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- These 12 billionaires are also Oscar winners.
- Some are the famous filmmakers behind some of the most commercially successful movie franchises.
- Others are billionaires who have accumulated their wealth through other avenues.
When thinking about Oscar winners, NFL team owners and computer-science researchers might not immediately come to mind.
But some of these icons of their industries have joined other, more famously creative billionaires to accept Hollywood’s highest honors.
Out of the hundreds of Academy Award winners each year, only a tiny minority have net worths comparable to those of tech and industry leaders who define the ultrawealthy class.
The “Avatar” and “Titanic” director James Cameron recently became the newest member of the exclusive club, with Forbes reporting that the filmmaker surpassed the $1 billion net worth mark in December.
Cameron, whose films have earned an estimated $9 billion at the box office, is joining the minds behind some of the biggest box-office hits, including director Steven Spielberg, “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, and “Lord of the Rings” creator Peter Jackson.
In February, Forbes also crowned Spielberg, who has a net worth of $7.1 billion, as the world’s wealthiest celebrity in 2026.
As you start getting ready for your Oscars’ watch party, see which 12 billionaires have won Academy Awards, and see the movies, documentaries, and short films they’ve worked on as directors, producers, writers, executive producers, or in other capacities.
We’ve ranked them on their estimated net worths, as reported by Forbes as of March 12.
Steven Rales
Estimated net worth: $7.8 billion
Rales, the chairman and cofounder of medical manufacturer Danaher, founded the film production company Indian Paintbrush in 2006 and has worked closely with director Wes Anderson ever since.
Rales also owns film distributors Janus Films and The Criterion Collection and has a 20% in the NBA Indiana Pacers.
He won the best live-action short film award in 2024 with Anderson’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” which he produced.
Jeffrey Lurie
Estimated net worth: $7.6 billion
The Boston businessman purchased the Philadelphia Eagles for $185 million in 1994 and has won two Super Bowls since. But Lurie has a background in film, and has produced and executive-produced more than a dozen movies.
His grandfather founded the General Cinema movie-theater chain, which operated 1,500 screens at its peak in 1991 before it was acquired by AMC in the early 2000s.
Lurie has won three Oscars for best documentary as executive producer of “Inside Job” in 2011, “Inocente” in 2013, and “Summer of Soul” in 2022.
Steven Spielberg
Estimated net worth: $7.1 billion
The film director and producer has worked on some of the most successful films of the past 30 years, including “Jurassic Park,” “Jaws,” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
He’s regarded as the most commercially successful film director of all time and a pioneer of the modern blockbuster, with his films amassing a box-office total of over $10.7 billion over 37 films, as reported by The Numbers.
He won the Oscar for best director in 1999 with “Saving Private Ryan” and in 1994 with “Schindler’s List,” which also won best picture that year.
In February, he also achieved EGOT status when he took home a Grammy for best music film for “Music by John Williams,” which he produced.
Jeff Skoll
Estimated net worth: $5.3 billion
Skoll, who was eBay’s first president from 1996 to 1998, founded film production company Participant Media in 2004 to create films that increased awareness of social issues.
He won best picture as executive producer of “Spotlight” in 2016 and “Green Book” in 2019.
In total, Participant Media won 21 Academy Awards over 86 nominations, including best international film for “Roma.” The company shuttered in 2024.
George Lucas
Estimated net worth: $5.1 billion
The creator of the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises founded the film production company Lucasfilm in 1971 and sold it to Disney for $4 billion in 2012.
In 1992, he won the Oscars’ Irving G. Thalberg Award, which awards “creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production.” He was also nominated for best director and best original screenplay for “American Graffiti” and “Star Wars” in 1973 and 1977, respectively.
Oprah Winfrey
Estimated net worth: $3.2 billion
The TV host and media mogul has often been regarded as the most powerful woman in media and was once the world’s only Black billionaire.
She won the Oscars’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which recognizes “outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes” in 2011. She was also nominated for best supporting actress in 1985 for “The Color Purple.”
Steve Tisch
Estimated net worth: $2.2 billion
The chairman, co-owner, and executive vice president of the New York Giants has produced over 40 films and has worked closely with Columbia and Sony Pictures.
He won the Oscar for best picture in 1995 with “Forrest Gump.”
Peter Jackson
Estimated net worth: $1.9 billion, per Forbes
The “Lord of The Rings” and “Hobbit” filmmaker has written, directed, and worked on over 20 films and is the fifth highest-grossing director of all time, with his films surpassing $6.5 billion at the box office, per The Numbers rankings.
In 2004, he won Oscars for best director, best adapted screenplay, and best picture for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
Pat Hanrahan
Estimated net worth: $1.6 billion
The computer graphics researcher, founding Pixar Animation Studio employee, and computer-science and electrical-engineering professor at Stanford University has worked on groundbreaking animation software that led to films like “Toy Story.”
He won a scientific and engineering Academy Award in 1993 and two technical achievement Oscars in 2004 and 2014.
Richard Anthony Wolf
Estimated net worth: $1.5 billion
The film producer, best known for creating the “Law & Order” franchise, founded Wolf Entertainment in 1988. It has become one of the most prolific companies in the television business.
He won the Academy Award for best short film as a producer with “Twin Towers” in 2003.
Tyler Perry
Estimated net worth: $1.4 billion
The filmmaker and playwright created the Madea character in 1999 and founded his own production company, Tyler Perry Studios, in 2006. In 2019, he unveiled the new 330-acre studio grounds in Atlanta. His films have made over $765 million at the box office.
He received the Oscars’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2021.
James Cameron
Estimated net worth: $1.1 billion
The director of “The Terminator,” “Titanic,” and “Avatar,” has directed three of the top five highest-grossing movies of all time, as listed by Box Office Mojo. Despite having directed only 10 feature films, Cameron is the second-highest-grossing director of all time.
He won the Academy Award for best director and best picture with “Titanic” in 1998.
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