In addition to her acting success, the actress who became a billionaire with her marriage: Who is Jami Gertz?

Her full name is Jami Beth Gertz, she was born on October 28, 1965, in Chicago, Illinois. She was born to her mother, Sharyn, and father, Walter Gertz, both builders and contractors. Gertz has two brothers named Michael and Scott. Growing up in conservative Judaism as a Jew, Gertz was educated in public schools, graduating from Maine East High School.

Discovered by producer Norman Lear on a nationwide talent search, Gertz took drama classes at NYU. As a child actor, Gertz starred in an episode of the tv sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" with Andrew Dice Clay. She also appeared in a recurring role as Blair's friend and schoolmate Boots St.Clair in the tv sitcom "The Facts of Life". She made her film debut in the romantic drama film "Endless Love" in 1981. Despite negative reviews, it was able to find success at the box office. She then appeared in the 1982–83 TV sitcom series "Square Pegs."

The following year, she appeared in the comedy "Sixteen Candles" (1984), written and directed by John Hughes. The film was a box office success and resulted in positive critical responses. In 1985, she starred in the comedy film "Mischief" directed by Mel Damski. The following year, she took the lead role with Ralph Macchio and Joe Seneca in the musical drama film "Crossroads" (1986), inspired by the blues musician Robert Johnson and directed by Walter Hill. The movie received generally positive reviews.

Gertz starred alongside Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric as part of the cast in the 1987 supernatural black comedy horror film "The Lost Boys" directed by Joel Schumacher. The film was a huge success at both the box office and critically. In the same year, he starred in the drama film "Less Than Zero" directed by Marek Kanievska, with Robert Downey Jr and Andrew McCarthy. Aside from mixed reviews, the film was a moderate box office success.

After working as a fragrance designer for the Lanvin luxury fashion house in Paris, Gertz returned to the United States. In 1989, she appeared with Kirk Cameron and Roy Scheider in the drama film "Listen to Me", written and directed by Douglas Day Stewart. Later in the year, she starred in the action crime movie "Renegades" directed by Jack Sholder. The film, which received negative reviews, was not a financial success at the box office.

In the same year, she starred in the German-American drama film "Silence Like Glass" (German title: Zwei Frauen), with Martha Plimpton, George Peppard, Bruce Payne and Rip Torn, directed by Carl Schenkel. In 1990, she appeared in the black comedy film "Sibling Rivalry" directed by Carl Reiner. Apart from negative reviews, the film was also a success at the box office on par with its production budget. She also starred in the romantic comedy drama movie "Jersey Girl"(1992) directed by David Burton Morris and the romantic comedy movie "This Can't Be Love"(1994) directed by Anthony Harvey.

In 1996, she had a major supporting role as one of the leading roles in the blockbuster epic disaster film "Twister" directed by Jan de Bont. The film, which received generally positive reviews and many accolades, achieved great success with its revenue. Gertz later played the recurring character of Dr. Nina Pomerantz in the 1997 season of the medical drama TV series "ER".

In 2000, Gertz appeared in a recurring role as John Cage's girlfriend, Kimmy Bishop, in the Fox legal comedy drama TV series "Ally McBeal." She received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance. In 2002, she appeared in the television movie "Gilda Radner: It's Always Something", playing the comedian Gilda Radner. Gertz had one of the lead roles, along with Mark Addy, as the character of Judy Miller in the CBS sitcom "Still Standing." The series ran from 2002 to 2006, making it Gertz's longest running and most successful television show to date.

In 2003, Gertz starred in the romantic comedy-drama television movie "Undercover Christmas" directed by Nadia Tass as Brandy, the girlfriend of a wanted criminal. In 2005, she played the lead role in the TV movie "Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story" directed by Andy Wolk. The following year, he appeared in the Scott Marshall-directed comedy "Keeping Up with the Steins" alongside Garry Marshall, Jeremy Piven, and Daryl Hannah. The film was not successful at both the box office and the critical.

In 2009–10, she had a recurring role as Marlo Klein, the wife of Andrew Klein, Ari Gold's newest business partner, an agent at the Miller-Gold Talent Agency, in the comedy-drama television series "Entourage," which debuted on HBO.  In 2011, she returned to television as a guest star in the episode "Slow Down Your Neighbors" of the sitcom television series "Modern Family". That same year, she produced the drama "A Better Life", which was released in limited numbers throughout June and early July, before its DVD release in October.

From 2012 to 2014, Gertz starred as Debbie Weaver in the ABC sci-fi sitcom "The Neighbors," in which she played the mother of a human family that has moved to an inhabited neighborhood from another planet. The series, which received negative comments at first, managed to collect praise as it was broadcast.

Most recently, she appeared in the romantic comedy movie "I Want You Back" directed by Jason Orley in 2022. The film managed to receive generally positive reviews from critics.

Private life

Gertz has been married to billionaire business executive and investor Tony Ressler since 1989. The couple has three sons named Oliver Jordan Ressler, Nicholas Simon Ressler and Theo Ressler.

Gertz and her husband are members of the investment group led by Mark Attanasio, which bought the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team from the Major League Baseball organization. They also became the owners of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Atlanta Hawks basketball team in 2015.

The Giving Back Fund reports that Gertz and her husband were the number one donor of any celebrity to charities in 2010. Gertz serves as chairman of the board of the "Melanoma Research Alliance," the largest nonprofit funder of melanoma research.