Julia Roberts is such a big star that we'd have been forced to name her on this list no matter where she was from. For the majority of the 1990s, she was the highest-paid female performer in Hollywood. The decade didn't start out that way for her - she was paid a comparatively low fee of $300,000 for 'Pretty Woman' in 1990, but by 2000 her standard rate for a film was in excess of $20m. When she was paid $25m for 'Mona Lisa Smile' in 2003, it was a record for a female actress. She performs so effortlessly on the screen that it's almost like she was born to do it. There's a reason for that.
Both of Roberts' parents were actors - although they never achieved the same level of success that she has. They ran acting classes together in Atlanta, Georgia, and so Roberts learned the trade directly from them. Her brother Eric is also an actor. During her long career, she's been nominated for Academy Awards on four occasions, although to date she's only picked up an Oscar once when she won 'Best Actress' for 2000's 'Erin Brockovich.'
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.