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Some celebrities are self-made, but others were born into dynasties that most of us can only dream about! Join us as we count down our picks for the most surprisingly powerful celebrity family backgrounds, from old-money aristocrats to billion-dollar corporate empires!
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00:00You come from a huge football family. I actually did not know this about you.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at public figures whose families have tons of
00:08influence. While many of us can't relate to the advantages of a powerful upbringing,
00:13check out our upcoming board game Terrible Influence for a chance to roleplay your own
00:17rise to the top. You may even be dealt a powerful family card of your own.
00:21The Ark now you are, and the Asuvius am near.
00:29If you love games, be sure to check out WatchMojo's new game, Terrible Influence.
00:34Just launched for purchase at TerribleInfluence.com. Terrible Influence is a satirical board game
00:39about the dark side of fame from the writer of the most popular girls in school and us,
00:43WatchMojo.
00:44Boom. I can make an apology video.
00:47Oh, you so would.
00:48Click on the link in the description to check out the game and be the first to play Terrible Influence.
00:53Number 10. Cara Delevingne.
01:04You wouldn't really know it, but Cara Delevingne is royalty. Kind of. Her rebellious persona sits
01:09in stark contrast to her prestigious British upbringing. Born into London high society,
01:14Delevingne possesses deep generational ties to the royal family. Her maternal grandmother,
01:18Jane Sheffield, was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, and her father, Charles,
01:22is a highly successful property developer. But the elite bloodline doesn't stop there.
01:27Cara's maternal grandfather, Sir Jocelyn Stevens, was a wealthy publishing magnate and chairman of
01:32English Heritage. Growing up in a lavish Belgravia mansion, Delevingne attended top-tier private
01:37schools before eventually conquering the international fashion world. Long before she ever walked a
01:42runway or starred in a blockbuster, Cara was already living a life of extreme luxury.
01:46Where have you been? Everywhere. Nowhere. You have to get lost before you find yourself.
01:55Number 9. Edward Norton.
01:57My grandfather was a very famous commercial real estate developer, but more famous for being,
02:02in many ways, a philosopher about cities.
02:08You probably know Edward Norton as the anti-consumerist rebel who blew up credit card
02:12companies in Fight Club. But his real-life background is deeply rooted in corporate success
02:17and urban development. Norton's maternal grandfather was James Rouse, a visionary planner
02:22who essentially invented the modern and closed shopping mall. Rouse developed huge commercial
02:26properties across the United States and even founded the entire planned community of Columbia, Maryland.
02:31In the 40s and 50s, he was very, very ahead of the curve in terms of predicting what would happen
02:39if we failed to invest in the inner city and kept and keep it a vital place that people wanted
02:44to
02:44not only come to work, but live. Thanks to the groundbreaking enterprise built by his grandfather,
02:50Norton was raised within a remarkably wealthy and influential household. Yet rather than relying
02:55on that prestigious real estate legacy, Norton chose to forge his own path. He traded blueprints for
03:00scripts, ultimately building a phenomenal Hollywood career entirely on his own merits.
03:07You met me at a very strange time in my life.
03:11Number 8. Chevy Chase
03:13Which brings me to my first point.
03:17Let's take a look at the recent popularity polls, shall we?
03:20Legendary comedian Chevy Chase is famous for his classic slapstick humor and iconic SNL pratfalls.
03:26But behind the goofy exterior lies the absolute pinnacle of New York high society. Born into a 14th
03:32generation elite family, Chase grew up surrounded by vast generational wealth. His father was a
03:37prominent Manhattan magazine editor, while his mother was an heir to the crane plumbing fortune. As if that
03:42wasn't enough financial backing, his father later married into the lucrative Folger coffee dynasty.
03:57He eventually traded his social pedigree for the live stage and made great money falling off desks. But make
04:03no mistake, Chase did not need the money, as he was raised in affluent neighborhoods, educated at
04:08exclusive private boarding schools, and even vacationed at Castle Hill in Massachusetts.
04:13When you had to go through the decision of whether to leave the secure nest of New York,
04:18which is never all that secure, but...
04:20Secure nest of New York.
04:22Cabot says, secure nest of New York, tonight at 9.
04:25Number 7. Nick Kroll
04:26Am I a lucky guy or what? I've got this beautiful family, a gorgeous home, the sounds of Duke Ellington,
04:33a great African American American. Andrew, did you know that Duke Ellington died in this house?
04:38Audiences love the bizarre characters that Nick Kroll plays on shows like Kroll Show and Big Mouth.
04:43But behind the scenes, his family deals in a much more serious kind of business.
