1.William Gates III Age: 54
Fortune: self made
Source: Microsoft
Net Worth: $40.0 billion (£25 billion)
Country of Citizenship: United States
Industry: Software
Marital Status: married, 3 children | 2. Warren Buffett Age: 79
Fortune: self made
Source: Berkshire Hathaway
Net Worth: $37.0 billion (£23.1 billion)
Country Of Citizenship: United States
Industry: Investments
Marital Status: widowed, remarried, 3 children | 3. Carlos Slim Helu Age: 70
Fortune: self made
Source: telecom
Net Worth: $35.0 billion (£21.8 billion)
Country of Citizenship: Mexico
Industry: Communications
Marital Status: Widowed, 6 children |
4. Lawrence Ellison Age: 65
Source: Oracle
Net Worth: $22.5 billion (£14.04billion)
Nationality: United States
Marital Status: Thrice divorced, remarried; two children Larry Ellison is co-founder and CEO of software firm Oracle. Company has racked up 49 acquisitions in the past four years. Bought BEA Systems for $8.5 billion last year.
| 5. Ingvar Kamprad Age: 84
Source: IKEA
Net Worth: $22.0 Billion
Nationality: Sweden
Marital Status: Divorced, remarried; four children.Furniture retail chain IKEA’s founder peddled matches, pens, fish, Christmas cards and other items on his bike as a teenager. Opened first Ikea store 50 years ago; store’s name is a combination of initials of his first and last name, his family farm and the nearest village. | 6. Karl Albrecht
Age: 90
Source: ALDI Supermarkets
Net Worth: £13.4billion
Country of Citizenship: Germany
Marital Status: Married, two children Germany’s richest person owns discount supermarket giant Aldi Sud. Sales in the U.S. up estimated 20% last year to $7 billion. Plans to open 75 U.S. stores in 2009, including first in New York City. |
Show Biz’s Richest Women
Still, in the top of the richest women in showbiz, we find the legendary Oprah Winfrey, whose fortune is estimated at 1.5 billion dollars. Oprah is 55 years old and has a self made fortune.
Second place is reserved for the creator of the famous Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, who has a fortune estimated at 1 billion dollars. Rowling was a single mother before becoming one of the richest women in showbiz. Like Oprah, J.K. Rowling is responsible for her own wealth success now aged 44 years old.
Martha Stewart is in third place, with over 630 million dollars earned from publications and TV lifestyle shows, addressed especially to housewives. Martha is 68 years old. She wrote several books that have become bestsellers, she owns the publication Martha Stewart Living.
Madonna earns fourth place in the top of the richest women in showbiz, with a fortune estimated at 325 million dollars at the age of 50 years.
Place 5 is dedicated to the music diva Celine Dion aged 42 years, who has a fortune of 250 million dollars.
Mariah Carey is in 6th place. Even though she has had many problems in career she has managed to retain her wealth. The fortune of the 39 years old star is estimated to be in the region of 225 million dollars.
Place 7 is for Janet Jackson, who has earned 150 million dollars. She is 44 years old and has encountered several problems related to her career.
Places 8 and 9 are achieved by Julia Roberts and Jennifer Lopez with 140 million dollars and 110 million dollars.
Place 10 is dedicated to Jennifer Aniston, whose fortune is estimated at 110 million dollars, earned mainly from the series "Friends."
Top Hollywood Child Millionaires
"Hannah Montana" fancy pants Miley Cyrus and "Harry Potter" hunk Daniel Radcliffe tie for the top spot, each taking home $25 million in 2008. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, now 23, placed third, banked an estimated $15 million in 2008. The Jonas Brothers are in fourth place. No. 5 is "High School Musical" star Zac Efron, who raked in $5.8 million in 2008.
The Sprouses
Are twin brothers Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse the next Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? (For their sakes, we hope not!) The stars of 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody' could be, if the Olsens' company, DualStar, has its way. DualStar's invested an undisclosed amount into the boys as their own brand.
Life was the suite smell of success for identical teenage twins Zack and Cody Martin after their mum, Carey, landed a job head-lining at the five-star Tipton Hotel in Boston, which came with an upper-floor suite. From their new roost, the twins turned the hotel into their playground, although the pranks were usually instigated by the girl-obsessed Zack, not the more mature and intellectual Cody. When her schedule permitteds, the boys were ``handled'' by Maddie Fitzpatrick, the teenage candy-counter girl who also acts as the somewhat unlikely best friend of spoiled London Tipton, the daughter of the hotel's owner.