Much like his futuristic Star Wars film franchise, director George Lucas has accumulated a bank balance so fantastical to most it might as well belong in a galaxy far, far away.

The celebrated director, 79, tops the annual Forbes list of celebrity billionaires with a $5.5billion fortune, despite his filmmaking career effectively ending in 2005 with the release of science fiction epic Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith.

Lucas, who has since worked as an executive producer on the recently concluded Indiana Jones franchise, earned his money largely through production company LucasFilm – sold to Disney in 2012 for a reported $4 billion in cash and stock.

The American filmmaker tops an impressive list that includes close friend and fellow new wave director Steven Spielberg, basketball legend Michael Jordan, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and rapper Jay-Z.

Spielberg sits in second place with a $4.8billion thanks to an impressive résumé of blockbuster films that includes Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan and Warhorse – despite insisting he hasn’t taken a salary since the mid-1980s.

Much like his futuristic Star Wars film franchise, director George Lucas has accumulated a bank balance so fantastical to most it might as well belong in a galaxy far, far away

Lucas on the set of his first Star Wars film in 1977. He has since become the world’s most wealthy celebrity despite stepping away from the camera in 2005

The director, 77, has instead negotiated a percentage of the gross sales from each of his films while also taking a generous financial slice from tickets sold at Universal theme parks, courtesy of the enduringly popular Indiana Jones franchise.

Universal Orlando had previously hosted the Jaws ride, based on Spielberg’s 1975 classic about a marauding killer shark, before it was permanently closed in 2011.

The director’s last film, The Fabelmans, grossed $45.6million worldwide from a budget of $40million.

Further down the list American sporting icon Michael Jordan sits in third place, having amassed $3.2billion from a variety of business endeavors.

The 61-year old former basketball player was named the world’s first billionaire athlete in 2015, but much of his extraordinary wealth comes from lucrative brand partnerships.

Jordan has earned more than $1.8 billion from his popular Nike Air Jordan brand, while buying  the Charlotte Hornets NBA team for $175 million in 2010 earned hi ma massive profit in 2023 when it was sold for $3billion.

Directly beneath Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, 70, occupies fourth place with a $2.8billion fortune, earned through a combination of media work and canny real estate investments.

Winfrey, who became the first black female billionaire in 2003, has developed her brand into a lucrative empire that encompasses property and her own production company.

Steven Spielberg sits in second place with a $4.8billion thanks to a prolific series of blockbuster films – despite insisting he hasn’t taken a salary since the mid-1980s

The director has taken a generous financial slice from tickets sold at Universal theme park, courtesy of the Indiana Jones franchise (pictured on the set of Raiders Of The Lost Ark)

Forbes world’s billionaires list 2024, the top 10

Directly beneath Jordan, Oprah Winfrey occupies fourth place with a $2.8billion fortune, earned through a combination of media work and canny real estate investments

While Beyoncé is celebrating the release of new country album Cowboy Carter, husband Jay-Z is ye-hawing all the way to the bank with a net worth of $2.5billion, putting him in fifth place

Elsewhere Kim Kardashian comes within touching distance of the top five after being named sixth wealthiest celebrity with a $1.7billion fortune

While Beyoncé is celebrating the release of new country album Cowboy Carter, husband Jay-Z is ye-hawing all the way to the bank with a net worth of $2.5billion.

The 54-year old rapper and entrepreneur – hip hop’s first billionaire – owes his wealth to an assortment of ventures, not all of them connected to the music industry.

In 2021 he sold a 50% stake in his champagne brand Armand de Brignac to luxury goods giant LVMH for an estimated $300 million, followed by the reported $750million sale of a majority stake in his cognac label D’Usse to Bacardi in 2023.

The rapper is also one of the bestselling recording artists of all time.

Elsewhere Kim Kardashian comes within touching distance of the top five after being named sixth wealthiest celebrity with a $1.7billion fortune, the result of her beauty and clothing brands, along with a string of lucrative TV shows.

Somewhat surprisingly, pop superstar Taylor Swift only climbs to fourteenth place with a $1.1billion fortune.

Swift, 34, has seen her fortune rise considerably thanks to an estimated $190 million in post-tax earnings from her Eras world tour.

She is the first recording artist to become a billionaire based entirely on profits made through music and performing.

Somewhat surprisingly, pop superstar Taylor Swift only climbs to fourteenth place with a $1.1billion fortune

She is the first recording artist to become a billionaire based entirely on profits made through music and performing