From-NFL-team-owners-to-computer-science-researchers-Meet-the-12.jpeg

From NFL team owners to computer-science researchers: Meet the 12 billionaires who have won Oscars

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Updated

  • These 12 billionaires are also Oscar winners.
  • Some are the famous filmmakers behind some of the most commercially successful movie franchises.
  • Others are billionaires who have accumulated their wealth through other avenues.

When thinking about Oscar winners, NFL team owners and computer-science researchers might not immediately come to mind.

But some of these icons of their industries have joined other, more famously creative billionaires to accept Hollywood’s highest honors.

Out of the hundreds of Academy Award winners each year, only a tiny minority have net worths comparable to those of tech and industry leaders who define the ultrawealthy class.

The “Avatar” and “Titanic” director James Cameron recently became the newest member of the exclusive club, with Forbes reporting that the filmmaker surpassed the $1 billion net worth mark in December.

Cameron, whose films have earned an estimated $9 billion at the box office, is joining the minds behind some of the biggest box-office hits, including director Steven Spielberg, “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, and “Lord of the Rings” creator Peter Jackson.

In February, Forbes also crowned Spielberg, who has a net worth of $7.1 billion, as the world’s wealthiest celebrity in 2026.

As you start getting ready for your Oscars’ watch party, see which 12 billionaires have won Academy Awards, and see the movies, documentaries, and short films they’ve worked on as directors, producers, writers, executive producers, or in other capacities.

We’ve ranked them on their estimated net worths, as reported by Forbes as of March 12.

Steven Rales

Rales has worked closely as a producer in Wes Anderson films since 2006.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Estimated net worth: $7.8 billion

Rales, the chairman and cofounder of medical manufacturer Danaher, founded the film production company Indian Paintbrush in 2006 and has worked closely with director Wes Anderson ever since.

Rales also owns film distributors Janus Films and The Criterion Collection and has a 20% in the NBA Indiana Pacers.

He won the best live-action short film award in 2024 with Anderson’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” which he produced.

Jeffrey Lurie


Jeffrey Lurie looked on during a Philadelphia Eagles game.

Jeffrey Lurie purchased the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994.

Brooke Sutton/Contributor/Getty Images

Estimated net worth: $7.6 billion

The Boston businessman purchased the Philadelphia Eagles for $185 million in 1994 and has won two Super Bowls since. But Lurie has a background in film, and has produced and executive-produced more than a dozen movies.

His grandfather founded the General Cinema movie-theater chain, which operated 1,500 screens at its peak in 1991 before it was acquired by AMC in the early 2000s.

Lurie has won three Oscars for best documentary as executive producer of “Inside Job” in 2011, “Inocente” in 2013, and “Summer of Soul” in 2022.

Steven Spielberg


Steven Spielberg at the Oscars.

The filmmaker is regarded as the most commercially successful film director of all time.

Amy Sussman/WireImage

Estimated net worth: $7.1 billion

The film director and producer has worked on some of the most successful films of the past 30 years, including “Jurassic Park,” “Jaws,” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”

He’s regarded as the most commercially successful film director of all time and a pioneer of the modern blockbuster, with his films amassing a box-office total of over $10.7 billion over 37 films, as reported by The Numbers.

He won the Oscar for best director in 1999 with “Saving Private Ryan” and in 1994 with “Schindler’s List,” which also won best picture that year.

In February, he also achieved EGOT status when he took home a Grammy for best music film for “Music by John Williams,” which he produced.

Jeff Skoll


Jeff Skoll, Ricky Strauss, Davis Guggenheim, winner Best Documentary Feature for

The former eBay president (left) has executive-produced two best picture award-winning films.

Jeff Vespa/WireImage

Estimated net worth: $5.3 billion

Skoll, who was eBay’s first president from 1996 to 1998, founded film production company Participant Media in 2004 to create films that increased awareness of social issues.

He won best picture as executive producer of “Spotlight” in 2016 and “Green Book” in 2019.

In total, Participant Media won 21 Academy Awards over 86 nominations, including best international film for “Roma.” The company shuttered in 2024.

