Famous People Who Became Wealthy a to z

Director, producer and playwright George Abbott lived to be 107 and participated in such Broadway productions as Boy Meets Girl, The Fall Guy and Our Town.

Will Arnett is a comedic actor known for his wacky role as G.O.B. on TV's Arrested Development and his voice-over work in film.

Tichina Arnold is best known for portraying Pam James, opposite Martin Lawrence, on the sitcom Martin and Rochelle on the show Everybody Hates Chris.

William Waldorf Astor was a wealthy descendant of John Jacob Astor who became a New York State senator and a member of the New York State Assembly.

William Backhouse Astor was the second son of John Jacob Astor and became the richest man in the U.S. upon his father's death.

Anne Bancroft was an Oscar Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress famous for her roles in The Miracle Worker and The Graduate. She was married to comedian and film director Mel Brooks.

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas starred in several of Pedro Almodóvar’s films. In America, he has played Zorro, and Puss in Boots in the Shrek film series.

Retired NBA player Charles Barkley was part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic "Dream Team" and was named one of the league's 50 greatest players in 1996.

Victoria Beckham is a fashion designer and singer chiefly known for her work with the Spice Girls and for being the wife of soccer star David Beckham.

Media magnate Conrad Black once owned The London Daily Telegraph and The Chicago Sun Times, before he was convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice.

Infamous drug trafficker Griselda Blanco is suspected of committing more than 200 murders while transporting cocaine from Colombia to the U.S. She was murdered in Colombia in 2012.

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, served as queen of England in the 1530s. She was executed on charges of incest, witchcraft, adultery and conspiracy against the king.

Chaz Bono is an Emmy-nominated media figure who, born the daughter of performers Sonny and Cher, has undergone gender reassignment

American film Charles Bronson is best known for playing tough-guy, vigilante roles in films like The Magnificent Seven (1960) and Death Wish (1974).

Heiress, model, singer, and actress Carla Bruni is best known for her romances and marriage to French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

William F. Buckley was a writer and political TV personality who helped make conservative politics popular in the 1950s-1970s.

Michael Caine is a beloved Oscar-winning actor known for his roles in films like Alfie, Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules.

Charlemagne was the founder of the Carolingian Empire, best known for uniting Western Europe for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire.

Charles II was the monarch of England, Ireland and Scotland during much of the latter half of the 17th century, marking the Restoration era.

Charles IX was King of France from 1560 until 1574 during the turbulent time of the Wars of Religion.

Charles VI, nicknamed Charles the Mad, was king of France from 1380 to 1422—a period marked by political chaos and France’s defeat by England at Agincourt.

Chelsea Clinton is a media correspondent and activist who is the daughter of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton.

Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American singer, best known as one of the most popular salsa performers of all time, recording 23 gold albums. 

Ann Curry is an American television jouralist who once anchored Dateline NBC, and co-anchored NBC's Today program from 2011 to 2012.

Cecil B. DeMille was an actor, director and producer who became a giant of the 20th century film industry, known for epics like The Ten Commandments.

Angie Dickinson is an American actress on film and television best known for her roles in Dressed to Kill, Ocean's Eleven and on the hit 1970s television series Police Woman.

Sandford Fleming was a civil engineer and scientist best known as the chief railway engineer of Canada in the 19th century.

Tom Ford is a fashion designer and film director who was the Creative Director of Gucci from 1994-2004. He founded his own Tom Ford fashion label in 2004.

Vivica Fox is an African-American film and television actress. She got her start in the soap opera Days of Our Lives and is known for her role in the film Soul Food.

Benjamin Franklin is best known as one of the Founding Fathers who drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

American actress Teri Garr is best known for her role as Dustin Hoffman's neurotic girlfriend in the comedy hit Tootsie (1981). Other notable roles include The Conversation (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974) and Mr. Mom (1983). 

Sarah Michelle Gellar is an actress known for her lead role in the hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as films like Cruel Intentions and The Grudge.

Actor Seth Green gained notoriety as Scott Evil in Austin Powers, and also as Oz on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also played Jimmy Bender on Greg the Bunny.

Angie Harmon is American model and actress who has starred in the series Baywatch Nights, Law & Order and Rizzoli & Isles.

Teri Hatcher is an American Actress best known for her role on the hit television series Desperate Housewives.

American actress Anne Hathaway has starred in films like The Devil Wears Prada, Becoming Jane, Love and Other Drugs, and Les Miserables.

Charles Melville Hays was president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and a victim of the Titanic disaster of 1912.

Actress Anne Heche got her start on the soap opera Another World. She is known for dating comedian Ellen DeGeneres, and for starring in the series Men in Trees.

