Kathy Bates | $20 Million

While her father was a mechanical engineer and her mother a homemaker, Kathy Bates found her passion in the arts, notably for acting. Eventually finishing her studies with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, majoring in theater, Bates then polished and improved on her acting chops before finally making her way into the entertainment industry.

Like many of her colleagues, Bates’ career went through a rough start. Throughout that period, she landed minor roles for stage productions while working a couple of jobs here and there. Suffice to say, all that hard work did pay off in the end. Becoming a well-known figure in the theater scene, the actress eventually garnered widespread acclaim for her work on the small and big screens. Among her many on-screen roles, though, it’s safe to say most people know Bates best for her performance as Annie Wilkes in the 1990 adaptation of the Stephen King book, Misery.