Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, and attended Queens College to study communications and drama. He selected this path because he aspired to be a comedian. He began imitating the characteristics of comedians when he was eight years old.

He worked his way up the New York City comedy scene in the late 1970s, eventually securing a spot on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show" in 1981 at the age of 27.

From there, it was an easy road to super-success. Seinfeld rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and had a stand-up special on NBC in 1987, which led to him being asked to co-create a sitcom with Larry David for the network. "Seinfeld" premiered in 1989, and the rest is history. "Seinfeld" became one of the most popular shows in television history, as well as one of the most influential. By the ninth and last season of the show, Seinfeld was earning $1 million every episode, or nearly $13,000 per line he delivered.

What did Shakespeare have to say about succinctness? Will it make you wealthy? That'll do it.

"Dogs are the leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one of them is making a poop, the other one's carrying it for him, who would you assume is in charge?" —Jerry Seinfeld

Net worth: $950 million
Age: 66
Country: United States