25 Surprising Side Businesses from Hollywood Stars

Looking at our findings from some rigorous research (read: Googling), it seems that you can divide famous actors into a handful of groups – those who are trying to do something good for the world, those who are trying to break into internet megabucks and those who like opening restaurants.

Without further chit-chat, here’s a breakdown of which stars are behind which brands which you may or may not know and love…

1. Kevin Costner – Ocean Therapy Solutions

Here’s a brilliant one to start off with – it seems that Kevin Costner’s love of the ocean didn’t stop with Waterworld; he owns a company called Ocean Therapy Solutions, who specialise in separating oil and water.

The former Robin Hood picked up the company from the US government back in 1995, for the cool sum of $24 million. Since, he has developed the technology and successfully came to planet Earth’s aid back in 2010.

This was part of the solution to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, which saw a huge oil slick endanger the Gulf of Mexico region. It was Costner’s company’s biggest success story, seeing BP utilise no less than 32 of his oil-water separation thingies.

2. Jessica Alba – The Honest Co. 

Another of the more righteous entries on this list is Jessica Alba’s status as one of the founders of The Honest Company Incorporated, who focus on producing eco friendly products for babies.

The one-time Invisible Woman of The Fantastic Fourco-started the company back in 2012 alongside Christopher Gavigan, former CEO of Healthy Children Healthy World.

So far they’ve released toxin-free household products, nappies and body care products. While not as immediately headline worthy as de-oiling the Gulf of Mexico, this is nonetheless a welcome and worthwhile project for Hollywood to inadvertently fund.

3. Justin Timberlake – MySpace

Here’s a slightly surreal one – Justin Timberlake, who portrayed Napster founder Sean Parker in The Social Network, actually co-owns social media website MySpace in real life.

This fantastic quiz question topic became a reality in 2011 (a while after David Fincher’s Zuckerberg biopic came out), when a $35 million deal saw JT sweep up a shedload of stocks with support from Specific Media. This was a big decrease in value from the reported $580 million that the site had been sold to News Corp for just six years prior.

The "Cry Me A River" singer nabbed six ‘around the clock’ personal staff in the deal, with the plans to convert MySpace from Facebook’s little brother into a network supporting musicians and their fans already well underway.

4. Sandra Bullock – Fortis Films, Bess Bistro and Walton’s Fancy and Staple

Some Hollywood stars like to spread their seeds a bit wider, investing in various projects of different sizes after making their millions on the silver screen.

Sandra Bullock is one of these, running her own production company Fortis Films as well as founding a Texas based restaurant called Bess Bistro and a bakery/restaurant/flower shop/event planners called Walton’s Fancy and Staple.

The Speed, Crash, and Gravityactress has found success in all these areas, with each of her ventures having now existed for over five years. Fortis Films failed to get Bullock’s version of Million Dollar Baby off the ground before Clint Eastwood took over, but did successfully launch the American sitcom George Lopez. Her Bradley Cooper co-starring comedy film All About Steve fared less well, earning scathing reviews and a brace of Golden Raspberry awards.

5. Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger – Planet Hollywood

Although restaurant chain Planet Hollywood is less than ambiguous in its love of all things Tinsel Town, the fact that it couldn’t have come into existence without the support of four action heroes (Moore qualifies thanks to G.I. Jane) isn’t exactly common knowledge.

That’s right - Sly, Arnie, Demi Moore and the ever-cheerful Bruce Willis teamed up to invest in Planet Hollywood way back in 1991. Although they didn’t run the business side, it was their cash that made it possible.

Arnie said 'Hasta la vista' to the chain in 2000, distancing himself from the brand he helped create. In a statement, he said “I am disappointed that the company did not continue with the success I had expected and hoped for.” It’s worth mentioning that, at the time, Planet Hollywood was recovering from near-bankruptcy.

6. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay – Gary Sanchez Productions/Funny Or Die

If we listed every film star who has their wallet attached to a production company, the internet might just run out of space. However, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions is particularly interesting.

Although the production company has had its fair share of movie success (co-producing Step Brothers, The Other Guys, The Campaign, and Anchorman 2 is no small feat), their founding of FunnyOrDie.com, the best part of a decade ago, is still what sets them apart.

In 2007, the internet wasn’t nearly as obsessed with viral videos as it is today. However, that didn’t stop Ferrell and McKay (his regular writer/director) investing in what would go on to become an Emmy-award winning, HBO-affiliated behemoth of original and exclusive content. Contributors include Judd Apatow and James Franco, while Jim Carrey, Patrick Stewart and Zack Galifianakis have all made appearances (the latter even interviewed Barack Obama).

7. Mark Wahlberg – Wahlburgers restaurant / AQUAhydrate

You don’t get to call yourself Marky Mark and earn the respect of your own Funky Bunch without some street smarts. It should come as no surprise, then, that Mark Wahlberg has his fingers in lots of business-y pies.

First up is Wahlburgers, the cunningly named beef-and-buns based establishment co-owned by Mark Wahlberg and his two brothers Donnie and Paul. It was founded in 2011, and has it’s own TV show Wahlburgers, if you’re that keen on the Wahlberg family.

Also, Mr M Wahlberg is one of the founding financiers of AQUAHydrate water, along with P-Diddy. It, um, has a higher pH level than normal water, we’re told.

8. Robert De Niro – Tribeca (various projects) / Restaurants / The Greenwich Hotel

Did you know that screen legend Robert De Niro is a bit of culinary connoisseur on the side? Well, guess what, he is. As well as co-founding Tribeca Productions in 1989 and the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002, he has branched out into financing restaurants and hotels.

He tasted the potential in chef Nobu Matshuisa’s meals in California, later inviting him to open a restaurant in Tribeca. The chef later opened franchises all over the world. De Niro also got him a cameo role in Casino.

Mr De Niro certainly likes the Tribeca area of New York – he also co-owns the Tribeca Grill restaurant and The Greenwich hotel (also located in Tribeca).

9. Kate Hudson – Fabletics

It’s fair to say, we think, that Academy Award nominated actress Kate Hudson isn’t always appreciated for her talents as a performer. We’d just like to mention here how much we enjoyed her turn in Almost Famous, before we go any further.

However, it’s arguably the other thing that people like Kate Hudson for which has seen her side business flourish financially. Fabletics, co-founded by Hudson, is a retailer of women’s exercise wear. On their site, you can even choose which bits of your body you love ‘showing off’ in a handy survey.

While we may sound cynical in our description here, you can't fault someone for making a living. Additionally, JustFab, the parent brand of Fabletics, reaches an approximate 35 million customers worldwide via its subscription services, so who are we to scoff?

10. Arnold Schwarzenegger – Arnold’s Sports Festival

Kate Hudson is hardly the first movie star to cash in on the popularity of her appearance. It’s worth remembering that Arnold Schwarzenegger was Mr Universe long before he became one of the most iconic actors of all time. He was cashing in on fitness equipment and instructional tapes as far back as the 1970s.

Over the years, Arnie has invested in a bricklaying business, real estate, restaurants (not just Planet Hollywood, but the ill-fated Schatzi On Main too) and shopping malls. While most of these projects have been sold on or fallen by the wayside, Arnie still finds time to run his own sports festival.

Arnold’s Sports Festival has run every year since 1989 (to our knowledge), in the locale of Columbus, Ohio. It features old school bodybuilding contests as well as meet-and-greets and seminars from the man himself. Advance tickets to the daily expo cost just $10, so we’d wager Arnie sees this as more of a passion project than a money spinner.

This is a long article, hence the multiple pages. Forgive us...