What is Jami Gertz's net worth?
Jami Gertz is an American actress, sports team owner and philanthropist who has a net worth of $8 billion. Though she has had a successful career on her own, the vast majority of Jami Gertz's net worth comes thanks to her longtime marriage to billionaire investor/sports team owner Tony Ressler. Jami and Tony are part-owners of the Atlanta Hawks NBA team. They also own a minority stake in the Milwaukee Brewers.
Tony Ressler is the co-founder of both Apollo Global Management AND Ares Management, which have $500 billion and $300 billion in assets under management, respectively. Before you assume Jami married Tony for his money, at the time they married, SHE was actually the breadwinner. She paid for all of the couple's early vacations and bought their first home in LA. At the time they married in 1989, Tony's employer, Drexel Burnham Lambert, was in the midst of the most explosive financial collapses in Wall Street history. A year after they married, he founded Apollo Global with three former co-workers from Drexel.
As an actress, Jami Gertz first rose to prominence in the 1980s with roles in films like "Crossroads," "Less Than Zero," and "The Lost Boys," demonstrating a range that spanned from drama to horror. Gertz transitioned successfully to television, where she has been consistently active since the early 1990s. She starred in the short-lived but critically acclaimed series "Square Pegs" and had recurring roles in popular sitcoms like "Seinfeld" and "Ally McBeal."
She landed a lead role in the sitcom "Still Standing" alongside Mark Addy, playing the character of Judy Miller from 2002 to 2006. More recently, she starred as Debbie Weaver in the science fiction sitcom "The Neighbors" from 2012 to 2014, and has had recurring roles on "This Is Us" and "Difficult People."
Early Life
Jami Gertz was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 28, 1965. She attended Maine East High School, followed by NYU. She began acting in the early 80s. Her first on-screen role was the 1981 film "On the Right Track."
Success
Jami first gained notice appearing in such popular 80s programs as "Square Pegs," "Diff'rent Strokes," "The Facts of Life," "Family Ties," and "Dreams." In the mid-80s, she began appearing in film projects, including co-starring roles in "Sixteen Candles," "Solarbabies," "Less Than Zero," and "The Lost Boys." She moved to France for a few years to work as a scent designer for Lanvin before returning and resuming her acting career in the late 80s and early 90s. In 1997, she had a recurring role on the television series E.R. as Dr. Nina Pomerantz. She would go on to land guest starring or co-starring roles in such television programs as "Sibs," "Seinfeld," "Ally McBeal," "Still Standing," and "Shark."
In 2001, Gertz was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Ally McBeal. In 2002, Jami portrayed Gilda Radner in the biographical television movie "Gilda Radner: It's Always Something." From 2009 to 2010, she had a recurring role as Marlo Klein on the series Entourage. In 2011, Jami had a memorable appearance on the television series, "Modern Family". Between 2012 and 2014, she starred in 44 episodes of The Neighbors.
She has also appeared in such films as "Twister" and "Keeping Up with the Steins." She was nominated for a Razzie Award in 1997 for Twister.
Gertz also had a recurring role as Kimmy Bishop on the TV series Ally McBeal from 2000 to 2002.
(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Personal Life
Jami married financier Antony Ressler in 1989. A year after marrying, Tony co-founded the private equity firm Apollo Global Management. He left Apollo in 1997 to co-found an asset management firm called Ares Management. Today, Apollo has more than $500 billion in assets under management, and Ares has more than $300 billion. Ressler owns an estimated 30% of Ares' equity.
The couple first appeared on our list of billionaires in 2015 with a net worth of $1 billion. By 2017, their net worth was $1.8 billion. Today, Jami Gertz and Tony Ressler are worth a combined $8 billion.
Tony's sister Debra Ressler has been married to his Apollo co-founder Leon Black since 1976. In 2016, when Leon and Debra bought Tom Cruise's Beverly Hills mansion for $38 million, Jami's sister Sharyn Gertz was the real estate agent.
Jamie and Tony have three children together. Outside of their sports team ownership, Jami and Tony are extremely active philanthropists. They are consistently ranked among the most generous celebrities in the world and have, at times, been the #1 donor to charity out of any celebrity in the world. They are the founding members of Painted Turtle Camp, an organization that pays for children with chronic and fatal illnesses on camping trips.
Real Estate
Jami and Tony's primary homes are located in Malibu and Beverly Hills. Their Beverly Hills home is located within the most exclusive gated community in Beverly Hills, sitting at the top of a mountain with 360-degree views of LA. Neighbors included Denzel Washington, Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy, and Mark Wahlberg. Tax records show their house is worth a minimum of $30 million, but on the open market, it might fetch closer to $50 million. Their Malibu home sits above Broad Beach, one of the most desirable parts of the area.