Paris Hilton is best known as the Heiress and Reality star that courts regular media attention for her socialite lifestyle and short-lived romances.

Chris Hurley is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of the video sharing website YouTube.com. Hurley and his partners sold YouTube to Google for $1.65 billion in stock in 2006.

Anna Ivanovna was empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740.

W.K. Kellogg founded the Kellogg Company, which makes cereal products that have become popular around the world.

Tony-nominated actress Anna Kendrick played Jessica, Bella Swan's friend, in the Twilight movies, based on Stephanie Meyer's teenage vampire novels.

Anna Kournikova is a Russian professional tennis player, well known for her beauty. At her peak, she was one of the best known players worldwide.

Actress Angela Lansbury has entertained audiences in a variety of ways, including her 12-year stint as Jessica Fletcher on the 1984 series Murder, She Wrote.

Imelda Marcos spent more than 20 years as the first lady of the Philippines. She became infamous for her spending habits and enormous shoe collection.

Stephen Marley is the third child of legendary reggae artist Bob Marley who has won five Grammys for his music.

Charlotte Mason was an American socialite and philanthropist who was an important patron of Harlem Renaissance figures, including Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston.

Charles Edward Merrill was an American investment banker who co-founded Merrill Lynch & Company and arranged the merger that created the Safeway food chain.

Anthony Michael Hall is a film and TV actor known for his roles in Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and The Dead Zone.

Anthony Minghella was an Academy Award-winning director best known for his adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. Released in 1996, the film claimed the Oscar for best picture in 1997.

Vittorio Missoni is an Italian business executive best known as the CEO of the Missoni brand, founded by his parents in the 1950s.

With a handful of hits to his credit, singer Wayne Newton has spent more than five decades as one of Las Vegas's most popular entertainers.

Business leader and entrepreneur Kevin O'Connor is a co-founder and the CEO of the internet advertising technology company DoubleClick.

Yoko Ono is a multimedia artist who became known worldwide in the 1960s when she married Beatles front man John Lennon.

William S. Paley was a businessman who started what would become the CBS television network.

Arnold Palmer, nicknamed "The King," is a former champion golfer and is considered one of the sport's all-time greats.

Actor Chazz Palminteri starred opposite Robert De Niro in the 1993 film adaptation of A Bronx Tale, and performed in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway (1994).

Anthony Perkins is an Oscar-nominated stage and film actor who is best known for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

Zac Posen is a fashion designer who became the Next Big Thing before he even had his first runway show.

Charley Pride is one of the few black country musicians to have had considerable success in the largely white country music industry, and was the first black musician to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.

Queen Elizabeth was the Queen consort of King George VI until his death in 1952. She is best known for her moral support to the British people during WWII and her longevity.

Anthony Quinn was an Oscar-winning Mexican-American actor known for his roles in Viva Zapata!, Lust for Life and Zorba the Greek.

Queen Rania of Jordan is best known for her advocacy work in public health, education and as an outspoken opponent of the practice of "honor killings."

British thespian Michael Redgrave is acclaimed for his theater and film roles. He has also sired two generations of acting luminaries.

Charles Nelson Reilly was a Tony-Award winning actor also known for a variety of roles on TV programs, including The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and The Match Game.

Charles Ringling co-founded the Ringling Bros., and later co-owned the Barnum & Bailey Circus.

John Ringling co-founded the Ringling Bros., and later co-owned the Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Robert II was king of Scotland from 1371 to 1390, and is best known for his largely ineffectual reign.

Andy Roddick is a retired champion tennis player who, in 2003, held both the grand slam title and the world's No. 1 ranking.

Washington Roebling was an engineer and a notable victim of the Titanic disaster.

Wayne Rooney is one of the world's best-known soccer players and a top scorer for the Manchester United club.

American baseball star Pete Rose established a career record for hits before earning a lifetime suspension for gambling on the sport.

Antonio Sabato Jr. is an actor known for his roles on General Hospital, Melrose Place and Charmed. He has also modeled for Calvin Klein.

Andy Samberg is a comedian, actor, singer and a star of Saturday Night Live. His comedy troupe "The Lonely Island" is known for its humorous digital shorts.

Edie Sedgwick was a socialite and model who became a muse to Andy Warhol in the 1960s.

Mobutu Sésé Seko was president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which was also known as Zaire for much of his reign, from 1965 to 1997.

Stephen of Blois was king of England from 1135 to 1141. His reign was marked by a civil war known as The Anarchy.

Tilda Swinton is an Oscar-winning British actress known for her arthouse film roles and for acclaimed performances in more mainstream pictures like Michael Clayton.

Taksin was an 18th century Thai general and king.