See Comments Jami Gertz and Atlanta Hawks Ownership
Jami Gertz was earning more than her father before she was old enough to vote. But the teenager from an ordinary Illinois family would eventually become associated with a fortune that dwarfed most Hollywood paychecks. Behind the headlines about the world’s richest actress lies a marriage that began with her paying the bills, and an entirely unexpected financial
Raised in Glenview, Illinois, Jami Gertz entered acting through a nationwide talent search, not family connections. Roles in films including The Lost Boys helped establish her career, but early success also brought financial responsibilities that complicated life at home. When she married financier Tony Ressler in 1989, she was the established earner. She has recalled paying for their first house and a vacation—a detail that challenges assumptions about how their partnership began.
Ressler subsequently co-founded Apollo Global Management and Ares Management, building the investment career behind their family’s multibillion-dollar wealth. Together, they became involved in Atlanta Hawks ownership and supported causes spanning education, healthcare, the arts, and Jewish organizations. Gertz also serves on the Melanoma Research Alliance board. Although “richest actress” rankings often blur personal and shared family fortunes, her story reaches beyond that label: an early career, a lasting partnership, and a life not defined solely by Hollywood.
For audiences who know Gertz from film and television, the Hawks connection can come as a surprise. Her acting career and the basketball ownership group are two separate parts of her public life. A film credit documents her work as a performer. The team’s directory documents her place within its ownership group.
The NBA’s 2015 announcement identifies Ressler as the leader of the group that purchased the club. The current team directory also lists Gertz. That is a clearer description of the connection than a ranking that compares the supposed wealth of individual actors. The figures in those lists may combine household or business assets and may change with the value assigned to those assets.
The published profile connects her acting background to a later role in Atlanta, where her name appears alongside others associated with the organization. Gertz also has a public philanthropic connection with Ressler. In a 2026 announcement, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art said a wing of the Geffen Galleries would carry the Ressler family name in recognition of their support. In each case the institution identifies what Gertz and Ressler did…………….CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