04:47You see, Kroll comes from some major corporate muscle. His father, Jules, founded Kroll Inc.,
04:52an investigations and risk consulting firm, often referred to as Wall Street's private eye.
04:57The company specialized in corporate espionage and high-stakes intelligence,
05:01and eventually sold for nearly $2 billion.
05:04Growing up in a billionaire household in New York's affluent Westchester County,
05:08Kroll had every conceivable advantage at his fingertips.
05:11Still, after graduating from Georgetown with a degree in history,
05:15Kroll pursued a career in comedy and began writing for Chappelle's show.
05:18The rest is history.
05:20That's why I...
05:21People still do steal radios, you know.
05:25How do you think I got this suit?
05:29That Rambo's got me!
05:31Ah!
05:32Number 6. Anderson Cooper.
05:34Gloria Vanderbilt, legendary fashion idol.
05:38Has just passed away. We're just getting in.
05:41Have a look at her life. She's died at the age of 95.
05:43CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has built an incredible reputation as a hard-hitting journalist,
05:48frequently reporting from dangerous conflict zones around the globe.
05:51That gritty career choice is fascinating when you consider that his family background
05:55is the definition of American aristocracy.
05:57Gloria Vanderbilt, my mom, lived her entire life in the public eye.
06:02Born in 1924, her father, Reginald Vanderbilt, was heir to the Vanderbilt Railroad fortune,
06:08but gambled away most of his inheritance and died when my mom was just a baby.
06:13Cooper is the son of the late fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt,
06:16making him a direct descendant of Cornelius Vanderbilt.
06:19Back in the 19th century, Cornelius built a monumental empire in shipping and railroads,
06:24creating one of the most legendary fortunes in American history.
06:27Cooper's college experience was almost stereotypically preppy,
06:30attending Yale and serving as coxswain on the rowing team.
06:33Despite being born into this historic dynasty of old money,
06:36Cooper openly rejected the idea of relying on a Vanderbilt inheritance
06:40and established his own legacy.
06:42The last few weeks, every time I kissed her goodbye, I'd say,
06:45I love you, mom.
06:46She would look at me and say, I love you too.
06:50You know that.
06:51And she was right.
06:52I did know that.
06:54I knew it from the moment I was born,
06:56and I'll know it for the rest of my life.
06:58Number five, Kate and Rooney Mara.
07:00Well, one of your first acting jobs was actually a Super Bowl commercial,
07:03so that's elevated.
07:05I was like, that's incredible.
07:07It was really very exciting.
07:09It's still exciting today to watch it,
07:11because I wish I wasn't in a Super Bowl commercial today.
07:15I mean, they're huge, yeah.
07:16These talented acting sisters have successfully conquered film and television,
07:20but their family tree is actually rooted in professional football.
07:24In fact, the sisters boast legendary sports dynasty bloodlines on both sides of their family.
07:29Rooney and Kate are the great-granddaughters of Tim Mara,
07:32the historic founder of the New York Giants,
07:34and Art Rooney, the iconic founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
07:37To this day, their relatives remain deeply involved in the ownership and daily operations
07:41of both highly valuable NFL franchises.
07:44But one of your parents owns the Steelers, and one owns the Giants.
07:48Yeah.
07:50I'm gonna let that sit for a minute.
07:52Yeah, because I was like, wait, what?
07:53The girls grew up amidst billionaire owners and Super Bowl trophies,
07:56but that's not all.
07:57Their grand-uncle Dan Rooney was the United States ambassador to Ireland,
08:01and their grandfather Tim ran the Yonkers Raceway and Empire City Casino
08:05before selling it for $850 million in 2019.
08:09Today, we have a very special guest.
08:12She is an actress.
08:13She is an activist.
08:15And I think, technically, she's our boss.
08:17Maybe.
08:18Yeah, so we got to do a good job today.
08:20Please welcome Kate Mara.
08:21Number 4.
08:22Armie Hammer
08:23None of our residents has ever had a local bank account.
08:26Really?
08:26Mm.
08:27Should I take them to Montaudier?
08:29I think they're closed for summer vacation.
08:32You try, uh, crema.
08:34Before public controversies derailed his Hollywood career,
08:37Armie Hammer was best known as a handsome leading man.
08:40And his preppy, rich kid energy from Call Me By Your Name isn't far off,
08:44as Hammer came from serious oil money.
08:46He is the great-grandson of powerful oil tycoon Armand Hammer.
08:50Armand ran Occidental Petroleum for decades,
08:53amassing a jaw-dropping personal fortune,
08:55while rubbing elbows with world leaders and foreign dignitaries.
08:58You don't just wake up one morning and become a monster.
09:01It's a learned behavior.
