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12 Actors Who Own Private Islands

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Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - February 24th 2026, 18:30 GMT+1

Marlon brando Mutiny on the Bounty cropped processed by imagy — 12. Marlon Brando – Tetiaroa ($200K–$270K)

A film set can change your life, but Marlon Brando took it one step further and turned a location into a lifelong obsession. After falling hard for Tetiaroa, he eventually acquired the atoll for a reported $200K–$270K, a figure that’s been repeated for decades because the story is too perfect to forget: an icon buying paradise and then trying to protect it. What makes the purchase feel even more “Brando” is how it wasn’t just a trophy – he talked conservation, long-term stewardship, and creating something that outlasted fame itself. | © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Leonardo dicaprio the beach cropped processed by imagy — 11. Leonardo DiCaprio – Blackadore Caye ($1.75 million)

The most interesting celebrity real estate buys usually come with a second act, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Blackadore Caye is exactly that: part private escape, part environmental statement. He reportedly paid $1.75 million for the island, then tied it to big eco-resort ambitions – an unusually public plan for something so private. Even if you strip away the headlines, the core idea tracks with his persona: disappear when he wants, but keep the project attached to a cause that matters to him. It’s the rare island story that feels like more than a flex, even on paper. | © 20th Century Fox

Raymond burr rear window cropped processed by imagy — 10. Raymond Burr – Naitauba Island ($2.1 million)

There’s a very old-school glamour to the way Raymond Burr’s island chapter gets retold – less “celebrity purchase,” more “classic star quietly vanished to the horizon.” He’s frequently linked to ownership of Naitauba Island, with $2.1 million most often cited in connection with a later sale figure rather than a simple, clean “he bought it for X” receipt. That kind of haze is common with private deals from that era, but the broader picture holds: Burr loved retreating into nature, far from the public persona most people associate with him. | © Paramount Pictures

Cropped Brooke Shields The Blue Lagoon — 9. Brooke Shields – Emerald Island ($2.975 million)

A lot of island-owner stories get stretched into legend; Brooke Shields’ version lingers because it sounds like a sequel to her most famous image. She’s often associated in real-estate roundups with an “Emerald Island” buy priced around $2.975 million, but the specifics aren’t consistently documented across sources, which is why the figure tends to float as “reported” rather than confirmed. Still, the rumor makes intuitive sense: Shields became an icon of sun-drenched cinema early, and the fantasy of owning your own private shoreline feels like the grown-up extension of that same myth. | © Columbia Pictures

Nicolas cage The Rock cropped processed by imagy — 8. Nicolas Cage – Leaf Cay ($3 million)

A private island sounds like the ultimate status symbol – until you remember Nicolas Cage’s peak spending era, when “why not?” looked a lot like a financial strategy. His purchase of Leaf Cay is widely reported at $3 million, a headline that captured the moment perfectly: bold, impulsive, and unapologetically extravagant. The twist is that an island isn’t a toy you stash away; upkeep is relentless, and Cage’s later money troubles made that reality impossible to ignore. It’s the kind of purchase that reads like a punchline…until you realize it was real. | © Hollywood Pictures

Gene hackman the poseidon adventure cropped processed by imagy — 7. Gene Hackman – Fawn Island ($3.48 million)

Privacy was never something Gene Hackman seemed to chase with publicity – he just quietly stepped away from it, and an island fit that instinct perfectly. Fawn Island is the kind of purchase that reads less like a celebrity flex and more like a deliberate exit ramp: water as a buffer, silence as a luxury, and a daily routine no one can interrupt. The reported $3.48 million price tag lands in that rare sweet spot of “exclusive” without feeling cartoonishly extravagant. It’s an old-school idea of wealth: not louder, just farther. | © 20th Century Fox

Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black Pearl cropped processed by imagy — 6. Johnny Depp – Little Hall’s Pond Cay ($3.6 million)

