George Lucas
In a galaxy right here, Star Wars creator George Lucas built his empire of sorts from the ground up.
He began his production company, Lucasfilm, in the early 1970s and began amassing wealth from his movies and their merchandise. The Star Wars franchise holds the Guinness World Record for most successful film merchandising. It achieved the record in February 2012 with a valuation of over $30.57 billion.
Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012 for $4.1 billion in stock and cash, reported Forbes. Though additional Star Wars movies, TV series and theme park attractions (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida) have come out since the acquisition, Lucas has shifted his focus to philanthropy.
The George Lucas Educational Foundation aims to help improve education for kids ranging from pre-K through high school. Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, are on the foundation’s board of directors.
Lucas holds a net worth of $5.1 billion.