'Seinfeld' Star Who Couldn't 'Spare a Square' Makes Rare Appearance-Now Worth $8B She Can Spare a Whole Roll
If you've ever wondered what happened to the eccentric woman who denied Elaine Benes toilet paper in one ofSeinfeld's most memorable and iconic bathroom scenes, here's your long answer short: she's worth $8 billion now. That's not a typo.
Recently, Jami Gertz made a rare public appearance at LACMA's opening gala in Los Angeles. And, while any sighting of this notoriously private '80s icon does tend to make waves, it's the net worth attached to her name that really makes people want to know how she did it.
Eight. Billion. Dollars.
It's ironic that the same actress who played someone too cheap to "spare a square" in that 1994 Seinfeld episode could now, buy an entire toilet paper company ( or three) without thinking twice.
@officialseinfeldtv Can you spare a moment to watch this classic scene? Can you spare a stare? Check your local listings. #bathroomhumor#julialouisdreyfus#throwbacksitcoms
♬ original sound - Seinfeld
For anyone who spent their formative years in a movie theater during the '80s, Gertz's face is definitely more recognizable than her name might. She was literally everywhere back then. The Lost Boys? That was her as Star, the mysterious half-vampire caught between Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric. Less Than Zero? She played the concerned girlfriend who was desperately trying to save Robert Downey Jr.'s character from his downward spiral, alongside Andrew McCarthy. She was also in Crossroads, Quicksilver, and later showed up in the massive 1996 disaster film Twister with Helen Hunt.
Related: 'Back to the Future' Star Refused to 'Fight Over Scraps' - What She Did Instead
TV fans knew her from a completely different set of roles-Square Pegs, The Facts of Life (as Blair's friend Boots St. Clair), ER, Ally McBeal, and a solid run on HBO's Entourage. She even headlined ABC's The Neighbors for a couple of seasons in the early 2010s.
But, acting money alone doesn't get you to billionaire status, even if you've got decades-long career. So what happened?
Jami Gertz Built Her Fortune Through Smart Investments and Sports Team Ownership
Here's where things get really fascinating. Gertz married private equity investor Tony Ressler back in 1989, but-and this is important-she's been clear that she was actually out-earning him when they first got together in the '80s. She wasn't chasing clout. She had her own money and her own leverage.
What they did together, though, was build something much bigger. It started with strategic investments, followed by long-term/ big picture thinking and eventually, sports team ownership.
The couple is part of the ownership group that bought the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2015, they became the majority owners of the Atlanta Hawks. Those aren't just vanity purchases-they bought these as assets that appreciate, generate revenue, and ultimately cement their legacy wealth.
Between those moves and years of smart financial decisions most actors never make, Gertz is now sitting on a fortune that dwarfs what most of Hollywood's A-list has accumulated. She's wealthier than Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, andJennifer Lopez-not just individually, but all three combined.
She got her start very young. She was discovered through a nationwide talent search by legendary producer, Norman Lear, then, she studied drama at NYU. Her first real acting break was a small role in Endless Love alongside Tom Cruise and Brooke Shieldsin 1981. She even did a single episode of Diff'rent Strokes with Andrew Dice Clay when she was still a kid.
These days, Gertz keeps a pretty lowkey existance. She and Ressler have four beautiful children-three sons and a daughter-and she's, for the most part, stepped away from the limelight. Thursday's LACMA event was one of the rare exceptions.
But every so often, she surfaces to remind everyone that the woman who wouldn't spare a square ended up being able to buy the whole aisle.
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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 1:42 PM.