Jami Gertz's journey from 1980s teen star to Hollywood's richest woman is anything but typical. The actress, best known for roles in films like Sixteen Candles and The Lost Boys, has built a fortune that extends far beyond the silver screen.
"I get it," Gertz told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018. "It's not your everyday Hollywood actress tale."
Her unusual path began at age 16 when she was discovered at a talent search and landed a role on the sitcom Square Pegs. "I was found at a search, thrown right in, that was it," she recalled on a recent podcast. "And I never looked back."
That early success came with financial rewards. "When I was 16, I made more money than my dad," Gertz continued. "That changes the dynamic. That changes a lot of things in your life."
Her career flourished through the '80s with roles on The Facts of Life and in films like Less Than Zero, but her personal life took a pivotal turn in 1986 when she met businessman Tony Ressler at a dinner party.
"Everyone thinks I married a rich guy," Gertz told The Hollywood Reporter. "But I made more money—way more money—than Tony when I met him. I paid for our first house. I paid for our first vacation. I married him because I fell in love with him."
The couple married in 1989 and built their empire together. While Gertz continued acting—earning an Emmy nomination for her guest role on Ally McBeal—Ressler co-founded Apollo Management and later launched Ares Management, with Forbes estimating his current net worth at approximately $13.8 billion.
Their most dramatic business move came in 2015 when they purchased the NBA's Atlanta Hawks for $720 million. Gertz recalled the moment they decided to take the leap:
"I was walking in and out of the closet," she said, noting that's where Ressler negotiated the deal. "And he looked at me, and I looked at him, and he's like, 'Jami, are we going to do this?' I'm like, 'I don't know. I'm so scared.' And he's like, 'It would be so much fun!' And then we were jumping and screaming, 'Oh my God—we just bought a basketball team!'"
While team ownership keeps her busy, Gertz has also made significant philanthropic contributions, including a $50 million donation to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She founded her own production company, Lime Orchard Productions, in 2007, though she admits it wasn't a profitable venture despite producing the Oscar-nominated film A Better Life.
These days, Gertz has stepped back from acting, with her most recent roles appearing in 2017's Difficult People and 2022's I Want You Back.
"It just seemed like a natural moment for me to take a break from acting," she explained. "It's hard to even say it out loud because I love what I do. It's given me so many beautiful things in my life, taught me so many things about myself and the world around me."
Now living a more private life with her husband and their three sons, Gertz's evolution from teen actress to sports team owner and philanthropist represents one of Hollywood's most unexpected success stories.