George Lucas


George Lucas holds Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the 64th Annual Academy Awards

The founder of Lucasfilm sold his production company to Disney in 2012.

Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images

Estimated net worth: $5.1 billion

The creator of the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises founded the film production company Lucasfilm in 1971 and sold it to Disney for $4 billion in 2012.

In 1992, he won the Oscars’ Irving G. Thalberg Award, which awards “creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production.” He was also nominated for best director and best original screenplay for “American Graffiti” and “Star Wars” in 1973 and 1977, respectively.

Oprah Winfrey


Oprah Winfrey speaks onstage during the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California.

The media mogul was nominated for best supporting actress in 1985 and won an honorary award in 2011.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Estimated net worth: $3.2 billion

The TV host and media mogul has often been regarded as the most powerful woman in media and was once the world’s only Black billionaire.

She won the Oscars’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which recognizes “outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes” in 2011. She was also nominated for best supporting actress in 1985 for “The Color Purple.”

Steve Tisch


The New York Giants co-owner (right) has produced over 40 films, including “Forrest Gump.”

Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Estimated net worth: $2.2 billion

The chairman, co-owner, and executive vice president of the New York Giants has produced over 40 films and has worked closely with Columbia and Sony Pictures.

He won the Oscar for best picture in 1995 with “Forrest Gump.”

Peter Jackson


Peter Jackson, winner of Best Director for

The “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” creator has amassed over $6.5 billion at the box office.

Albert L. Ortega/WireImage

Estimated net worth: $1.9 billion, per Forbes

The “Lord of The Rings” and “Hobbit” filmmaker has written, directed, and worked on over 20 films and is the fifth highest-grossing director of all time, with his films surpassing $6.5 billion at the box office, per The Numbers rankings.

In 2004, he won Oscars for best director, best adapted screenplay, and best picture for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

Pat Hanrahan


Pat Hanrahan arrives at the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences' Scientific And Technical Awards Ceremony at Beverly Hills Hotel on February 15, 2014.

Pat Hanrahan has won multiple Academy Awards.

Valerie Macon/Getty Images

Estimated net worth: $1.6 billion

The computer graphics researcher, founding Pixar Animation Studio employee, and computer-science and electrical-engineering professor at Stanford University has worked on groundbreaking animation software that led to films like “Toy Story.”

He won a scientific and engineering Academy Award in 1993 and two technical achievement Oscars in 2004 and 2014.

Richard Anthony Wolf


Dick Wolf attends Variety Power of Law presented by City National Bank.

The “Law & Order” producer won best short film as a producer for “Twin Towers” in 2003.

Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty Images

Estimated net worth: $1.5 billion

The film producer, best known for creating the “Law & Order” franchise, founded Wolf Entertainment in 1988. It has become one of the most prolific companies in the television business.

He won the Academy Award for best short film as a producer with “Twin Towers” in 2003.

Tyler Perry


Tyler Perry holding his Oscar statue.

The Madea creator has an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion.

ABC via Getty Images

Estimated net worth: $1.4 billion

The filmmaker and playwright created the Madea character in 1999 and founded his own production company, Tyler Perry Studios, in 2006. In 2019, he unveiled the new 330-acre studio grounds in Atlanta. His films have made over $765 million at the box office.

He received the Oscars’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2021.

James Cameron


James Cameron Oscars win in 1998

The director of “Titanic” and “Avatar” has earned over $9 billion at the box office.

Getty Images/Bob Riha, Jr.

Estimated net worth: $1.1 billion

The director of “The Terminator,” “Titanic,” and “Avatar,” has directed three of the top five highest-grossing movies of all time, as listed by Box Office Mojo. Despite having directed only 10 feature films, Cameron is the second-highest-grossing director of all time.

He won the Academy Award for best director and best picture with “Titanic” in 1998.




Source link

EV-owners-are-taking-a-victory-lap-as-gas-prices.jpeg

EV owners are taking a victory lap as gas prices skyrocket: ‘I had no idea, I drive a Tesla’

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Tickers above American gas stations are flashing higher prices.

