From entrepreneurs to entertainers and sports superstars, celebrities command a degree of public fascination. People like to keep a keen eye on the lives of famous people due to their charisma, successful careers, or talent. For the most part, though, rich public figures get the most attention. Much of this has to do with the fact that these individuals are influential people. Forbes makes this easy for us, and having released their rankings, the following celebrities have made it on the list of top 10 richest celebrities in 2012.

#1: Carlos Slim

Carlos Slim Helu, 73 years of age, was born in Mexico to a rich family of Lebanese Christian immigrants. At an estimated net worth of $69 billion, Carlos is arguable, the richest man in the world. This successful entrepreneur managed to top the list of Forbes richest celebrities in both the years 2011 and 2012. Slim is well known for buying investments during the economic crash of 1982 that later made him a billionaire. A huge chunk of his wealth is attributed to his involvement in the telecom sector. However, he also owns financial, industrial, mining, and real estate companies. He has shares in the New York Times and football clubs as well.

#2: Second On The List Of The Richest Celebrities – 2012 Is Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg aged 71 was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and holds an estimated wealth of $22 billion as of 2012. He landed his first job in a company called Salomon Brothers. Michael used the experience he gained to start his own company Bloomberg L.P, in the 1980s, which revolutionized the distribution of financial information thus making him a billionaire. Since then, his company has ventured into media and continued its successful trend. Aside from business, Michael is a famous politician who has successfully run for the post of New York mayor three consecutive times. Bloomberg, who is currently serving his final term in office, is also well known for his philanthropic nature having made huge donations towards medical research, education, and the arts industry.

#3: Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg managed to make it on 2012’s list of richest celebrities with an estimated wealth of over $17 billion. Mark aged 29 was born in White, Plains New York. He is a genius in his own right and has always had a natural talent in matters pertaining to technology. Zuckerberg created a messaging program called ‘ZuchNet, while still in high school which was used by his family to communicate. Since then he has created a number of software computer programs. However, Mark made his billions from being the co-founder of the social network Facebook.

#4: Mikhail Prokhorov  Is The Russian Billionaire

Mikhail Prokhorov aged 48 is the chairman of Polyus Gold and recently the proud owner of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets. Mikhail is a self-made billionaire from Russia who acquired his wealth through clever investments in the ’90s when his country was facing troubled times. Prokhorov’s love for sports has seen him venture into the industry, he owns the CSKA Moscow basketball team, hockey, and football clubs, and is a member of the Supreme Council of the Sports Russia Organization. This most sought-after bachelor is famous for his flashy lifestyle and elegant properties that include an island, a huge mansion, two yachts, and two private jets. Mikhail also runs a foundation for cultural awareness and a fund that sponsors education, the development of mass media, and health. Currently, Prokhorov is planning to run for Prime Minister of Russia.

#5: Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren aged 74 was born in New York as ‘Ralph Liftshitz’, he changed his last name after being teased in school. Ralph is the designer behind the popular brand polo, which originally designed neckties. Today, however, the brand is associated with luxury clothing, fragrances, and home furnishings. The huge success of polo has seen Ralph acquire a huge fortune to the tune of $7.5 billion. Lauren is well known for his collection of rare classic cars and vintage watches.

#6: Richard Branson

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson aged 63 was born in England and has a natural inborn talent for entrepreneurship. Richard dropped out of school at the age of 16 after struggling with dyslexia for a long time. Soon after he and a few of his friends formed the ‘virgin’ recording company which was a huge success. Branson later ventured out and formed the famous company “Virgin Airlines”, which he co-owns with Singapore Airlines. Richard also has shares in other business ventures. His entrepreneurial skills earned him a slot on 2012’s list of the richest celebrities with his fortune estimated to be about $4.2 billion. Currently, Branson is planning to launch his private space agency, Virgin Galactic.

#7: Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a world-renowned movie producer. This 67-year-old filmmaker had already shown signs of success during his early teens; he used to make movies, which he would show at his family’s house. His first professional release was a 24-minute film called “Amblin” which later earned him a job as a television director. Since then Spielberg has produced numerous films and television shows that have seen him earn a fortune of over $3 billion.

#8: Donald Trump

Donald John Trump born in Queens New York is a successful real estate developer. He is known to have a huge ego that matches his fortune, which is estimated to be $2.9 billion. This real estate mogul was able to bounce back after losing his fortune back in the 90s. Apart from real estate, Trump also has a TV show ‘The Apprentice’, which is a huge success.

#9: Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey is famous for hosting ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ that just recently ended. Despite suffering sexual abuse at a young age, Oprah was able to overcome her ordeal and graduated from university with honors. This saw her land her very first job at a TV station that later saw her start her famous talk show. Oprah is also involved in acting and humanitarian work. Winfrey’s wealth is around $2.9 billion.

#10: J.K. Rowling

Joanne Kathleen Rowling wraps up the list of Forbes’s richest celebrities in 2012, with her wealth estimated to be $97 million. This 48-year-old author is famous for her novel series, Harry Potter. Being born in a little quaint village in England, she is a typical example of rising from rags to riches. Despite having a bachelor’s degree in French and Classics, Rowling decided to follow her passion for writing. After publishing the final Harry Potter novel, Rowling has now turned to write adult literature books.

Important Observation

It is evident that it pays well to follow a career where one is talented.