When most people hear the word "director," they still think of men. This harmful stereotype comes from so many men getting chosen to direct huge Hollywood movies and almost always being the ones on stage at award shows. Some things have changed in the past decade, but not nearly enough. More female directors are started to be recognized for their hard work, but if you watch the award shows, it's pretty much the same people who are there every year.
And when little girls see that, they'll think that they can't achieve their dreams and be directors. But there are female directors who are breaking the stereotype and showing young girls that they can do whatever they set their mind to. Here are some of the most famous female directors in Hollywood, ranked by their net worth.
9 Chloé Zhao - Net Worth: $400,000
Chloé Zhao is in ninth place with a net worth of about $400,000. It’s not clear exactly what her net worth is, but it’s estimated to be between $200,000 to $400,000. Chloé is one of the newest directors in Hollywood and has already won multiple awards since she started directing in 2015. “Nomadland, which is only her third feature, has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. Zhao won the Golden Globe for best director earlier this year as well as the top directing prize from the Directors Guild of America,” according to CNBC. She’s going to be directing the next Marvel film, Eternals.
8 Emerald Fennell - Net Worth: $1.5 Million
Emerald Fennell is in eighth place with an estimated net worth of about $1.5 million. She’s just beginning her career as a director, but she’s already had a lot of success in Hollywood. “Although Promising Young Woman is Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut, she’s no stranger to the film industry. An actress and writer, Fennell has worked in Hollywood for well over a decade. She is an Emmy Award-nominated writer for her work on the BBC hit Killing Eve and a children’s author,” according to CNBC. At this year’s Oscars, she had five nominations, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director.
7 Greta Gerwig - Net Worth: $4 Million
Greta Gerwig is in seventh place with about $4 million. She originally planned to become a playwright, but after she casted for a small part in her high school play, she decided to become an actress. She starred in several movies over the years until she directed her own movie, Lady Bird. According to Celebrity Net Worth, “Greta Gerwig wrote and directed the critically acclaimed 2017 movie Lady Bird. It was her solo directorial debut and the film was eventually nominated for two Academy Awards and won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy.”
6 Marielle Heller - Net Worth: $5 Million
Marielle Heller is in sixth place with a net worth of about $5 million. She’s both an actress and director who starred in the Netflix TV series, The Queen’s Gambit, last year. According to Celebrity Net Worth, “She wrote and directed the film The Diary of a Teenager Girl in 2015. Heller directed and executive produced the 2020 movie What the Constitution Means to Me. She directed the films A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Can You Ever Forgive Me?.”
5 Regina King - Net Worth: $12 Million
Regina King is in fifth place with a net worth of about $12 million. She’s made her career as a famous actress, but recently switched to directing and she’s already winning awards. “Her career spans three decades, including award-winning performances in the television series American Crime and Watchmen as well as for the film If Beale Street Could Talk. King’s directorial film debut One Night in Miami earned her a Golden Globe nomination for best director alongside Zhao and Fennell, but she was left off this year’s Oscar ballot,” according to CNBC. She also directed several TV show episodes, including Southland, This Is Us, Scandal, Animal Kingdom, and Shameless.
4 Jennifer Lee - Net Worth: $12 Million
Jennifer Lee is tied with Regina King with a net worth of about $12 million. She started out as a screenwriter at Disney and ended up becoming one of the most famous female directors. She wrote and directed Frozen, which is the first feature film with a female director to earn more than a billion dollars. “In 2011, Jennifer Lee was contacted by a former classmate at Columbia University to help write Wreck-It Ralph for Disney Animation. The gig was supposed to last eight weeks. Seven years later, she was tapped to become the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios,” according to CNBC. She even directed Frozen 2 while still taking on the responsibility of being the chief creative officer.
3 Patty Jenkins - Net Worth: $25 Million
Patty Jenkins is in third place with about $25 million and has been directing for almost two decades now. “Patty Jenkins made her directorial debut in 2003 with Monster, a biographical crime drama about serial killer Aileen Wuornos. It was a critical and commercial success that earned Charlize Theron an Academy Award for best actress. After development stalled on several film projects, Jenkins spent the next decade working in television. She returned to the big screen with the DC Extended Universe film Wonder Woman,” according to CNBC. Wonder Woman made history and became the highest-grossing comic book film directed by a woman. She’s also going to be the first woman to direct a Star Wars film—Rogue Squadron is set to release in 2023.
2 Kathryn Bigelow - Net Worth: $40 Million
Kathryn Bigelow is in second place with about $40 million and has broken records with her career. “Kathryn Bigelow is an American director and producer who has a net worth of $40 million. She is the first woman ever to win the Directors Guild of America's Best Director Award as well as the Academy Award for Best Directory,” according to Celebrity Net Worth. She’s directed movies such as Point Break, Blue Steel, Strange Days, The Hurt Locker, and Zero Dark Thirty, which won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Sound Editing.
1 Ava DuVernay - Net Worth: $60 Million
Ava DuVernay is the richest female director with a net worth of about $60 million. She’s been making history since she started in the film industry and is winning awards all the time. “Ava DuVernay first made a name for herself in Hollywood with her 2012 film Middle of Nowhere. The film earned her the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at Sundance. She was the first Black woman to win this award. Two years later, Selma helped DuVernay become the first Black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe for best director and the first Black female director to be nominated for best picture,” according to CNBC. She also directed Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time and the Netflix TV series, When They See Us, which earned 16 Emmy nominations and won the award for outstanding limited series.
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