When Salma Hayek first unveiled her romance with billionaire business mogul François-Henri Pinault, back in 2007, much was made because he was pretty wealthy. The insinuation was that the actress was only with him for the money. These detractors forgot that Hayek had an accomplished career in Hollywood with much wealth and accolades to her name. Thankfully, the actress remained unruffled by these hurtful insinuations and has gone on to thrive in every aspect. Career-wise, she is still highly-sought in the industry and has featured in recent flicks such as Bliss and Like a Boss.
Hayek has also consolidated on her production efforts and has tried her hands at several enterprises as well. On a personal note, her romance with Pinault continues growing stronger. They now have a daughter and continue to lead amazing lives. Pinault remains one of the most successful businessmen out of France. He heads up a valuable luxury brand and also holds controlling interests in other assets, including a football club and a world-renowned auction house.
François-Henri Pinault is a Multi-Billionaire While Salma Hayek Has a Net Worth of $200 million
Salma Hayek may be more popular than her beloved husband but he is quite wealthier than her. The ace businessman is said to have a personal net worth of $17.3 billion (his family is worth $44.5 billion) which easily trumps that of Hayek who has a fortune of $200 million. Pinault made his wealth from the luxury brand Kering which was originally founded by his father, François Pinault. It must be noted though that he is not some trust-fund baby who got handed his wealth on a platter of gold. He rather played a pivotal part in taking his father’s company to great heights and now serves as the CEO and president.
Originally known as PPR, Kering was founded in 1963 as a wood and building materials company. 36 years later, they had generated enough revenue with which they bought a controlling stake in Gucci Group and diversified their business towards luxury goods. Luxury goods remain their primary focus to date and the company’s holdings include swiss watch brands Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin, and fashion houses such as Gucci, Yves Saint-Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Boucheron, Alexander McQueen, and Stella McCartney. They also own the renowned auction house, Christie’s, professional soccer club Stade Rennais F.C., vineyard Château Latour, and cruise ship operator Compagnie du Ponant. Thanks to all of these companies, the company generates upwards of $15 billion in sales each year.
On her own part, Salma Hayek is obviously not worth billions but there is no denying that she has done quite well for herself. The Mexican-American actress draws the bulk of her $200 million fortune from an acting career that started in her native Mexico and saw her become a Telenovela superstar. From there, she transplanted to Hollywood in the 90s and has conquered the industry as well. Her high-profile movies include Dogma, Wild Wild West, Frida, Desperado, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, and Like A Boss. She also gained wealth and fame from TV series such as Ugly Betty and 30 Rock.
Other avenues through which Salma Hayek makes money are through her production work and endorsement deals. The actress has represented prominent brands such as Avon Cosmetics, Revlon, Campari, Cartier, and Lincoln Car. She has also founded the Latin-themed production company, Ventanarosa, and produced movies such as Frida and The Maldonado Miracles. Hayek is also an enterprising businesswoman. She has her own line of cosmetics, skincare, and hair care products called Nuance by Salma Hayek. She also launched a beauty subscription service in collaboration with health and wellness company, Juice Generation, in 2017.
There is a Four-Year-Age Difference Between Salma Hayek and Her Husband
One thing that would have cemented the insinuations that Salma Hayek is only with her husband for his money is if he were much older. Thankfully, this is not the case as the billionaire businessman is only about four years older than her.
Born on the 28th day of May 1962, François-Henri Pinault came into the world just a year before his father founded the family’s flagship company. He, therefore, grew up side by side with the venture and by the time he finished his education, he went to work for the company. This was in 1987 and he started out in the buying department. From there, he was made the manager and other promotions followed as well. By 2003, Pinault was the Vice-President of PPR and two years later, he became the CEO and President.
While Pinault was busy coming up in the corporate world, his future wife was also making inroads into showbiz around the same time. Born on the 2nd day of September 1966, Hayek grew up in Mexico and suffered from dyslexia as a child. She was quite intelligent though and finished high school a year early. She subsequently enrolled at Mexico City’s Universidad Iberoamericana to study International Relations and Political Science but dropped out after some time to pursue showbiz. Her parents were not too impressed with the decision but allowed her to proceed as they thought it was a “phase” that she would grow out of. That phase later turned into Hayek becoming one of the most popular movie stars in her country by the late 80s. She then left her comfort zone and moved to America to make a name for herself in the 90s.
The Couple Have Been Together Since 2006 and Have One Daughter
Salma Hayek has refused to dish on the exact details of the meet-cute between her and her husband, preferring to keep that precious nugget to herself, but it is known that they first met in spring 2006 at a gala at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice. They took a shine to each other and promptly commenced a romance. The couple got engaged in March 2007 and on the 21st day of September 2007, welcomed their daughter, Valentina Paloma. They then tied the knot in two separate ceremonies in 2009.
The first was a civil ceremony which took place at the 6th Arrondissement City Hall in Paris on 14th February. The second one was a romantic affair in the Italian town of Venice in April. It featured celebrity guests such as Woody Harrelson, Charlize Theron, and Penelope Cruz, and the bride stunned in a Balenciaga gown. At the time of the marriage, Hayek was 42 while her husband was 46. The actress acknowledges that she is a late bloomer in that regard but has stated that she is a better mother to her daughter. She however accepts that it can be a little tiring.
Hayek and her husband have now been together for more than a decade and their romance keeps on waxing strong. Though some jabs remain about the fact that the actress married the Frenchman for his money, the actress has stated that she doesn’t care about such opinions anymore and they don’t even offend her again. She has even gone ahead to reveal that one of her conditions for accepting Pinault’s marriage proposal was that he would let her continue footing all the individual expenses that she had prior to the union. The actress has meanwhile described her husband as a joy of a human being who is neither controlling nor a workaholic but makes time to be with his family. According to her, he is the best husband in the world and she gets to be her real self with him.
Comparison of the Famous Couple
| Salma Hayek | François-Henri Pinault | |
| Age | 57 | 61 |
| Height | 5 ft 1 in (1.57 m) | 5 feet 10 inches (1.78m) |
| Birthplace | Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico | Rennes, France |
| Net Worth | $200 million | $17.3 billion |
| Sources of Wealth | Movies, endorsement deals, and beauty brand. | Luxury goods, art, and winery. |
| Awards | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Children/Youth/Family Special 2004. | 2006 Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur and 2020: Fiorino d’Oro, the highest award of the city of Florence. |
