Money can buy happiness but not fame. Or so it would seem from a glance at the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list, which is packed with plutocrats but includes fewer than 100 names that the average American might recognize. The modern culture of celebrity obsesses over Hollywood types but pays less attention to tycoons. Below are 15 notable exceptions: the irresistible rich, as identified by Forbes.com. Add them to your People Tracker list, and you'll automatically be updated on their latest doings.
We toted up the final scores by ranking the Famous 15 against each one another on the following criteria: television and radio mentions, press clips, Web hits and books written about them that currently are in print. Ranking first in the category earns 15 points; ranking 15th earns one point. The last category was the most important; we triple-weighted this score and gave extra points for biographies published in 2001, which indicates current interest in the subject.
Click on the names below to learn how each person made the list.
| Name | Score | Books | TV/Radio Mentions | Press Clips | Web Hits | Net Worth (in $mil) | 400 Rank |
| Bill Gates | 86 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 54,000 | 1 |
| O. Winfrey | 72 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 900 | 280 |
| S. Spielberg | 70 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 2,100 | 90 |
| Jack Welch | 62 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 680 | 376 |
| Ross Perot | 58 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 3,900 | 47 |
| M. Stewart | 56 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 650 | 381 |
| W. Buffett | 51 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 33,200 | 2 |
| Steve Jobs | 44 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 4 | 1,400 | 158 |
| R. Murdoch | 43 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 7,500 | 21 |
| George Lucas | 41 | 8 | 15 | 13 | 3 | 3,000 | 60 |
| Ted Turner | 38 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 6,200 | 25 |
| V. McMahon | 31 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 700 | 364 |
| Marc Rich | 29 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 1,200 | 189 |
| Larry Ellison | 20 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 11 | 21,900 | 4 |
| D. Trump | 19 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 1,800 | 110 |
Among the other well-known Forbes 400 members who were contenders for the Famous 15 this year were Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, Steve Case, Barry Diller, Michael Eisner, David Geffen, Jerry Jones, Ralph Lauren, Charles Schwab and George Soros. Among these also-rans, Bloomberg is the best bet to make the Famous 15 list for 2002, since he was just elected mayor of New York.
Bill Gates
What price glory? Apparently $54 billion buys an awful lot of it. Generally there was no correlation between a Famous 15 ranking and the person's Forbes 400 ranking, but Gates is the exception: He is internationally renowned as the world's richest man. Further boosting his legend is the fact that he earned his wealth by founding Microsoft, the tech name so closely associated with the 1990s stock market boom. The government's unsuccessful attempt to dismember his firm on antitrust grounds kept Gates in the headlines for most of 2001. But he probably would have topped the Famous 15 list even if the antitrust case never had been filed.
Bill Gates On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey is among the few Forbes 400 members whose wealth derives from their fame rather than the other way around. She is a ubiquitous media presence with her own television show and her own magazine, and each year the publishing industry produces at least one new biography to be snapped up by her adoring fans. This year Winfrey reaped favorable publicity when Jonathan Franzen, author of the acclaimed new novel The Corrections, expressed ambivalence about being honored by her middlebrow book club. The media heaped scorn upon Franzen for dissing Oprah, creating the rare spectacle of a person worth $900 million being seen as an object of sympathy by semi-impoverished journalists. Now that's popularity.
Oprah Winfrey On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Steven Spielberg
If Winfrey is famous for who she is, Spielberg is famous for what he does--creating phenomenally popular films such as ET and Saving Private Ryan. His 2001 entry, A.I., fell short of his usual box-office standards, but Spielberg remains a durable Hollywood icon. As an executive producer this year, his name was on Band of Brothers, HBO's well-regarded World War II miniseries. Even without a blockbuster film to his credit in 2001, the Spielberg name is still magic.
Steven Spielberg On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Jack Welch
Most people settle for a gold watch when they retire, but Welch did a little better than that. Stepping down after 20 very successful years as chief executive of General Electric, the legendary manager went out in a blaze of glory, fueled by reams of favorable press notices. Thanks in part to a $7.1 million advance for his autobiography, Welch even made the Forbes 400 list for the first time. His book Jack: Straight From The Gut came out on Sept. 11--bad timing--but it soon rocketed on to the bestseller lists, where it remains ensconced as the year draws to a close. What the future holds for this well-financed retiree remains unknown, but in 2001 the public could hardly get enough of him.
Jack Welch On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Ross Perot
His last presidential run was half a decade ago, the Reform Party he founded is fading away and several years have passed since Perot inspired someone to write a new biography. But many of the older books about him still sell well enough to remain in print, proving that Perot still interests the public. His quixotic, self-financed presidential campaigns began a trend that picked up steam last month when Forbes 400 member Michael Bloomberg spent $69 million of his own money to be elected mayor of New York. Perot himself fell well short of election, but his curmudgeonly persona made a lasting impression, and he remains among America's best-known tycoons.
Ross Perot On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Martha Stewart
Stewart is her own product, and an enormously successful one. Her name is a byword for a lifestyle to which millions aspire. That she is frequently lampooned is only further evidence of her fame. Other Forbes 400 members have turned their names into brands--Charles Schwab, Ralph Lauren--but only in Stewart's case is the brand synonymous with the actual person. She is "Martha Stewart" incarnate, and the fact that she is also a canny businesswoman worth $650 million only adds to her mystique.
