B-List Celebrities With Surprisingly High Net Worths

Celebrity lore is so uniquely interesting, from the expensive purchases they make to the lives they lead. It's been found that the parasocial relationships forged through entertainment channels (that is, the emotional connection a viewer makes with the actors and characters they see on the screen) really do create psychological attachments. This means that the people we see on television, online, and on the silver screen matter to us in ways that are hard to quantify and describe. It's part of why some celebrities have become astoundingly wealthy through years of consistent work in film and TV, including huge paydays for work on major hits.

Most Americans can name a handful of celebrity mega-stars: the Leonardo DiCaprios and Beyoncés. Others with massive prominence, like Tom Cruise, are truly unique. His run alone correlates to a $175 million box office increase over films in which he doesn't perform his signature sprint. But these massive names are the outliers. There are far more celebrities with a much lower profile. The "B-Listers" are often less prominent in the minds of viewers, but they remain top talent nonetheless. These actors are often former top stars, newer big-name faces in the industry, or TV-specific personalities. Being known as a B-list star doesn't mean you aren't handsomely rewarded for your efforts, though. In fact, there are a number of B-listers who have built quite the fortune for themselves.

Playing one of the central detectives in "CSI: NY" for more than a decade and performing in many iconic roles throughout his career, Gary Sinise has been a constant presence onscreen for decades. His portrayal of Lt. Dan in "Forrest Gump" even led to the creation of the Lt. Dan Band, a music group that's been active as a cover band playing USO shows since 2003. He founded the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2011, and has long been an active and vocal supporter of American military servicemembers and their families. He stepped away from acting in 2020 to support his late son's battle with cancer.

Sinise was a massive name in movie production in the 1990s, starring in "The Green Mile," "Apollo 13," "Forrest Gump," "Of Mice and Men," and numerous others. Since then, he has been a voice actor, appeared in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," and, of course, starred in television programs. Over the course of his career, Sinise has been a leading man and a support character, but his consistency in front of the camera has led to an accumulation of wealth. His net worth is estimated at $50 million. At his peak earnings as a "CSI" actor, Sinise was making $15 million per year.

Mariska Hargitay has been a bedrock character of the "Law & Order" franchise since appearing in the pilot episode of the universe's "SVU" spinoff series. Premiering as Detective Olivia Benson in 1999, her character has been at the center of the series' storylines for its entire run. Naturally, Hargitay's consistent presence on the long-running television show has led to some significant financial stability. The daughter of Jayne Mansfield, Hargitay has been credited with other roles, including a 13-episode stint on "ER" in the late '90s. However, her fame and financial wealth have been derived almost exclusively from the nearly 600 episodes of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" that have aired since its launch (with more on the way).

Her net worth is estimated at $100 million, and she is unsurprisingly the highest-paid actor on the show. It's reported that she earns $500,000 per episode, and her next closest cast member, Ice-T, brings home half that with each installment. There's also royalties to consider, since the show is constantly playing in syndication on TV stations.

Nick Jonas is likely best known for his role in the brotherly trio that he and his two siblings formed in the early 2000s. The Jonas Brothers released their debut album in 2006. The group has come out with six total albums in the years since, and all three brothers have found success on screen (although Kevin's screentime is limited) and with instruments in their hands. Nick Jonas is certainly the most famous of the bunch and the wealthiest. The combined net worth of the three is estimated to be $170 million, with Nick making up $80 million of that figure on his own. Nick Jonas has also been married to film and TV star Priyanka Chopra since 2018.

The Jonas Brothers went on hiatus briefly, breaking up in 2013 as Nick Jonas looked to carve out a solo career for himself. Eventually, the group would reunite, though, and, in 2019, they came back together with a new album. Nick has been a Disney star, a Broadway performer, and has appeared in films like "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" and "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle." He was also in "Last Man Standing," and other television programs. The singer and actor keeps pretty busy with numerous projects constantly on the go.