EV owners, meanwhile, are plugging in — and laughing about it online.

Across social media, electric-vehicle drivers are touting their savings as fuel costs climb during the US and Israel’s military interventions in Iran.

Many have posted meme-filled victory laps about the price of “filling up.”

One shared a compilation of a mustached Tom Selleck turning toward the camera with a smug grin in “Magnum P.I.” Others are posting screenshots of their cheap charging sessions. Some are sharing gleeful TikToks while plugging their EVs into a home charger.

Juicy J — the cofounder of Three 6 Mafia and a producer of the Academy Award-winning song “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp” — also weighed in, saying it was “time to go full electric.”

Gas prices have surged as military strikes in the Middle East disrupted oil production and heightened fears about tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a key artery for an estimated 20% of global oil and liquified natural gas shipments.

Brent crude climbed over $100 a barrel Sunday night as traders reacted to the instability. By Monday afternoon, the price had dropped back to the low $80s.

American drivers are paying more at the gas station. On February 21 — before tensions escalated — the average price of a gallon of regular gas in the US was $2.93, according to AAA.

By Monday, it had risen to $3.48, an 18.7% jump in 15 days.

In some areas, the increases have been even steeper. A Los Angeles gas station advertised prices above $8 a gallon, according to local ABC affiliate KABC.

Public EV charging rates, by contrast, have risen far less.

Over the same period, the national average price per kilowatt-hour at public charging stations increased from $0.39 to $0.42 — a 7.6% bump, according to AAA data.

And most EV owners charge at home, where electricity rates are typically lower and less directly tied to crude oil prices than gasoline.

“I had no idea,” one driver wrote on X about oil prices. “I drive a Tesla.”

Some users on X pointed out that charging costs vary widely by state and utility provider.

In regions where electricity generation relies heavily on natural gas, power prices could rise if energy markets remain volatile.

For example, in Kansas, EV charging costs about $0.30 per kilowatt-hour, according to AAA. In Louisiana — where charging stations are more sparse — the average is $0.47.

The online gloating comes at a complicated moment for the EV market. Even as gas prices heat up, sales of electric vehicles have cooled.

In January 2026, sales of EVs at American dealerships fell by 53.5% compared to the same month last year, per CarGurus’ data shared with Business Insider.

Even as EV sales shrink, Americans who have traded in the gas tank for the battery are taking this time to bask in their money-saving glory.

“Who’s glad to have an EV during this time of high gas prices?” one person wrote on Reddit. “I guess not having to deal with the ups and downs of gas prices is one of the benefits of owning an EV.”

Are gas prices affecting your daily travel? We want to hear from you. Contact Ben Shimkus at bshimkus@insider.com or Signal at bshimkus.41. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.




Source link

Meet-the-billionaire-owners-behind-every-NFL-team.jpeg

Meet the billionaire owners behind every NFL team

by with No Comment Xpandfy

The New York Giants were founded in 1925 by Tim Mara and have been part of the Mara family ever since.

Team ownership was passed to Tim’s sons, Jack and Wellington Mara, in 1959, and now the team is run by principal owner, CEO, and president John Mara, who took over in 2005 after his father, Wellington’s, death. John Mara had been with the organization since 1991.

However, while John Mara is listed as the team’s principal owner, he’s actually shared ownership with Steve Tisch since 2005.

Steve Tisch’s father, Preston Robert Tisch, purchased a 50% stake in the Giants in 1991, and after his death, Steve became chairman and executive vice president.

Together, Mara and Tisch helped plan and build MetLife Stadium, and the team has won two Super Bowls (2008 and 2012) under their leadership. However, the team has struggled in recent years, winning just four games last season.

Still, the Giants are the fourth most valuable team in sports, worth $10.1 billion. Tisch has an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion, Forbes reported, while Mara reportedly has an estimated net worth of $500 million.

Tisch was not named in the 2025 report card; Mara was given a C+ ownership ranking by the NFLPA.




Source link