Where To Watch
9 TV characters who were wealthy beyond belief
These characters had money, and they flaunted it too.
Some of the greatest TV shows in history portray the average life of most Americans. Mayberry in The Andy Griffith Show is Anytown, U.S.A, while the Cunninghams from Happy Days were the model family.
However, the characters on this list aren't average people. Instead, they have more money than most can imagine. They own businesses, land, oil and anything else that can be bought.
They can get eccentric, too, whether it's bringing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash on a three-hour boat tour, or bringing a hippo to a Beverly Hills mansion believing it to be a giant hog.
Truth be told, we shouldn't aspire to be exactly like these nine TV characters, but we can certainly wish to have their wealth.
1. Thurston Howell, III
Howell, TV's quintessential rich guy, is more commonly known as "the Millionaire" on Gilligan's Island. With a nickname like that, you know this character has to be loaded. His wealth is never stated on the show, but there are a few hints to how much dough he has in the bank. Howell owns a diamond mine, coconut plantation, railroad, oil well and 40,000 acres of land in Colorado.
2. "Lovey" Howell
Just because Lovey is billed as "the wife" on Gilligan's Island, doesn't mean she's not wealthy in her own right. In addition to claiming half of the Howell's massive fortune, she comes from money as well. In fact, her wallet might even be more padded than her husband's.
3. Jed Clampett
Clampett's scenario on The Beverly Hillbillies is one of which we all dream: striking oil on our land and selling it for millions of dollars. He didn't have to work for his money, it just fell into his lap. With all the money offered for his land, the patriarch moves his family to California to live the life of luxury.
4. Bruce Wayne
Gotham City's richest bachelor is also its greatest superhero. On Batman, Wayne was born into money, and today some estimate he'd be worth about $9.2 billion. Yet we don't need an exact figure to know Wayne is wealthy beyond belief — just look at Wayne Manor!
5. Gomez Addams
The Addams Family patriarch is sort of like the gothic version of Howell. His investments include a buzzard farm, tombstone factory and uranium mine.
Image: MGM Television
6. Amos Burke
Before rich characters turned to evil plots and scheming in the '70s and '80s, they were generally nice people who wanted to spread the wealth. Case in point: Amos Burke. Anyone with his wealth and stature could sit around all day and bask in their swimming pool filled with champagne. Instead, Burke solved murders as the captain of the Los Angeles police homicide division.
7. J.R. Ewing
In the '70s and '80s, TV's one percent turned to the dark side. Gone were the days of the Howells making nice with the other castaways, or Bruce Wayne using his wealth to fight crime. On Dallas, the ruthless oil tycoon does whatever it takes to get what he wants. However, no amount of money can mend his relationship with his family.
Image: Warner Bros. Television
8. Blake Carrington
In the same vein as J.R. Ewing, Blake Carrington is a rich and ruthless oil tycoon. But unlike Ewing, Carrington's fortune is self-made, growing an entire company from a single oil well.
Image: CBS
9. Richie Rich
Okay, so not all of the richest characters of the '70s and '80' were terrible human beings. Richie Rich is a wealthy boy who wants to do a lot of good deeds with his money. Naturally, he likes to splurge as well, owning two of everything. The self-titled show, which originated from the comic book, ran for four seasons in the early 1980s.
Image: Hanna-Barbera
5 Comments
He'd give people a million dollars, tax-free, just to see how they'd react.
