BORN RICH: 11 Classic Hollywood Stars Who Never Needed Fame

Hollywood loves a rags-to-riches story. Eleven of its biggest stars never had rags. They were born into fortunes, titles, and the most famous names on earth — and they still chose the hardest job in the world. One lost his fortune to a market crash. One lost hers to a revolution. And one was born so famous he could never hand the name back. These are not rumors. They come from biographies, encyclopedias, and the stars' own memoirs. And where the record splits in two, you will hear both halves. 0:00 Hook — Born Rich 0:19 Subscribe 0:24 The Machine 1:37 #11 — Cesar Romero — The Sugar Fortune That Vanished 3:38 #10 — Constance Bennett — Broadway's Daughter 4:56 #9 — Franchot Tone — He Gave Up the Family Business 6:27 #8 — Paul Henreid — The Baron Who Lost Everything 8:05 #7 — Ethel Barrymore — The First Family of the Stage 9:27 #6 — Sessue Hayakawa — The Governor's Son 11:34 #5 — James Mason — The Wool Merchant's Son 13:02 #4 — Omar Sharif — The Lumber Merchant's Son 14:34 #3 — Dolores del Río — The Aristocrat the Revolution Hunted 16:16 #2 — Jane Fonda — Hollywood's Daughter 17:39 #1 — Douglas Fairbanks Jr. — The Prince Who Earned the Crown 19:29 The Verdict 21:02 Outro Sources: biographies and encyclopedias (Wikipedia, Britannica, EBSCO Research Starters, Encyclopedia.com, Turner Classic Movies records); memoirs (Paul Henreid, Ladies Man, 1984; Douglas Fairbanks Jr. memoirs; Jane Fonda's documented biography). Disputes handled on air: Sessue Hayakawa's birth year is omitted (sources give 1886 or 1889); Cesar Romero's mother's link to José Martí is stated as "said to be"; Paul Henreid's blacklisting claim is attributed to his own autobiography; the oft-repeated claim that Omar Sharif studied at RADA is NOT used (RADA itself disproved it). Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is the son of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. — a different person, stated explicitly in the narration. Jane Fonda is the daughter of Henry Fonda — a different person, stated explicitly. Constance Bennett's sister Joan appears only as a mention, never as a chapter subject. Eleven stars. Eleven fortunes. Which one used the head start best — and which one paid the highest price for being born rich? Tell us in the comments. 🎬 A new untold Hollywood story every day — subscribe! #GoldenAgeUntold #ClassicHollywood #BornRich Photographs: public domain or Creative Commons via Wikimedia Commons. Full attribution in video-35-work/images/MANIFEST.md. CC attributions: James Mason 1951 portrait (CC BY 2.0); Omar Sharif Venice portraits (CC BY-SA 2.0); Jane Fonda Cannes 2014 portrait (CC BY-SA 3.0); Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Allan Warren portraits (CC BY-SA 3.0). All other photos public domain.