FILMMAKER George Lucas’ “Star Wars” empire — the movie franchise, not Darth Vader’s fictional galactic government — planted him firmly atop Forbes magazine’s third annual ranking of the wealthiest U.S. celebrities, which was released Tuesday.

The net worth of the 74-year-old writer, director, producer and creator of the enduring space saga was estimated at US$5.4 billion, leading a list that also included athletes, musicians and one wealthy illusionist.

Most of Lucas’ wealth came from the US$4.05 billion sale of the LucasFilm production company to Walt Disney in 2012, Forbes said.

The figures on the list are Forbes’ estimates based on the celebrities’ known holdings of real estate, art and shares of companies both public and private, as well as other assets and estimated lifetime earnings.

Fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who turned 72 Tuesday, came in second, with an estimated US$3.7 billion net worth. Spielberg’s career as a director, writer and producer spans some 50 years with credits that include “Jaws,” “ET,” “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.”

The celebrities on the list have an estimated combined assets of US$18.7 billion, more than the gross domestic product of Iceland, Forbes said.

The richest female celebrity was Oprah Winfrey, 64, whose acting and media enterprises have yielded her a net worth of an estimated US$2.8 billion, third overall.

New to the Forbes list this year was Kylie Jenner, whose wealth from her Kylie Cosmetics made the 21-year-old the youngest ever self-made billionaire, the magazine said. (SD-Agencies)