Paul Giamatti has been a central figure in numerous films and an added personality in too many other projects to name. He was in "Rock of Ages," "12 Years a Slave," "Saving Mr. Banks," and "The Hangover Part II." Giamatti played an oafish producer in "Big Fat Liar," and Sgt. Hill in "Saving Private Ryan." He's been an FBI agent in "Donnie Brasco," and the titular founding father in "John Adams." Giamatti is a consummate professional in the Hollywood ecosystem and has translated his skill on the stage into a net worth of $25 million. Interestingly enough, his father served as the MLB commissioner, but only for one year before dying of a heart attack in 1989. Speaking of baseball, it's worth exploring your own collection of old cards that may be worth a ton.

Giamatti was also a Broadway actor early on in his career and played a minor role in "NYPD Blue" in the 1990s. His credit list is long and storied, but when thinking back on the actor's prominence, it's perhaps surprising that many of his performances are in supporting roles. Even though Giamatti has built a career out of numerous memorable performances, his roles have often been smaller castings that have given him widespread acclaim but a B-list status rather than the megastar treatment.

Katherine Heigl started modeling while still a child, and launched her film career in 1992. She is likely best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on "Grey's Anatomy." She brought this character to life over 120 episodes from its first season in 2005 until 2010. Along the way, Heigl also starred in films like "27 Dresses," "Knocked Up," and "The Ugly Truth." Numerous other projects have contributed to her credit list, and toward the end of hit show, "Suits," she added her personality to the recurring cast over 26 episodes as the main team's adversarial foil and then ally, Samantha Wheeler. Through her career, Heigl has raked in quality financial benefits, with a net worth estimated at $30 million. She reportedly earned between $125,000 and $200,000 per episode while shooting on "Grey's Anatomy," helping to create much of her financial assets.

In the past, Heigl was labeled as difficult to work with, and, as a result, she was almost certainly passed over for projects. One of her most prominent appearances in the media came when she called "Knocked Up" sexist. But time heals everything, and many in the media have evolved their thinking and now see Heigl as being right in her criticisms all those years ago.

A Columbian-born comedian and actor, John Leguizamo grew up in Queens. He was a natural comedian from an early age, and in 1991 briefly attended NYU before joining the comedy troupe the Off Center Theater. The '80s saw him performing in comedy clubs, and his film debut came in "Casualties of War," a 1989 Brian De Palma production. He was cast in the 1990s' "Die Hard II," but eventually came to experience significant frustration over the stereotyped roles he was offered. Leguizamo has spent much of his career fighting against these stereotypes and was a trailblazer of sorts for many other Latino actors who came up after him.

Leguizamo has amassed an impressive net worth of $20 million throughout his career. He has directed two projects and been credited as an actor in nearly 170, while adding a producer title to his resume on 28 film and television creations. His resume is littered with appearances, and he's still exceedingly active with "Tin Soldier" coming out in 2025 (he's credited as an executive producer) and "American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos," also produced by Leguizamo, delivering a three-episode television arc in 2024.

Teenage film and television stars often fall into the realm of B-list celebrity status. Aside from a very small group of transcendent names, teenage celebrities tend to find their biggest roles early and then either fall out of the Hollywood game altogether or take on small or moderately sized roles for the rest of their careers. Some even get their start as extras and background actors. Josh Hutcherson's break came in 2002 on the TV movie "House Blend," and then on the TV pilot for "Becoming Glen." He was also in an episode of "ER" that year, before making greater strides in the industry in the following few years. 2007's "Bridge to Terabithia" adaptation was almost certainly Hutcherson's breakout role, but he was also in the Will Ferrell comedy "Kicking & Screaming," and the "Zathura" adaptation of the Jumanji story, both in 2005.

Hutcherson has built a solid career for himself and amassed a net worth of $20 million in the process. His most commercially successful role has to be his portrayal of Peeta Mellark in the "Hunger Games" movies. The same year that he starred in the first installment, Hutcherson bought a Hollywood home that had once belonged to Heath Ledger and his wife (as well as Ellen Degeneres).

