Jami Gertz’s life story could be fit for the big screen.
After growing up in a working-class family in Glenview, Illinois, Gertz, found herself studying at NYU and breaking into acting in the early ‘80s.
Working as an actress since childhood, the Hollywood star found success in movies such as Endless Love, Sixteen Candles, Less Than Zero, The Lost Boys and Twister before appearing on the small screen in smash shows like Seinfeld, ER and Ally McBeal.
Gertz’s life, however, changed even more when she met businessman Tony Ressler in 1987 and marrying two years later.
“Everyone thinks I married a rich guy,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in October 2018. “But I made more money — way more money — than Tony when I met him. I paid for our first house. I paid for our first vacation. I married him because I fell in love with him.”
Over time, however, the Emmy-nominated actress quietly became a reported billionaire as she collaborated with her husband on various businesses. Keep reading to see how Gertz and Ressler found huge success personally and professionally.
Tony Ressler’s Financial Successes
In 1990, Ressler cofounded the private-equity firm Apollo Global before launching Ares Management seven years later.
“We’re a $125-ish billion asset manager,” he told The Hollywood Reporter when asked to clarify what Ares does. “I guess the right quote would be, ‘We’re the most amazing investment firm in the history of the universe.’”
In 2015, Ressler purchased the Atlanta Hawks NBA team with his wife for a reported $720 million in 2015. The couple went on to also hold a minority stake in the Milwaukee Brewers MLB team.
“I get it,” Gertz once told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s not your everyday Hollywood actress tale.”
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Jami Gertz’s Evolving Career
In 2010, Gertz decided to explore careers behind the camera by launching her own production company, Lime Orchard Productions.
“You reach an age, and you slow down, and the jobs are a little hard to come by,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “So I decided to put money into a project of my own.”
While the company had success with the 2011 film A Better Life, Gertz pivoted after five years to focus on home entertaining. (She would often host lavish dinner parties around the Jewish holidays for powerful friends like Disney chairman Bob Iger.)
After Ressler successfully purchased the Hawks, he quickly realized his wife would be a huge asset to the organization. While he prefers to work behind the scenes, Gertz could engage with the media and the greater community.
“I think it’s fair to say that she makes a better impression on our fan base than any of us in the organization,” he admitted. “I’m very active on the business and player personnel decision-making. But Jami steps in when it comes to so many parts of the business that I did not appreciate or have any experience in.”
With so much financial success, both Ressler and Gertz say they make it a priority to give back.
They helped cofound the Painted Turtle Camp, a nonprofit that provides a year-round, life-changing environment and authentic camp experience for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
“We had such good memories of our own experiences at camp, and want to make sure that all sorts of kids get that chance, no matter what their circumstances,” Gertz once wrote to the Huffington Post in 2008. “What I [also] really wanted to do was to make community service a family affair so that it was a philosophy that we all shared.”
