billion ·
Born: October 28, 1965 ·
Known for: The Lost Boys, Twister, Still Standing ·
Spouse: Tony Ressler (m. 1989) ·
Children: 3 ·
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish

Quick snapshot

1Who is Jami Gertz?
2How did she become a billionaire?
3What is she doing now?
4Why did she leave acting?

Seven facts, one pattern: Jami Gertz’s fortune isn’t from residuals — it’s from a partnership built three decades ago.

Attribute Value
Full name Jami Beth Gertz
Date of birth October 28, 1965
Place of birth Chicago, Illinois, USA
Spouse Tony Ressler (m. 1989)
Children 3
Net worth (household) Est. $8 billion
Notable roles The Lost Boys (1987), Twister (1996), Still Standing (2002–2006)

The pattern here: most actresses’ wealth caps out with residuals, but Gertz’s story runs on a different engine entirely.

Why is Jami Gertz a billionaire?

The short answer: her husband Tony Ressler. But the full story involves a private equity empire, an NBA franchise, and a marriage that turned a working-class actress into one of the richest women in Hollywood.

Jami Gertz net worth sources

  • Ressler co-founded Apollo Management in 1990 and later established Ares Management in 1997 (E! Online (entertainment news)). Ares Management today manages over $400 billion in assets.
  • Estimates of the couple’s combined net worth vary widely: Capitalism.com (finance blog) cites $3 billion to $12 billion, while People (celebrity news magazine) put Ressler’s personal worth at $10.8 billion in 2026.
  • A 2025 profile in El País English (international newspaper) labeled Gertz “the richest woman in Hollywood,” pegging the family fortune at $12 billion.
Bottom line: The variance in net-worth reports means Gertz’s billionaire status is more contested than most celebrity wealth claims. Readers should weigh source reliability: People (tier-2 magazine) gives the most conservative figure, while finance blogs publish the widest range.

Marriage to billionaire Tony Ressler

Gertz met Ressler on a blind date in the late 1980s, when she was a rising star and he was a young investment banker. They married in 1989. Ressler went on to co-found Apollo Global Management and later Ares Management, one of the world’s largest credit investment firms. According to E! Online (entertainment news), Ressler’s business success is the primary engine behind the family wealth — not Gertz’s acting career.

Investment in the Atlanta Hawks

In 2015, Gertz and Ressler led a group that purchased the Atlanta Hawks for $720 million, as reported by E! Online (entertainment news) (citing The Hollywood Reporter). The franchise has since appreciated significantly, adding to the family’s net worth.

Acting career earnings

Gertz’s acting income — from films like The Lost Boys and Twister and the TV series Still Standing — is modest relative to the Ressler fortune. She has not disclosed exact earnings, but by the mid-2000s her primary focus had shifted away from Hollywood.

Bottom line: Jami Gertz is a billionaire because of her marriage to Tony Ressler, whose private equity and sports investments created a fortune that acting alone could not match. For investors, the lesson is that portfolio diversification and long-term partnerships matter more than individual earnings.

What ethnicity is Jami Gertz?

Gertz’s background is frequently described as Ashkenazi Jewish. Here’s what’s known.

Jami Gertz ancestry

  • She is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent (Fox Business (business news)).
  • Her grandparents emigrated from Eastern Europe, though specific countries are not widely reported.

Family background

Gertz was raised in a working-class family in Glenview, Illinois (Fox Business (business news)). Her father was a builder and her mother a homemaker. She attended New Trier High School before beginning her acting career at 16.

Why this matters

Gertz’s Ashkenazi heritage is often highlighted in coverage because it contrasts with the narrative of a “self-made” billionaire. Her wealth came through marriage, not inherited fortune, but her background is frequently used to frame her as an unexpected billionaire.

The implication: ethnicity reporting around Gertz serves less as biographical detail and more as a marker of how unusual her path looks from outside.

Who is richer, Jami Gertz or Oprah Winfrey?

This comparison comes up repeatedly in search. The straightforward answer: Oprah Winfrey has a higher individually held net worth, but the Gertz-Ressler household fortune may be larger.

Aspect Jami Gertz Oprah Winfrey
Individual net worth (reported) $3 billion – $12 billion (household) Est. $2.8 billion – $3.2 billion (Investopedia (financial education site), E! Online (entertainment news))
Primary wealth source Spouse’s private equity / sports investments Media empire (talk show, OWN, endorsements)
Billionaire status reached After 2000s (via marriage) 2003, at age 49 (Investopedia (financial education site))
Philanthropic focus Education, health (Ressler-Gertz Foundation) Leadership, education (Oprah Winfrey Foundation)
Cultural impact Moderate (acting career + sports ownership) Global media icon

The pattern: Oprah built her fortune independently and is the only African American billionaire on the Forbes 400 at several points (Fair Economy (advocacy research)). Gertz’s wealth is shared with her husband and is less precisely documented.

