Famous Self-Made Millionaires a to z

J.P. Morgan founded the banking company J.P. Morgan & Co., one of the leading financial firms in the country, in 1871.

Jennifer Nettles is an American country music vocalist, best known as the lead singer of the popular group Sugarland.

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.

Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel invented dynamite and other explosives. He used his enormous fortune from 355 patents to institute the Nobel Prizes.

In the 1980s, Jessye Norman’s roles in Aïda and Les Troyen made her one of the most popular and highest paid soprano opera singers worldwide.

Ashley Olsen, along with her twin sister Mary-Kate, came to stardom as a baby on TV's Full House, then built a vast media and fashion empire by the age of 21.

Jerry Orbach was a Tony Award-winning American actor best known for his role as Detective Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order.

Sarah Jessica Parker is an award-winning TV and film actress whose starring role in the series Sex and the City catapulted her to stardom.

Jane Pauley was a correspondent and co-anchor for NBC’s Today. She also started the weekly magazine series Real Life with Jane Pauley, later renamed Dateline.

J.C. Penney was best known as an American businessman who founded a retail chain under the same name. His stores today sell general merchandise for the home.

Tom Petty is best known as the front man for the well-known band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He pursued a solo career in 1989, recording hit songs like "Free Fallin'" and "Runnin' Down a Dream."

Ferdinand Porsche founded the Porsche car company in 1931. In the early 1920s, he oversaw the development of the Mercedes compressor car, and later developed the first designs of the Volkswagen car with his son, Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche.

Priscilla Presley is an American businesswoman and actress, best known for marrying Elvis Presley, with whom she had daughter Lisa Marie Presley.

Wolfgang Puck is a chef who expanded his purview into running restaurants, writing cookbooks and hosting cooking shows.

American actor, director and producer Rob Reiner is best known for directing the classic hits Stand By Me (1996) and When Harry Met Sally (1989).

John D. Rockefeller was the head of the Standard Oil Company and one of the world's richest men. He used his fortune to fund ongoing philanthropic causes.

J.K. Rowling is the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series, one of the most popular book and film franchises in history.

Helena Rubinstein was a Polish entrepreneur best known for her global cosmetics empire.

Colonel Sanders is best known for creating a fried chicken recipe that would become the world's fast-food chicken chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Vidal Sassoon revolutionized women’s hairstyles in the post-war years and created an international hair-products empire which proclaimed "If you don't look good, we don't look good."

Former Apple Computers Inc. CEO John Sculley famously clashed with Steve Jobs, leading to Jobs's departure from the company he helped found.

Tom Selleck is an actor best known for portraying Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television series Magnum, P.I., and for films including Three Men and a Baby.

Maria Sharapova has won various honors throughout her career, including the 2012 French Open and a silver medal in women's singles at the 2012 Olympics.

Martin Sheen is an American actor best known for his roles in films Badlands (1973) and Apocalypse Now (1979). He has won numerous awards for his role as President Bartlet on the TV series The West Wing.

Jessica Simpson is an American pop singer, actress and fashion empire entrepreneur, and a former MTV reality show star.

Tom Snyder co-anchored the first noon news show in the country. He was the host of the NBC interview show Tomorrow and The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder.

Roger Staubach is a former NFL quarterback who led the Dallas Cowboys to win two Super Bowls. He’s also a businessman and sports commentator.

Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Oliver Stone is responsible for the hit films Platoon, Scarface, Born on the Fourth of July and Natural Born Killers.

Jessica Tandy was an English-born U.S. actress well known for her role in Broadway's Foxfire and her Oscar-winning performance in the film Driving Miss Daisy.

Entrepreneur Charles Tiffany co-founded Tiffany & Young, which later became the premier jewelry store Tiffany & Co.

Ted Turner is a television and media magnate who founded CNN, the first 24-Hour cable news network.

Shania Twain is a Canadian country and pop singer and songwriter, best known for the albums The Woman in Me and Come on Over.

Cornelius Vanderbilt was an industrialist in railroads and shipping. He had accumulated the largest fortune in the U.S. at the time of his death, in 1877.

A designer to celebrities and royalty such as Princess Diana, Gianni Versace brought vitality and art to an industry considered out of touch with the street.

Rufus Wainwright is a Canadian American singer and songwriter best known for his pop albums Rufus Wainwright (1998) and Poses (2001).

Madam C.J. Walker was the first American woman to become a self-made millionaire. Her business was worth more than $1 million at the time of her death.

Andy Williams is an American singer whose hits include “Moon River.” His Emmy-winning TV show entertained families during the 1960s and 1970s.

Henry Winkler is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Fonzie on the hit 1970s sitcom Happy Days. He has produced and directed several television series.

Professional golf player Tiger Woods was the youngest man (at the age of 21) and the first African-American to win the U.S. Masters.

Joanne Woodward is an award-winning American actress best known for her roles in The Three Faces of Eve (1957), Rachel Rachel (1968) and Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973). Woodward is the widow of actor Paul Newman.