Alongside the main protagonist of the "Mission Impossible" series, Ving Rhames has been a constant presence. He's the only other character to feature in every one of the eight installments, yet his portrayal of Luther Stickell was only written to last through the opening minutes of the first movie. He noted to Brian De Palma during the early days of the film's development that the black guy always dies in these kinds of movies, and a lightbulb moment seemed to take place. Instead of succumbing to the same old Hollywood trope, Luther (and Rhames) has now been Ethan Hunt's longest-running companion. Rhames' comment certainly played a role in the actor's financial circumstances, too. Instead of playing a bit role in one movie, he's been a primary asset through eight of them. His net worth of $25 million is a testament to not only his acting in the film series but numerous other projects, too.

Rhames has performed in comedic roles, like his work as Fred Duncan in the 2007 Adam Sandler film "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry," and the social worker Cobra in "Lilo & Stitch." His physical presence as a genuinely huge man helped deliver roles in action films like "Con Air" and "Pulp Fiction." His career dates back to 1984 in "Go Tell It on the Mountain," and he has been credited in 141 projects throughout an illustrious career that has rarely slowed down.

Kirsten Dunst started her acting career as a three-year old in commercials and on the modeling stage. She appeared in the 1989 film "New York Stories" as an uncredited addition at six, and the next year was in her first credited production, "The Bonfire of the Vanities." Her acting career took off shortly after, with her breakout role coming in 1994 in "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles" alongside Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Through the rest of the '90s, she landed numerous roles in big blockbusters like "Small Soldiers," "Wag the Dog," and "Jumanji."

In the following decade, she played Mary Jane Watson in 2002's "Spider-Man," and reprised the role in two follow-up installments. She was also in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Elizabethtown," among many others. Dunst also took on a leading role in 2000's high school comedy-drama "Bring It On," to much acclaim. Her career has continued on an upward trajectory, and her net worth is estimated at $25 million. For her work in the "Spider Man" movies alone, she was paid a reported $20 million across the three films.

Mindy Kaling is probably best known by audiences for her portrayal of Kelly Kapoor on "The Office," but she's worked on many other productions, including a satirical off-Broadway number she co-wrote and starred in called "Matt & Ben," about Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. On the legendary mockumentary workplace sitcom, she was a writer and producer who also got to play one of the characters, much like B.J. Novak's Ryan Howard and Paul Lieberstein's Toby Flenderson. Interestingly, Kaling's mother worked at the same hospital as John Krasinski's father. Kaling commands a net worth pegged at $35 million, although she's also known to invest significantly in real estate, something that can expedite retirement income development.

After "The Office" wrapped production, Kaling dug back into her comedy roots to build another hilarious world around workplace drama and absurdity. In "The Mindy Project," Kaling wrote, produced, and played the central character, navigating life as Dr. Mindy Lahiri. The character is a New York City OB/GYN and takes some of its inspiration from Kaling's mother in real life.

The creative minds behind "South Park" are possibly the ultimate under-the-radar wealth accumulators. The pair has built immense fortunes for themselves, to the tune of $600 million and $700 million, respectively. "South Park" has been a scathing outlet for social commentary since it hit the air in 1997, and in the 27 seasons since then (as well as a few movie-length productions), the duo have taken on "the establishment" from just about every angle. Their efforts have driven immensely important conversations about the ways people view the world for nearly 30 years, even as the characters and production choices ground the comedy in largely juvenile imagery and aesthetics.

Unbeknownst to some viewers, the wildly successful Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" was created by this comedic partnership and has yielded profits of over a billion dollars globally since its release in 2011. The pair, alongside "Avenue Q" creators Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, started work on the project in 2003, the same year a critically acclaimed "South Park" episode about the Mormon community and its history aired. Their willingness to tear down any group, ideology, person, or company has been a staple of the pair's success throughout their time creating and voicing their iconic show, but the musical production is without a doubt the primary driver of both comedians' massive wealth.