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August 16, 2021

The most surprisingly rich celebrities in Hollywood

Hollywood is filled with money, which is why the biggest talents and best-looking people flock to L.A.

They’re looking for riches, and some find them in a big way. The Tom Cruises and Will Smiths of the world connect at the box office, so no one’s surprised to learn they’re swinging big bank accounts.

But what about the filthy rich celebs no one can quite figure how they got so wealthy?

Who might they be?

Business Insider, with a nod to CelebrityNetWorth.com, recently compiled a list of the richest celebrities, based on net worth.

*Bing: Who is the highest-grossing movie star ever?

The usual suspects fill the top spots – Tom Cruise, worth $250 million, is no. 1, while Will Smith, Robert De Niro and John Travolta are among the top spots.

Though of the 27 listed celebs, you might not have seen these ones coming.

At no. 26 is Martin Sheen, the most underrated actor in the biz but never someone that’s been a box office draw. Some 231 TV and movie credits, including Apocalypse Now  and The West Wing, will stack up, though, to the tune of $50 million.

At no. 19 is Ludacris, who’s a fine rapper but rappers don’t generally find their way into this kind of money. Worth some $65 million, the Atlanta hip-hopper has his eighth album coming out, but is probably most famous from rapping on the biggest video on YouTube.

At no. 15 is Robin Williams. There’s something about stand-up comedians, no doubt. Worth $130 million, Williams is the latest in a long line of surprisingly rich stand-ups, like Larry the Cable Guy, who once made $20 million in a single year.

At no. 11 is Larry King, who’s a journalist above all. Despite six divorces and an annulment, the retired-but-not-really King is worth $150 million.

But you won’t believe who’s the fourth richest celeb in L.A.

Following Cruise, Smith, De Niro and five spots ahead of Denzel Effing Washington is Drew Carey.

Carey, the comedian, had a couple hit TV shows, The Drew Carey Show  and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, though he’d be about the 20,000th person you’d guess when asked to round out the five richest celebrities.

Thanks to his producing credits, at his peak Carey earned $45.5 million in one year, and now he’s reportedly worth $165 million.

By Jason Buckland, MSN Money

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...