America has been around for a relatively short time compared to other countries. Despite its comparative newness, it has still managed to become the homeplace of some of the world’s most successful multinational corporations – and some of the richest celebrities in the world.
From Facebook to Hilton, Amazon to Ford, acting dynasties, and sports legend, America is practically synonymous with innovation. And because they are the best of the best, they have managed to make quite a profit. In America, it’s still common to pass down your wealth, whether it’s to your kids, your spouse, or beyond.
Even if they’re not interested in entering the family business, they still get a healthy part of the fortune. On this list are the richest heirs and heiresses in America. Some names you’ll recognize, while others keep a low profile, choosing to be rich but not famous.
1. Kristen Stewart
Net Worth: $70 Million*
Wealth Inherited From: John Stewart
In 2010 and 2012, Kristen Stewart was listed as the world’s highest-paid actress. She was born in LA, and her parents, including TV producer John Stewart, worked in show business. She began acting as a child in 1999. In 2002, she started gaining notice for her roles when she portrayed Jodie Foster’s daughter in the movie Panic Room.
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Kristen Stewart ©Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com
That role was followed by Speak, Catch That Kid, Zathura, and Into the Wild. She became internationally famous when she appeared in the Twilight series, which was a fantasy saga that grossed around $3.3 billion worldwide and also starred Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson.
2. Paris Jackson
Net Worth: $100 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Michael Jackson
Paris Jackson is the daughter of actress Debbie Rowe and the late pop star Michael Jackson, who left behind a net worth of half a billion dollars. Paris Jackson has two siblings, Prince II and Michael Jr. Paris is an actress and musician herself, appearing in the movie Gringo in 2018 and the TV show Star from 2016 until 2019.
Paris was born in Beverly Hills in 1998. The twenty-one-year-old heiress also began modeling, a departure from her childhood, where her father famously used a blanket to prevent her and her siblings’ faces from being seen by the cameras.
3. Brandon Davis
Net Worth: $55 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Marvin Davis
Brandon Davis is the heir to the Davis family fortune, which comes from Davis Petroleum. Marvin Davis was the founder of that oil company, and he also briefly owned 20th Century Fox, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Aspen Skiing Company, and Pebble Beach Corporation. He ha a net worth of $5.2 billion.
Marvin was born in 1925, and he had five children, and many grandchildren, one of which being Brandon. Brandon has taken to more of an eclectic, artsy vibe. He launches pop-up art shows for artists such as Bosco Sodi in locations like Beverly Hills and Los Angeles
4. Sam Branson
Net Worth: $1 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Richard Branson
Sam Branson is the heir to the Branson fortune, which was founded by his father, Richard Branson, who is the head of Virgin Group. Virgin Groupe is a collection of hundreds of companies under the Virgin brand. Sam Branson has gone his own way as a filmmaker and social media influencer.
He recently embarked on a 1,400-mile journey across the Arctic. He did the three-month journey by dogsled and documented it on his Instagram and Twitter accounts to raise awareness about the perils of environmental destruction. He has also appeared in movies like Superman Returns and Famous and Fearless.
5. Jane Lauder
Net Worth: $4.1 billion*
Wealth Inherited From: Estée Lauder
Jane Lauder has been heavily involved in her family’s legendary beauty product brand Estee Lauder throughout her entire professional career. Most recently on June 19th, 2020, Estee Lauder announced that Jane Lauder would be taking over the role of Executive Vice President.
Since childhood Jane has lived a relatively gossip-free life, she received her Bachelor’s degree from Stanford and has been focusing mainly on her professional life since graduating. She also married a successful Stanford grad, Kevin Walsh, who became the youngest-ever to be appointed to the Federal Reserve Board.
6. Araminta Mellon
Net Worth: $12 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Mellon Bank
Araminta Mellon is part of the Mellon dynasty, which has banks all over the world. Her father is Matthew Mellon, and he was married to Tamara Mellon, who founded Jimmy Choo, a popular high-fashion brand. Sadly, Araminta’s father died of a heart attack a few years ago.
Or did he? The Mail on Sunday did an investigation into his death and found that the eccentric billionaire may not have died the way people said he did. Mellon was reportedly very paranoid about spies. He would force guests to place plastic stickers on their phone cameras to prevent surveillance. Mail says that his loved ones feel he didn’t die of natural causes.
7. Victoria B. Mars
Net Worth: $7.2 billion*
Wealth Inherited From: Mars, Inc.
Frank C. Mars founded Mars, Inc. in 1911, and Victoria Mars is one of the heiresses to the fortune. Frank was her great-grandfather. Victoria was born in 1965, and she inherited stock options from her family. She also served as the chairman of the company for many years until her semi-retirement. As of 2020, her net worth is $7.2 billion.
She and her sisters, Pamela, Marijke, and Valerie, all own stock in the company, but Victoria is likely the most involved in the day to day operations. Mars, Inc. is a candy company that brings in $35 billion a year in stock. Victoria has vowed to never take the company public.
8. Abigail Johnson
Net Worth: $15 billion*
Wealth Inherited From: Fidelity Investments
CEO Abigail Johnson is a billionaire businesswoman who has been the head of Fidelity Investments since 2014. She is also the chairwoman of Fidelity International, which is Fidelity’s sister company.
She worked her way up, and, over time, she began to take over for her father. It was her grandfather who founded the investment firm. Johnson is married to Christopher McKown, himself the president of a financial firm (Force Financial), and they have one child together.
9. Katherine Schwarzenegger
Net Worth: $3 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Kennedy Family
Katherine Schwarzenegger studied communications at the University of Southern California, before going on to become an author. She wrote a book about body positivity called Rock What You’ve Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty from Someone Who’s Been There and Back, and currently runs a lifestyle blog.
Schwarzenegger got married to Chris Pratt of Parks and Recreation and Marvel Cinematic Universe fame in 2019. In 2020 the couple had a daughter, named Lyla Maria. Katherine continues to work in advocacy for animal rights, serving as ambassador for the ASPCA.
10. Jack Schlossberg
Net Worth: $2.5 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Kennedy Family
Jack Schlossberg graduated from Yale in 2015, and went on to Harvard Law School before switching to Harvard Business School after one year. The son of Ed Schlossberg and Caroline Kennedy, Jack has always been a go-getter, starting a non-profit organization in eighth grade.
The organization, called ReLight, provides eco-friendly and electricity-efficient light bulbs to low-income families, encouraging environmental awareness and helping people in the process. The ambitious young adult has even spent time living and working in Japan.
11. Rose Schlossberg
Net Worth: $1.5 million*
Wealth Inherited From: Kennedy Family
Rose Schlossberg is a Harvard graduate who took a different path from the rest of her family post-graduation. The Jackie Kennedy look-alike decided to go into comedy, working on a post-apocalyptic web series with a friend Mara Nelson-Greenberg.
Called End Times Girls Club, the web series is inspired by New Yorkers’ reactions to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Poking fun at how underprepared people were for the massive flooding, Schlossberg and Nelson-Greenberg provide tips for surviving the end of the world, but with a comedic slant.