Martha Stewart On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Warren Buffett
The Sage of Omaha saw his legend burnished in 2001 when the collapse of the dot-com bubble revived the popularity of value investing. Buffett is a legendary value stockpicker, so his name sells a lot of books that feature investment advice. But the man himself also interests the public. His avuncular persona appeals to people who are fascinated by the market but put off by the coldhearted Gordon Gekko types who often personify Wall Street. Buffett's success is greatly comforting for all those It's a Wonderful Life fans out there who root for the well-meaning George Bailey to win out over mean old Mr. Potter. If life were a movie directed by Frank Capra, then the Baileys of the world would become billionaires--and lo and behold, there is Buffett and his $33.2 billion pile, palpable proof that nice guys do not always finish last.
Warren Buffett On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Steve Jobs
Jobs as a celebrity is something of an alternate take on Bill Gates. Both are co-founders of the Computer Era and both have piled up enormous wealth as a result. But Gates is seen as a nerdish programmer turned corporate Machiavelli, whereas Jobs is a tortured artiste who creates "insanely great" products like the iPod digital music player, Apple Computer's current success. Apple's late-'90s comeback propelled Jobs back into prominence, and he also benefits from his association with Pixar Animation, creator of the current hit Monsters, Inc. To the public, Jobs is the tech-world equivalent of Steven Spielberg or George Lucas. He is seen as a savvy businessman who is also a creative genius. That's a potent combination, and it keeps Jobs in Gates' league as a celebrity even though Gates has far more money.
Steve Jobs On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Rupert Murdoch
This buccaneering media baron has fascinated the public for decades as he built an international empire out of such components as the Fox Network and The New York Post. This year he generated frequent headlines with his long and ultimately unsuccessful struggle to acquire satellite broadcaster DirecTV. He also remained a favorite of the gossip columnists, who gave him plenty of ink in November when he became a father for the fifth time at the age of 70. Most news stories about this blessed event noted that the mother, Murdoch's third wife, is lovely and half his age. There's nothing like a high-profile love story and a new baby to keep a tycoon in the public eye.
Rupert Murdoch On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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George Lucas
The Star Wars creator is one of only three Forbes 400 members who also made this year's Forbes 100 Top Celebrities list. (The other two were Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg.) Actually, 2001 was something of an off year for Lucas, at least in terms of publicity. That will change in 2002 when Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones is released. Once again the faithful will line up by the millions outside of theaters, clutching magazines filled with articles about their heroes--Lucas included. As long as the saga of Luke Skywalker continues to fascinate the public, so will the saga of George Lucas.
George Lucas On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Ted Turner
This has not been one of Turner's better years. He was divorced from Jane Fonda and is soon to complete his divorce from AOL Time Warner--unless the newly designated chief executive, Richard Parsons, can persuade him to stay. But Turner remains America's largest private landowner, with 1.75 million acres, mostly in Montana and nearby states. Telegenic and charismatic, Turner plays the larger-than-life role more adeptly than most of his fellow billionaires. Many rich men own yachts, for example, but Turner skippered his to an America's Cup victory. Many rich men own sports teams, but Turner's Atlanta Braves are perennial pennant contenders who won the World Series in 1995. Many rich men date starlets, but Turner married a movie star. Americans keep watching him, trusting that the next installment of Ted's Excellent Adventures will be as enthralling as the last.
Ted Turner On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Vince McMahon
His failed XFL football venture was a major black eye for McMahon, but his World Wrestling Federation stars remain enormously popular, and he shines in their reflected glory. Who would have thought that a man could propel himself into the Forbes 400 by promoting staged fights between costumed entertainers? But TV viewers love to root for Chyna or the Rock--and to hiss McMahon, who plays himself as a cartoonish villain on the WWF program. Pro wrestling tends to fade in and out of popularity, but right now it's hot and so is McMahon, despite the XFL debacle.
Vince McMahon On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Marc Rich
Winning a controversial pardon from a lame-duck president turned this previously obscure billionaire into a headliner--until Sept. 11, after which President George W. Bush took center stage and the Bill Clinton era finally was seen as over. As a Famous 15 member, Rich probably is a one-year wonder. If he stays in Switzerland and stays out of trouble, he will end up a mere footnote in the histories of the Clinton presidency. The headline writers have already moved on to fresher fodder, leaving Rich to enjoy his pardon (and his $1.2 billion) in privacy.
Marc Rich On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Larry Ellison
Ellison is best known to the public for his monomaniacal quest to beat out Bill Gates and become the world's richest man. Strangely, however, Ellison seems to be gaining traction as a celebrity even as his prospects for surpassing Gates diminish. Ellison fell to the fourth position on the Forbes 400 this year, but biographers increasingly are attracted to his life story, which includes such page-turning episodes as the 1998 Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race, which he won despite a storm that killed six sailors on competing boats. Undaunted by that harrowing experience, Ellison hopes to reclaim the America's Cup for the U.S. in 2003. If he succeeds, matching Ted Turner's famous 1977 victory, then Ellison will cement his status as a celebrity billionaire in his own right, and not merely as a foil for that landlubber Bill Gates.
Larry Ellison On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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Donald Trump
After the World Trade Center towers fell on Sept. 11 and people wondered who would rebuild on the site, the first name that sprang to mind was Trump's. The wheeler-dealer developer has spent his career erecting urban spires and naming them for himself, to the point where many people probably think he invented the New York skyline. His carefully cultivated playboy image adds to his popularity. The self-promoting Trump exemplifies the billionaire as huckster. But he is more than merely the sum of his press clips, because he does actually build things. Whether he has built a reputation that will outlive him is less certain. Whatever posterity eventually concludes about The Donald, for the present he is firmly fixed in the public eye. Nor would he have it any other way.
Donald Trump On The Forbes Four Hundred Richest In America
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