The catch

Oprah Winfrey’s $2.8–$3.2 billion net worth is independently verified and consistently reported by Forbes and Investopedia. The Gertz-Ressler figure of $8–$12 billion includes both spouses’ assets and is less transparent, making direct comparison difficult.

What this means: comparing these two billionaires reveals more about the limits of public wealth data than about either woman’s actual financial standing.

What does Jami Gertz do now?

Gertz has largely stepped away from the public eye, but she remains active in philanthropy and business.

Philanthropy and the Ressler-Gertz Foundation

  • The couple’s foundation focuses on education, health, and Jewish causes (People (celebrity news magazine)).
  • They have donated millions to organizations like Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Business ventures

Beyond the Atlanta Hawks, Gertz serves on the board of the Hawks’ charitable foundation and is involved in family investment decisions. She has not launched a separate business empire of her own.

Family life

She and Ressler have three sons and live in Beverly Hills. She makes rare public appearances, mostly at NBA games or philanthropic galas.

Bottom line: Jami Gertz today is a full-time philanthropist and NBA co-owner, not an actress. For fans hoping for a return to screen, the likelihood is low — she has built a life that requires no Hollywood paycheck.

Why Did ‘Twister’ Star Jami Gertz Leave Hollywood?

The question implies a departure, but Gertz never officially announced a retirement. Here’s what the record shows.

Shift to family priorities

After the birth of her third child in the early 2000s, Gertz consciously reduced her acting workload. In a rare interview, she told People (celebrity news magazine) that she “wanted to be present” for her children. That decision aligned with her husband’s growing business commitments.

Focus on business and philanthropy

As Ares Management expanded and the Hawks acquisition approached, Gertz shifted her energy to the family’s philanthropic and business interests. Her last regular TV role was Still Standing (2002–2006).

Occasional acting appearances

She has not completely vanished from the screen. She appeared on Seinfeld in 1997 (as a memorable guest character) and had a small role in the 2012 film Big Miracle. She continues to receive offers but reportedly declines most.

“From Lost Boys to NBA billions: How Jami Gertz transformed from 80s star to Hawks owner.”

— Fox Business headline, 2025 (Fox Business (business news))

“Who is Jami Gertz, the unknown actress who is the richest woman in Hollywood?”

— El País English, May 2025 (El País English (international newspaper))

The trade-off

Gertz traded Hollywood fame for family time and a billionaire lifestyle. For most actors, that’s an impossible choice — but for Gertz, it was simply the next act.

Confirmed facts

  • Jami Gertz was born in 1965 in Chicago (El País English (international newspaper))
  • She married Tony Ressler in 1989 (People (celebrity news magazine))
  • She has three children
  • She is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent (Fox Business (business news))
  • She co-owns the Atlanta Hawks (E! Online (entertainment news))

What’s unclear

  • Exact net worth — estimates range from $3 billion to $12 billion
  • Whether she has permanently retired from acting
  • Specific breakdown of personal vs. household wealth
  • Details of her grandparents’ countries of origin
Bottom line: The implication: Jami Gertz’s story is one of strategic silence. While the numbers are debated, the arc is clear — a working-class actress who married into finance and quietly became a sports mogul.
Additional sources

instagram.com, en.wikipedia.org, boredpanda.com, eonline.com, wageindicator.org

For more on Jami Gertz’s current life and her financial standing, a deeper look into Jami Gertz’s current life offers additional details.

Don't miss these

Frequently asked questions

Is Jami Gertz still acting?

She has not officially retired, but she rarely takes roles. Her last significant appearance was in 2012’s Big Miracle. She reportedly turns down most offers.

What is Jami Gertz’s age?

She was born October 28, 1965, making her 59 years old as of 2025.

Where does Jami Gertz live?

She lives in Beverly Hills, California, with her husband and family.

How did Jami Gertz meet her husband?

They met on a blind date in the late 1980s and married in 1989.

What is the Ressler-Gertz Foundation?

A philanthropic organization focusing on education, health, and Jewish causes, funded by the couple.

Did Jami Gertz win any awards?

She has no major acting awards. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award in 1983 for her role in Square Pegs.

How tall is Jami Gertz?

Reports vary; most sources list her height as approximately 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm).

Related reading