20 Stars We Bet You Didn’t Know Were Born Rich

Adam Levine may never have started Maroon 5 if he hadn’t been fortunate enough early on to attend Brentwood, a private school in Los Angeles where he first met two of his fellow band members. Luckily, his father’s success as the founder of retail chain M. Frederic made it all possible for him enjoy a very privileged start to life.

Ariana Grande can thank her father, CEO of Ibi Designs Edward Butera, for her comfortable childhood. The Florida-based Ibi Designs is a hugely successful graphic design company that boasts several A-list celebrities as clients.

Jordin Sparks made her mark on the scene as the youngest contender ever to take home top prize in American Idol, but Sparks’ financial groundwork was paved long before she ever sang that first note. Her father, Phillippi Sparks played with the New York Giants from ’92 – ’99, later teaming up with the Dallas Cowboys before signing off in 2001.

Taylor Swift's parents deserve major credit. Swift grew up very comfortably on an 11-acre Christmas tree farm, where she was fortunate enough to attend a private school in her hometown of Pennsylvania. Swift’s father was a successful financial advisor at Merrill-Lynch, and her mother worked as a mutual fund marketing executive.

Actress Rashida Jones is the product of uber successful music producer Quincy Jones with Twin Peaks actress Peggy Lipton. Talk about a power couple!

Before Miley Cyrus was Hannah Montana, her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, was one of country music’s biggest stars. The song that immortalized his music career? Achy Breaky Heart – yeah, that song. Talk about an earworm!

Robin Thicke couldn’t have suffered too many Growing Pains coming up in the shadow of his actor father Alan Thicke. Robin’s mother, Gloria Loring, was big on the Hollywood scene too, having made her mark on the small-screen as character Liz Chandler on Days of our Lives.

Lady Gaga’s upbringing was hardly shabby. The original little monster grew up in the Upper West Side in Manhattan, attended a private school and was even gifted her first years’ rent when she decided to cut her schooling short and pursue a career in singing.

Gwyneth Paltrow – born into the spotlight, Gwyneth is the daughter of actress Blythe Danner and TV producer Bruce Paltrow.

On-screen chops run in the family for Girls star Allison Williams, whose father is TV journalist Brian Williams, longtime anchor of NBC’s Nightly News.

If you’ve ever thought actor Jason Schwartzman looked familiar, look a little closer. It’s not hard to see the resemblance to his actress mother Talia Rose Coppola – who most famously played Adrian in Rocky and Connie Corleone in The Godfather. Look at little closer and you might even see a resemblance to cousin Nicholas Cage and uncle, famed director, Francis Ford Coppola. Now that’s an impressive family tree!

Funny man and SNL alum Nick Kroll might seem down-to-earth, but his cushy start was likely far from humble. The star of Kroll Show and The League grew up in Westchester, New York, the son of Jules B. Kroll. With the claim to a major corporate investigations company under his belt, we’re guessing the “B.” stands for billions.

From child star to Mean Girl to out of control party girl and back again, Lindsay Lohan’s rise – and fall – on the fame rollercoaster has been anything but an easy ride. She did get an early start to the money machine, however, having grown up in the wealthy Long Island community of Cold Spring Harbor, New York – a credit to her father Michael’s then-successful career as a Wall Street trader.

Who knew that the quirky, hilarious female lead in Seinfeld was born into a family with a net worth in the billions?! Before building her own comedy empire, the Dreyfus family name was most commonly associated with her father, Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services, with a net worth estimated in the billions.

These sister stars may be red carpet royalty in Hollywood, but their not-so-humble beginnings are a credit to their football family roots. The pair grew up in Westchester, New York, where their paternal grandfather is credited as the founder of the New York Giants franchise back in 1925, and their grandfather on their mother’s side chiming in with his own football legacy, having founded the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1933.

Kristen Stewart, known for her moody acting chops in front of the camera, was born and raised in Los Angeles by parents who made their fortune working behind the lens. Her mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, worked as a script supervisor and film director, and her father, John Stewart, a TV producer.

This Oscar-nominated A-lister grew up in an academic household, with his accomplished father, A. Bartlett Giamatti, being a professor at Yale for several years before stepping up as president of the ivy-league school for a decade. Proving that his success was not limited to scholarly pursuits, Giamatti’s father then took to the sports realm, first as president of the National League for baseball and then becoming Commissioner of the MLB. Not an easy set of shoes to fill, but we’d say Paul’s done pretty well carrying the Giamatti torch for success.

You can credit Edward Norton’s grandfather (on his mother’s side) for laying the financial foundation for the family fortune before Edward ever made it big in Hollywood. His grandfather, James Rouse, made his fortune in real estate development and urban planning.

Michelle Williams has 3 Oscar nods and countless major films under her belt, so it’s no surprise to hear that success runs in the bloodstream for the Williams’ family. Michelle’s father is Larry R. Williams – no, not a tinseltown staple, but a major player in the political scene, having made the bid for senate twice (albeit unsuccessfully) and made a comfortable life for his family as an author and financier.

Sigourney Weaver, the original Ghostbuster's scream queen, might’ve developed an early education in show-business after watching her dad, former NBC president Sylvester Laflin “Pat” Weaver, Jr. do his thing at the network from 1949 to 1956.