Last Updated Jul - 10 - 2025, 05:56 PM | Source : Fela News
From arriving in New York with $250 to leading Marvel’s rise, Isaac Perlmutter tops Forbes' 2025 list of immigrant billionaires in Hollywood with a $4.9B net wo
The 2025 Forbes list of Immigrant Billionaires features some of the world’s wealthiest individuals, including Elon Musk at the top, alongside notable names such as Sergey Brin, Satya Nadella, Rupert Murdoch, and George Soros. Among them is one of Hollywood’s most influential figures — a billionaire with an extraordinary rags-to-riches story. The richest immigrant in Hollywood, Isaac Perlmutter, now boasts a net worth of $4.9 billion, a dramatic leap from the mere $250 he had when he first arrived in the United States.
The Remarkable Journey of Isaac Perlmutter
Born in 1945 to a Jewish family in what was then Palestine, Perlmutter grew up in the early years of the state of Israel. He served in the Israeli Defence Forces during the 1967 Six-Day War before moving to New York City with just $250. Initially, he survived by providing Hebrew funeral services and later began selling toys on the street. Although he never attended college, he taught himself how to read financial statements and soon gained a reputation for turning around struggling companies.
By the 1970s, Perlmutter’s business instincts led him to acquire and revive ailing firms, including the toy company Coleco in 1988. In 1993, he joined the board of Marvel Comics. As Marvel neared bankruptcy, Perlmutter merged his own company, Toy Biz, with Marvel to form Marvel Enterprises. In 2001, he became Marvel’s vice chairman and eventually its CEO. He played a key role in establishing Marvel Studios, appointing Kevin Feige to lead its creative direction. Perlmutter served as Marvel Entertainment’s CEO until 2023 and was deeply involved in Marvel’s films until 2015 and its television ventures until 2019.
In 2023, he was laid off during a corporate restructuring and later sold all his Marvel shares for $4 billion in cash. By July 2025, Forbes estimated his net worth at $4.9 billion.
Controversies Surrounding Perlmutter
Despite his pivotal role in Marvel’s cinematic revival with films like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Hulk, Perlmutter has been a contentious figure. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige reportedly clashed with him over creative control. One particularly controversial incident occurred in 2010 when Perlmutter dismissed actor Terrence Howard from Iron Man 2 after a salary dispute, allegedly justifying the replacement with Don Cheadle by saying that “black people look the same.” After 2015, Feige no longer reported to him, and by 2019, Perlmutter was sidelined from Marvel Television as well.
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