The celebrities who were born rich

Celebrities really ought to have a rags to riches tale of struggle and heartache before they rose to fame, but infuriatingly not all of them do.

For some of them it was a tale of riches to even more riches, because they were born wealthy, and simply eased their way into a life of well-paid celebrity.

Miley Cyrus

Some had rich and famous parents - like Miley Cyrus. She is certainly an impressive money machine - making $76.5 million last year.

However, as the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, she was no stranger to the good life before rising to fame in her own right. Billy Ray was hitting the big time as a country star when Miley was born, and in the years since, he has made an estimated $50 million.

The music industry has been good to him, but he has invested wisely too, with property, stocks, and restaurants bringing in the millions.

Robin Thicke

The Blurred Lines singer has something in common with Miley Cyrus - his parents were rich and famous long before he was.

They were both actors, with his dad playing the father in a smash hit sitcom 'Growing Pains' and his mum appearing in 'Days of Our Lives'. His dad also had a nice sideline in presenting game shows and writing theme songs, which kept the money flowing in during Robin's childhood.

Julia Louis Dreyfus

Some celebrities don't come from famous families - just rich ones - like Seinfeld and Veep star Louis Dreyfus.

Her family founded the Louis Dreyfus Group in 1851, which has made millionaires and billionaires of the family ever since. Her father was the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services - which put him in the billionaire camp.

Her parents divorced when she was a child, but it's safe to say she had a decent financial safety net when she decided to drop out of college to become an actor.

Carly Simon

Simon's image isn't one of moneyed privilege, but that's precisely her background.

Her father was one of the founders of the Simon and Schuster publishing house, and she went to the posh Riverdale Country School - which was recently named as the most expensive private high school in America. A year at the school will set you back $38,800.

Armie Hammer

Hammer may be best-known for playing one of the privileged Winklevoss twins in The Social Network.

However, it turns out that this wasn't the biggest acting stretch of all time. He's the great-grandson of an oil tycoon, Armand Hammer.

His father is chairman and CEO of the Armand Hammer Foundation, and he spent five years of his childhood in the Cayman Islands - presumably not just for the weather.

Julian Casabalancas

The Strokes frontman may look pretty grungy now, but he didn't have a traditional rock-n-roll childhood.

He was the son of the businessman behind the Elite Model Agency. His childhood involved a number of posh schools, but perhaps the most exclusive was the Swiss boarding school he attended at the age of 14 - where he met one of the band members. His parents can't have been too pleased that after spending all that money he never finished school.

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