Winning an Oscar is every entertainer's ultimate dream come true. Even most of us non-actors have probably given a pretend Oscar acceptance speech in front of a mirror and an imaginary audience at some point in our lives. On Sunday, February, 22 2015, Neil Patrick Harris will entertain millions of people around the world as the host of the 87th annual Academy Awards. As we all know by now, every year Oscars are given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honor Hollywood's finest actors, writers, directors, singers, producers and everything in between. Typically, these Oscar recipients also tend to be some of the wealthiest and highest paid people on the planet. There are plenty people who have spent decades making tons of money and reaching the highest levels of success, but who still feel like utter failures without winning an Oscar. So who are the richest Oscar winners of all time?
Soon after publishing this article, a reader correctly pointed out that Paul McCartney and Oprah Winfrey were missing from our original list. McCartney won as a Beatle in 1971 for the song "Let it Be," from the movie of the same title, and Oprah was given a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2011. Here are some more interesting facts we learned from our list of the richest Oscar winners:
Richest Oscar Winners Fun Facts:
- 1) They have a combined net worth of more than $18 billion.
- 2) Only 4 out of the 25 winners are women.
- 3) Many of the top 25 are musicians.
- 4) Being an actor is clearly not enough–In order to make this list you needed to produce, direct or compose something spectacular.
The 20 Richest Oscar Winners of all Time / Carlo Allegri/Getty Images
The Richest Oscar Winners Of All Time
#27: George Clooney – Net Worth $180 Million
George Clooney won his first Academy Award as a Best Supporting actor in 2006 for the movie "Syriana".
#26: Sandra Bullock – Net Worth $200 Million
#25: Robert De Niro – Net Worth $200 Million (Raging Bull, The Godfather Part II)
Robert De Niro won his first academy award as a supporting actor in 1974's The Godfather II. De Niro is number 22 on our list of richest Oscar winners with a net worth of $185 million.
#24: Michael Douglas – Net Worth $200 Million (Producer of "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest," Best Actor in "Wall Street")
Interestingly, Michael Douglas won his first Academy Award for producing not acting when he took home the gold for 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Michael Douglas is #21 with a net worth of $200 million.
#23: Lionel Richie – Net Worth $200 Million (Best Original Song "Say You, Say Me" from "White Nights")
Prolific song writer, singer and producer Lionel Richie won the Best Original Song Academy Award for 1985's "Say You, Say Me" from the film White Nights.
#22: Bruce Springsteen – Net Worth $250 Million (Best Original Song, "Streets of Philadelphia" from "Philadelphia")
#21: Brad Pitt – Net Worth $240 Million (Executive Producer, "12 Years A Slave")
#20: Phil Collins – Net Worth $250 Million
#19: Prince – Net Worth $250 Million (Best Original Song Score "Purple Rain")
#18: Sean Connery – Net Worth $300 Million
#17: Cher – Net Worth $305 Million
#16: Quincy Jones – Net Worth $310 Million
#15: Barbra Streisand – Net Worth $340 Million
#14: Tom Hanks – Net Worth $350 Million
#13: Elton John – Net Worth $370 Million
#12: Clint Eastwood – Net Worth $375 Million
#11: Peter Jackson – Net Worth $400 Million
#10: Jack Nicholson – Net Worth $400 Million
#9: Mel Gibson – Net Worth $425 Million
#8: James L. Brooks – Net Worth $500 Million
#7: Elizabeth Taylor – Net Worth $600 Million
#6: James Cameron – Net Worth $700 Million
#4: Paul McCartney – Net Worth $800 Million
#4: Andrew Lloyd Webber – Net Worth $1.2 Billion
#3: Oprah Winfrey – Net Worth $2.9 Billion
#2: Steven Spielberg – Net Worth $3.1 Billion
#1: Walt Disney – Net Worth $5 Billion
Not only is Walt Disney the richest Oscar winner of all time with a net worth of $5 billion, he's also won more Academy Awards than anyone in history. Walt Disney won an astounding 26 Oscars, including four in one year alone (another record). Do you think Spielberg can catch up?
