David Ellison Net Worth

What Is David Ellison's Net Worth?

David Ellison is an American film producer and former actor who has a net worth of $500 million. David Ellison is best known for being the founder and CEO of the production company Skydance Media. Ellison has served as an executive producer on films such as "Jack Reacher" (2012), "Star Trek Into Darkness" (2013), "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" (2014), "Baywatch" (2017), and "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" (2023) as well as several movies in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise. He has also executive-produced several television series, including "Grace and Frankie (2015−2018), "Jack Ryan" (2018−2023), "Reacher" (2022–present), and "The Big Door Prize" (2023–2024). David produced the 2022 blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick," which earned him an Academy Award nomination. As an actor, Ellison appeared in the films "The Chumscrubber" (2005), "Flyboys" (2006), "Hole in One" (2009), and "Little Fish, Strange Pond" (also known as "Frenemy," 2009) and guest-starred in a 2010 episode of "Leverage." In 2014, he launched a men's clothing line called the LANAI Collection.

Early Life

David Ellison was born on January 9, 1983, in Santa Clara County, California. He is the son of Barbara Boothe Ellison and billionaire Larry Ellison. Larry is the co-founder and chairman of the software company Oracle Corporation. He is one of the richest people in the world with a net worth that topped $200 billion for the first time in 2025.

David has Jewish and Italian heritage through his father. David's parents divorced in 1986, and he was raised by his mother in Woodside, California. His sister, Megan Ellison, is also a film producer, and she founded Annapurna Pictures.

After high school, Ellison enrolled at the University of Southern California, but he ended up dropping out of the USC film school to make his first movie, the war drama "Flyboys," in 2005. David was influenced by his father's friend Steve Jobs, who helped fund Pixar Animation Studios, and he pitched Jobs his idea for Skydance Media. During an appearance on the "Sway" podcast, Ellison said that Jobs told him: "'I want you to come back up here and talk about how you guys are going to aspire to make movies and tell stories better than anybody else because that's what we did at Pixar." According to David, this "very much changed the trajectory of the company."

Both David and Megan received $200 million from their father on their respective 25th birthdays.

Skydance Media

Ellison founded Skydance Media in 2006, and three years later, the company entered into a five-year partnership with Paramount Pictures to co-finance and co-produce films. David has executive produced the films "True Grit" (2010), "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol" (2011), "The Guilt Trip" (2012), "Jack Reacher" (2012), "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" (2013), "Star Trek Into Darkness" (2013), "World War Z" (2013), "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" (2014), "Star Trek Beyond" (2016), "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" (2016), "Baywatch" (2017), "Annihilation" (2018), "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" (2018), "Without Remorse" (2021), "Snake Eyes" (2021), "Blush" (2021), "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" (2023), "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" (2023), and "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" (2025).

Skydance Media added a television division in 2013, and Ellison went on to executive produce TV shows such as "Manhattan" (2014−2015), "Grace and Frankie" (2015−2018), "Condor" (2018–2020), "Altered Carbon" (2018−2019), "Jack Ryan" (2018−2023), "Foundation" (2021–present), "Reacher" (2022–present), "The Big Door Prize" (2023−2024), and "FUBAR" (2023). He has also produced films such as "Terminator Genisys" (2015), "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" (2015), "Terminator: Dark Fate" (2019), "The Old Guard" (2020), "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022), "Air" (2023), and "Spy Kids: Armageddon" (2023).

Tom Cruise was long resistant to doing a "Top Gun" sequel, but was reportedly swayed by David's passion and original approach to what became "Maverick." It probably also didn't hurt that Tom was given an extremely generous backend cut of the film's revenue, which ultimately translated into an enormous payday.

In 2017, Ellison teamed up with Spain's Ilion Animation Studios to launch Skydance Animation, and the following year, Skydance Media formed a partnership with Tencent Holdings Limited.

(Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)

Paramount Acquisition

In July 2024, Skydance announced its intention to merge with Paramount Global, with David serving as chairman and CEO. Skydance stated that it will "reposition Paramount to improve profitability, foster stability and independence for creators, and enable more investment in faster growing digital platforms." Ellison and his backers will invest $8 billion into the merger, and according to Deadline, "After the close of the deal, Skydance Investor Group will own 100% of 'New Paramount' Class A shares and 69% of outstanding Class B shares, or about 70% of the pro forma shares outstanding." David said of the merger, "This is a defining and transformative time for our industry and the storytellers, content creators and financial stakeholders who are invested in the Paramount legacy and the longevity of the entertainment economy. I am incredibly grateful to Shari Redstone and her family who have agreed to entrust us with the opportunity to lead Paramount. We are committed to energizing the business and bolstering Paramount with contemporary technology, new leadership and a creative discipline that aims to enrich generations to come."

Personal Life

David married actress/singer Sandra Lynn Modic on October 1, 2011, and they have welcomed two children together. Ellison is a member of the Television Academy and the Producers Guild of America. He is a licensed pilot, and he has instrument ratings for commercial aviation, helicopter aviation, aerobatics, multi-engine aircraft, and fixed-wing aircraft. In 2003, 20-year-old David was chosen to perform at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh with the "Stars of Tomorrow" aerobatic team.

Awards and Nominations

Ellison received several award nominations for "Top Gun: Maverick," winning an ICG Publicists Award in the Motion Picture category. The film also earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Motion Picture of the Year, a PGA Award nomination for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, a Gold Derby Award nomination for Motion Picture, a Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Film Award nomination for Best Picture, and a Chicago Indie Critics Award nomination for Best Studio Film.

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