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Jami Gertz, a celebrated actress known for roles in The Lost Boys, Less Than Zero, and Quicksilver, has parlayed her entertainment career into an immensely successful commercial enterprise, boasting a net worth of around $8 billion, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Despite her Hollywood success, Gertz came from a humble background, growing up in a Jewish, working-class family in Glenview, Illinois.
Notably, she was initially considered for the iconic role of Rachel Green on Friends, though it didn’t work out. She also received an Emmy nomination for her guest role on Ally McBeal and a Golden Raspberry nod for Twister. Gertz’s commercial success can largely be attributed to her marriage to Tony Ressler, a prominent banker and businessman. The couple married in 1989, a year after Ressler co-founded Apollo Global Management, a private equity firm that grew into a multibillion-dollar enterprise.
Ressler later went on to establish Ares Management, a renowned investment firm managing over $125 billion in assets. “I guess the right quote would be, ‘We’re the most amazing investment firm in the history of the universe,’” Ressler quipped. The power couple’s investments include stakes in high-profile sports teams. They hold a minority interest in the Milwaukee Brewers and are majority owners of the Atlanta Hawks NBA team, which Ressler purchased in 2015 for $720 million.
Gertz has taken an active role in representing the Hawks publicly. Ressler humorously recalled his early days with Gertz, admitting, “All I knew was that she was a working actress. I didn’t know [her movie and TV credits].”
Gertz, too, reflects fondly on their relationship. “He was a nice guy with a job,” she shared, noting that any Jewish girl from Glenview would have found that appealing. “It would have been nice if it was a doctor or a lawyer, but a banker was OK, too.” However, Gertz clarified misconceptions about their marriage, saying, “Everyone thinks I married a rich guy. But I made 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.”
In addition to supporting her husband’s ventures, Gertz launched her own production company, Lime Orchard Productions. She invested millions of her own funds but ultimately lost the entire investment when most of the company’s projects failed to launch. A Better Life (2011), starring Demian Bichir, was the only success, earning an Oscar nomination.
Recently, the couple relocated to Atlanta, where they’re expanding their influence in the sports world. Despite past losses, Gertz remains optimistic, stating, “You reach an age, and you slow down, and the jobs are a little hard to come by. So I decided to put money into a project of my own.” Together, Gertz and Ressler continue to build their empire, with their joint success making her one of Hollywood’s wealthiest stars.
