Jami Gertz’s Journey from Teen Star to Billionaire NBA Owner
Hi, I’m Jordan Collins and I guess I have to spell out how Jami Gertz went from making teen sitcom cameos to becoming Hollywood’s wealthiest woman.
Jami Gertz first appeared on our screens at age 16 after a talent search landed her a role on the early 1980s sitcom Square Pegs alongside Sarah Jessica Parker. She admitted on a 2024 episode of Resilience with Richard Cabral that going from unknown teenager to paid professional was an “unusual path” that she never questioned. By the time she starred in John Hughes’s classic Sixteen Candles, Gertz was already earning more than her father and altering family dynamics with her newfound income.
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gertz built credits with films like The Lost Boys and Less Than Zero, as well as television work on shows such as The Facts of Life and Dreams. Her bank balance grew steadily, but fate introduced a new chapter when she met future husband Tony Ressler in 1986. As Gertz told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, Ressler unintentionally fell for her at a dinner party by way of her publicist. Contrary to popular belief, she revealed that she earned more than Ressler at their first encounter and actually financed their first home and vacation together.
The couple married in 1989 and continued dual career climbs. Gertz took roles in Jersey Girl, Twister and even earned an Emmy nomination for a guest spot on Ally McBeal. Meanwhile, Ressler co founded Apollo Management in 1990 and launched Ares Management in 1997, ventures that propelled his estimated net worth to around $13.8 billion, according to Forbes.
In 2007, Gertz tried her hand at producing with Lime Orchard Productions, releasing A Better Life, which snagged an Oscar nod for lead actor Demián Bichir. Yet she admitted the company never turned a real profit. Parenthood also became part of her portfolio as she and Ressler welcomed sons Oliver, Nicholas and Theo.
The headline move arrived in 2015 when the pair purchased the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks for an eye popping $720 million. Gertz recalled nervously pacing the negotiation room – a closet space in Ressler’s Los Angeles office – until the deal closed. Even as team owner, she made occasional appearances on screen in 2017’s Difficult People and 2022’s I Want You Back, though she’s largely stepped away from acting. “It just seemed like a natural moment for me to take a break,” she told The Hollywood Reporter, noting that the shift has been liberating.
There you have it. Jami Gertz did not stumble into wealth by accident. She combined early acting success, smart real estate and industry investments, and partnered with a billionaire finance mogul to claim her spot as Hollywood’s richest woman. I’m sure you’re relieved to finally understand.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, Resilience with Richard Cabral
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
