The richest actress in the world is usually said to be Jami Gertz, whose fortune comes from her marriage to billionaire investor Tony Ressler. Among actresses who made their own money, Selena Gomez leads, valued at $1.3 billion by Bloomberg in 2024. In India, Juhi Chawla was the richest actress on Hurun’s 2025 list at Rs 7,790 crore.
Quick facts: richest actresses in the world
| Rank | Actress | Latest reported wealth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jami Gertz | Family fortune in the billions (husband Tony Ressler is on Forbes’ billionaire list) |
| 2 | Oprah Winfrey | $3 billion (Forbes, 2025) |
| 3 | Selena Gomez | $1.3 billion (Bloomberg, 2024); $700 million (Forbes, 2025) |
| 4 | Juhi Chawla | Rs 7,790 crore (Hurun, 2025) |
| 5 | Reese Witherspoon | $440 million (Forbes, 2023) |
| 6 | Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen | No researched figure |
| 7 | Jessica Alba | No recent researched figure |
| 8 | Jennifer Aniston | No researched figure |
| 9 | Julia Roberts | No researched figure |
| 10 | Sandra Bullock | No researched figure |
We use Forbes, Bloomberg and Hurun figures where they exist. For the rest, we explain where the money comes from instead of quoting fan-site guesses. Our 2021 version had conflicting figures and listed Dina Merrill, who died in 2017, so this list has been rebuilt.
Who is the richest actress in the world?
1. Jami Gertz
Jami Gertz is known for 1980s films such as Sixteen Candles and The Lost Boys, and the sitcom The Neighbors. Her wealth comes mostly from her husband Tony Ressler, co-founder of the investment firm Ares Management, whom Forbes lists as a billionaire.
The couple own the NBA team Atlanta Hawks and are known for their charity work. Since the fortune is shared, not earned through acting, some lists leave her out.
2. Oprah Winfrey
Forbes puts Oprah at about $3 billion. She earned an Oscar nomination for her role in The Color Purple (1985) and has acted in films such as Beloved and Selma.
Most of her money came from The Oprah Winfrey Show and her production business, so she is better known as a host and media owner than an actress. We include her because she has a real acting career.
3. Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez is the richest self-made actress by most counts. Bloomberg valued her at $1.3 billion in 2024, mainly because of her stake in her make-up brand Rare Beauty. Forbes’ 2025 estimate was lower, at about $700 million.
She started as a child actor on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place and now stars in and produces the series Only Murders in the Building.
4. Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla was India’s richest actress on the Hurun India Rich List 2025, with Rs 7,790 crore. Her wealth is tied to her family’s stake in the Knight Riders cricket franchise, which she co-owns with Shah Rukh Khan, and her husband Jay Mehta’s businesses.
She did not appear on the Hurun 2026 list, which did not explain the change.
5. Reese Witherspoon
Forbes named Reese Witherspoon the richest self-made actress in 2023, at about $440 million. Her big payday came in 2021, when she sold a majority stake in her media company Hello Sunshine in a deal that valued it at $900 million.
She won an Oscar for Walk the Line and is known for Legally Blonde and Big Little Lies.
6. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
The twins shared the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House as babies and built a children’s media business through the 1990s. They later left acting and founded the luxury fashion label The Row, which is now their main source of wealth.
7. Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba became famous through the series Dark Angel and films like Fantastic Four. She co-founded The Honest Company, which went public in 2021, and has appeared on Forbes’ self-made women lists in past years.
8. Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston’s money comes largely from Friends, which still earns from streaming and reruns, and from her role and producer credit on The Morning Show. She also co-founded the hair care brand LolaVie.
9. Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts was one of the first actresses to earn $20 million for a single film, Erin Brockovich, which also won her the Oscar. Pretty Woman and Notting Hill made her one of Hollywood’s biggest stars of the 1990s.
10. Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for The Blind Side and had one of her biggest pay deals for Gravity, which included a share of the film’s profits. Speed and Miss Congeniality made her a star in the 1990s.
Who we removed and why
We removed Dina Merrill, who died in 2017, and Victoria Principal, Jane Fonda, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Miley Cyrus, for whom we could not find recent researched figures. Rihanna, valued by Forbes at $1.4 billion in 2025, has acted in films but is a singer and businesswoman first.
For more on star wealth, see our celebs section and our Hollywood coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the richest actress in the world in 2026?
Jami Gertz is usually named, through her husband’s fortune. Among self-made actresses, Selena Gomez leads with a $1.3 billion Bloomberg valuation.
Who is the richest actress in India?
Juhi Chawla, at Rs 7,790 crore on the Hurun India Rich List 2025. She was not on the 2026 list.
Is Selena Gomez a billionaire?
Bloomberg said so in 2024, at $1.3 billion. Forbes’ 2025 estimate was lower, at about $700 million.
Who is the richest self-made actress according to Forbes?
Forbes named Reese Witherspoon the richest self-made actress in 2023, at about $440 million.
Sources: Forbes, celebrity billionaires 2025, Business Today on Hurun 2025, NME on the richest actresses.