09:02Yes, Armie brought the spotlight on it,
09:05but then it delves deeper into the layering
09:09and the multi-generational aspects of my family.
09:12Men that were abusive, women in my family were disposable.
09:17He even had very close ties with Lenin and the Soviet Union,
09:20earning the nickname Lenin's Chosen Capitalist.
09:23Growing up, Armie enjoyed a privileged lifestyle,
09:26spending his childhood bouncing between affluent enclaves
09:29in Dallas and the Cayman Islands.
09:30Funnily enough, he dropped out of school in 11th grade to pursue acting,
09:34a move that briefly got him disowned,
09:36although his parents eventually came around.
09:39This docuseries chronicles the men in your family
09:42and the very dark secrets they kept.
09:44Your grandfather, Armand Hammer, built an oil empire,
09:47and in the docuseries, you say that your family
09:50was a million times worse than the show Succession,
09:52which is saying something.
09:54Number 3. Nicola Peltz
09:56The star of The Last Airbender and Bates Motel
10:08grabbed headlines for her high-profile marriage
10:10to Brooklyn Beckham, son of the famous Beckham dynasty.
10:13But Nicola Peltz brings plenty of wealth to the table herself.
10:17The actress is the daughter of Nelson Peltz,
10:19a billionaire activist investor
10:21and founding partner of Tryon Fund Management.
10:23His investment firm has held significant influence
10:26over some of the world's biggest brands,
10:28including Wendy's, Procter & Gamble, and Heinz.
10:30In fact, Peltz is a former director of Heinz,
10:33not to mention Ingersoll Rand and Mondelez.
10:36As a child, Peltz alternated her time
10:38between a 27-bedroom estate in Bedford, New York,
10:41and an oceanfront mansion in Palm Beach,
10:43which is where she was later married.
10:45So yeah, you could certainly say
10:47that Peltz was surrounded by opulence
10:49and extreme corporate power.
10:51Yeah, it was a beautiful wedding.
10:52And as a mother, to see my son so happy
10:57means so much.
10:58What more can you ask for?
11:00Number two, Balthazar Getty.
11:02Thomas Grace.
11:04I want to sit down.
11:07Let's sit down.
11:08You might recognize Balthazar Getty
11:10from projects like Lord of the Flies or Alias,
11:12but even if you don't recognize the face,
11:14you probably recognize the last name,
11:16which carries some of the heaviest financial weight
11:19in modern history.
11:20Balthazar is a direct heir to the famous Getty fortune,
11:23being the great-grandson of Getty oil founder J. Paul Getty.
11:26By the mid-20th century,
11:28his great-grandfather was recognized
11:29as the wealthiest private citizen in the entire world,
11:32with his personal net worth hovering around $1.2 billion.
11:36I don't have any money.
11:38Get it from your father-in-law.
11:40He has all the money in the world.
11:41The family legacy is filled with extreme wealth,
11:45prominent art collections,
11:46and dark, highly publicized tragedies.
11:48For example, Balthazar's dad was John Paul Getty III,
11:51who was famously kidnapped in 1973.
11:54The experience left him deeply traumatized,
11:56and he died in 2011 at just 54.
12:00Sorry, I should have knocked before coming in.
12:02To the point, Nancy, the market's open.
12:05He's been kidnapped.
12:06Paul, little Paul, your grandson in Rome,
12:09they need to speak with you right now.
12:17Before we continue,
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12:27Check out the full track and album below.
12:36When I rise, you fill my head
12:39In every dream it's you I've made
12:56Take the top spot is comedy icon Julia Louis-Dreyfus,
13:00who built a television empire starring in the likes of Seinfeld and Veep.
13:04Yet her family background is an empire in and of itself,
13:07representing a staggering level of global financial dominance.
13:11Oh my God, he has his head.
13:13So up his ass, he can wave out his mouth.
13:16Her late father, William, was a billionaire
13:18and the chairman of the Louis-Dreyfus Company.
13:20Originally founded by Julia's great-great-grandfather,
13:23this global merchant firm is heavily involved in agriculture,
13:27food processing, and international shipping.
13:28The corporation literally dominates a significant percentage
13:32of the entire world's agricultural trade.
13:34While Julia undeniably earned her own massive fortune
13:37through her comedic brilliance,
13:38the family safety net hiding in the background
13:40is one of the largest on the planet.
13:42Mr. Louis-Dreyfus, I'm sure you get asked this all the time,
13:45but tell us what this young lady was like as a little girl.
13:49I mean, did you always know she was going to be a star?
13:52If you love games,
13:54be sure to check out WatchMojo's new game Terrible Influence,
13:56just launched for purchase at TerribleInfluence.com.
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