
Walter Salles is, rather surprisingly, thought to be the third-wealthiest film director in the world, after George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, with an estimated net worth of $4.2bn. Although his films have been successful enough, they are not the source of his riches.
He comes from one of the most prominent families in Brazil, his father, Walter Moreira Salles, having been the chairman of Unibanco and twice the Brazilian ambassador to the United States. Walter Salles had an international education, before attending film school at the University of Southern California.