George Lucas is the wealthiest celebrity in America. This, according to a new list published that declares the Star Wars creator, who hasn't made a movie in more than a decade, is still the king of Hollywood, at least by one metric. Lucas ranks just ahead of his old pal Steven Spielberg on the list, as well as Oprah Winfrey, who is the wealthiest Woman in America, according to this list.
According to the report, George Lucas has a net worth of $5.4 billion in 2018, putting him far ahead of the rest of the pack. Much of this is thanks to his sale of Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012 for a staggering $4.1 billion. Star Wars is arguably the biggest and most important franchise in the history of cinema and as the man who created it, he's certainly entitled to more than a little chunk of the wealth that a galaxy far, far away has generated. The 74-year-old writer, director and producer may not be active in the business these days, but who could blame him at this point?
Steven Spielberg is sitting comfortably at the number two spot with $3.7 billion. The filmmaker, who is widely considered to be one of the best directors of all time, recently celebrated his 72nd birthday and is still very prolific. Ready Player One went on to become one of the highest-grossing blockbusters on 2018 and Spielberg is currently working on his remake of West Side Story before tackling Indiana Jones 5. He's also a very active producer, working on the Jurassic World and Transformers franchises, amongst many other projects.
Oprah Winfrey is locked in at the number three spot with $2.8 billion, making her far and away the wealthiest female celebrity in America. Her media empire, which consists of her Own TV network, has made her a very powerful and rich woman. The next wealthiest woman on the list is Kylie Jenner, who is tied with Jay-Z at the number five spot overall with $900 million. She's on track to become the youngest self-made billionaire in history.
Former NBA star Michael Jordan sits just over her and Jay-Z in the number four spot with $1.7 billion, largely thanks to his lucrative shoe deal with Nike. To calculate the numbers, those who put together the list looked at the previously published earnings for each celebrity, as well as their holdings in art, real estate or other valuable assets. There are some surprising entries on the list, like author James Patterson who, amazingly, topped quite a few other wealthy celebs with a net worth of $800 million to make it on the list. He is the man behind the Alex Cross novels, several of which have been turned into movies. Be sure to check out the full top ten list from Forbes below.
America's 10 Wealthiest Celebrities of 2018
- 1. George Lucas: $5.4 billion
- 2. Steven Spielberg: $3.7 billion
- 3. Oprah Winfrey: $2.8 billion
- 4. Michael Jordan: $1.7 billion
- 5. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter: $900 million
- 5. Kylie Jenner: $900 million
- 7. David Copperfield: $875 million
- 8. Sean "Diddy" Combs: $825 million
- 9. Tiger Woods: $800 million
- 9. James Patterson: $800 million