Sidney Kimmel Net Worth

What Is Sidney Kimmel's Net Worth?

Sidney Kimmel is an American producer, businessman, and philanthropist who has a net worth of $1.6 billion. In filmmaking, he has worked on such features as "The Kite Runner" and "Death at a Funeral," whereas in business, he is known as the founder of Jones Apparel Group. Still, his most far-reaching role is the one of a philanthropist. With a goal to donate $1 billion in total throughout his lifetime, Kimmel is an active giver in the fields of healthcare, education, and arts and culture. Sidney established Jones Apparel Group in 1970. He left his position as CEO of the company in 2002 but remained chairman of the board of directors. He is now focused on his movie production company, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, which most recently released the 2023 film "Anyone But You," featuring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. Furthermore, he owns art and real estate, as well as a 5% stake of the Miami Heat basketball team. It was in 2010 that Sidney joined the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge, some seven years after setting up his Sidney Kimmel Foundation and its subsidiary, the Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research.

Early Life

Sidney Kimmel was born on January 16, 1928, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He comes from a Jewish family. After high school, Kimmel enrolled at Temple University, but he dropped out before earning his degree.

Career

In 1970, Kimmel was an employee of W. R. Grace and Company when he founded his own company, Jones Apparel Group. He produced clothing lines such as Jones New York, Nine West, and Evan-Picone, and he entered into licensing deals with Ralph Lauren. In 2002, Sidney left his position as CEO of Jones Apparel Group and sold a majority of his shares in the company, but he continued to serve as chairman of the board of directors until the company was sold to Sycamore Partners for $2.2 billion in 2014.

Kimmel funded the 1986 film "9½ Weeks," an erotic drama starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger that grossed $100 million against a $17 million budget. In 2004, he founded the production company Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (SKE). The company's earliest projects were the films "Neverwas" (2005), "Trust the Man" (2005), "Alpha Dog" (2006), "United 93" (2006), "Copying Beethoven" (2006), and "Griffin & Phoenix" (2006). In 2007, SKE produced the films "Breach," "Death at a Funeral," "Talk to Me," "Charlie Bartlett," "Married Life," and "Lars and the Real Girl." The company also produced "The Kite Runner" that year, and it earned a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Picture and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. SKE's next film was 2008's "Synecdoche, New York," which won two Independent Spirit Awards. Next, the company produced films such as "Adventureland" (2009), the American remake of "Death at a Funeral" (2010), "The Lincoln Lawyer" (2011), "One for the Money" (2012), "Gone" (2012), "The Place Beyond the Pines" (2012), "Stand Up Guys" (2012), "All Is Bright" (2013), "I, Frankenstein" (2014), Walk of Shame" (2014), "The Age of Adaline" (2015), and "Sleeping with Other People" (2015). The 2016 film "Hell or High Water" received more than 170 award nominations, including four Academy Award nominations. SKE followed the successful film with 2017's "The Book of Henry" and "Brad's Status," 2018's "Greta," 2019's "The Jesus Rolls," 2021's "Palmer," and 2023's "God Is a Bullet," "Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa," and "Anyone But You." "Anyone But You" earned $220 million against a budget of just $25 million, and it received a People's Choice Award nomination for Comedy Movie of the Year.

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Philanthropy

Kimmel is passionate about philanthropy, particularly in the areas of education, healthcare, and the arts. He said that he is determined to donate $1 billion during his lifetime. In 1993, he established the Sidney Kimmel Foundation, which is dedicated to "Connecting Promise to Progress." In 2001, the Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research gave a $150 million donation to Johns Hopkins University that was used to develop a residence for patients undergoing extended cancer treatment. The university named the building the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Sidney's name is attached to cancer research centers in four cities: Philadelphia, San Diego, New York City, and Baltimore. He has donated more than $35 million to Philadelphia's performing arts center, which is now known as The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Kimmel has also donated millions to Philadelphia's National Constitution Center, National Museum of American Jewish History, and Raymond and Ruth Perelman Jewish Day School. He gave a $25 million contribution to Stand Up To Cancer as well. Through his foundation, he created the Kimmel Scholars Program, which "bridges the funding gap for gifted young cancer researchers at the very outset of their careers."

In 2025, Sidney and his wife, Caroline, gave a $27.5 million donation toward the construction of Temple University's Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication. Kimmel has donated more than $5 million to the University of Missouri for the creation of the Sidney Kimmel Institute for Nuclear Renaissance (SKINR). He hopes that researchers at SKINR will "figure out why excess heat has been observed when hydrogen or deuterium interacts with materials such as palladium, nickel or platinum under extreme conditions."

Awards and Nominations

In 2008, Kimmel won a Christopher Award in the Feature Films category for "The Kite Runner." The 2008 film "Synecdoche, New York" earned him an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and a Gotham Award nomination for Best Feature. For "Hell or High Water," Sidney received an Online Film & Television Association Award nomination for Best Picture and an Awards Circuit Community Award nomination for Best Motion Picture.

Real Estate

In 2007, Sidney and Caroline paid $46 million for Johnny Carson's former home in Malibu, California. They put the home on the market for $81.5 million in 2017, then they reduced the asking price to $65.2 million during the summer of 2018. According to Robb Report, "In 2019, the Kimmels transferred the place to venture capitalist Riaz Valani, an early investor in the e-cigarette manufacturer Juul, and his wife Augusta Tigrett, a daughter of Hard Rock Café co-founder Isaac Tigrett and Ringo Starr's ex-wife Maureen Starkey. The clandestine deal took place off-market and was valued at $40 million in cash."

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