When you think of cool Hollywood stars, it's hard not to come up with a list that doesn't include Robert Downey Jr. From portraying billionaire tech-whiz Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, RDJ has been on a high-flying (and well-paying) ride since the early-2000s. In fact, between 2012 and 2015, Forbes magazine named him Hollywood's highest-paid actor. In the 12 months between just June 2014 and 2015 alone, he earned a whopping $80 million!
But it wasn't always big pay days and big blockbuster - for a number of years, Downey was in and out of rehab for addictions to cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. At one point, he even waltzed into a neighbor's home and passed out on one of the beds while under the influence of drugs. Fast forward past that dark time in Downey's life, and you'll find a committed, dedicated, and passionate professional who takes his craft (and his personal disciplines and convictions) very seriously.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.