Some stars collect cars; Johnny Depp collected distance, and Little Hall’s Pond Cay became his personal off-switch from the noise. At around $3.6 million, the island is famous as much for the fantasy it represents as the sand itself – an address that doesn’t need a gate because the ocean does the job. What makes it so on-brand is the whimsy: the idea of an actor who lives in characters also wanting a place that feels like its own world. You can practically picture the escape route: boat ride, breeze, and zero headlines. | © Walt Disney Pictures

Tyler perry Madeas Family Reunion cropped processed by imagy — 5. Tyler Perry – White Bay Cay ($6.4 million)

There’s a particular kind of success where the splurge isn’t a bigger house – it’s a boundary line you can see from the shore. Tyler Perry’s reported $6.4 million buy of White Bay Cay fits that mindset: a private retreat that doubles as a statement that he built his own lane and doesn’t need anyone else’s. The island angle also matches his work ethic in a funny way – when you’re constantly producing, writing, directing, and acting, the most valuable amenity is simply a place where nobody can walk in. | © Lionsgate

George clooney the descendants cropped processed by imagy — 4. George Clooney – Thames River Island (£10 million)

Not every “private island” fantasy comes with palm trees – sometimes it’s the elegance of being surrounded by water while staying close to everything that matters. George Clooney’s reported £10 million Thames River Island home plays like a grown-up version of seclusion: discreet, peaceful, and almost aggressively un-showy for someone that famous. The appeal is the contrast – public life on one side, a private little world on the other, with water doing the separating. It’s not about hiding; it’s about breathing room. | © Fox Searchlight Pictures

Mel Gibson the bounty cropped processed by imagy — 3. Mel Gibson – Mago Island ($15 million)

A remote island purchase can feel like a headline stunt until you remember what it actually buys: control, isolation, and the ability to disappear without asking permission. Mel Gibson’s Mago Island deal – often pegged at $15 million – has the scale people imagine when they hear “celebrity island,” the kind of place that turns privacy into a permanent feature rather than a weekend plan. Whatever the motivation, the number itself is the tell: this wasn’t a getaway; it was a whole separate life. | © Bounty Productions, LLC

Eddie murphy beverly hills cop — 2. Eddie Murphy – Rooster Cay ($15 million)

When you’re one of the most recognizable faces in comedy, true quiet becomes a luxury you can’t buy in a city – so you buy it offshore. Eddie Murphy’s reported $15 million Rooster Cay purchase has become a favorite trivia fact because it captures the dream so cleanly: your own sand, your own rules, and nobody wandering into your frame. The real flex isn’t the island itself; it’s the lifestyle it implies – no schedules, no small talk, just the option to vanish whenever the world gets too loud. | © Paramount Pictures

John wayne donovans reef cropped processed by imagy — 1. John Wayne – Taborcillo (gift; no purchase price)

Sun-bleached escapism was basically a brand long before influencers made it a job, and John Wayne leaned into that fantasy off-screen too. He spent years slipping away to Taborcillo, a rugged hideout that’s often described as having come to him as a gift rather than a purchase, which only adds to the legend. The appeal wasn’t flashy luxury so much as distance: boats instead of boulevards, quiet mornings instead of cameras, the kind of privacy you can’t schedule. It fits the Wayne mythology perfectly – larger-than-life on screen, intentionally small and private when the credits rolled. | © Paramount Pictures

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Fame buys a lot of things – front-row seats, penthouses, entourage-approved restaurants – but nothing screams “no distractions” like having your own shoreline and no neighbors to complain about the noise. For a select group of actors, the ultimate luxury isn’t bigger…it’s farther.

And because the fantasy always comes with a price tag, we’re looking at what these island getaways reportedly cost when they changed hands. Some numbers are rock-solid, pulled from real estate records and reputable reporting; others are the kind of figures that follow private deals like a shadow – close enough to feel real, but never officially confirmed.

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Fame buys a lot of things – front-row seats, penthouses, entourage-approved restaurants – but nothing screams “no distractions” like having your own shoreline and no neighbors to complain about the noise. For a select group of actors, the ultimate luxury isn’t bigger…it’s farther.

And because the fantasy always comes with a price tag, we’re looking at what these island getaways reportedly cost when they changed hands. Some numbers are rock-solid, pulled from real estate records and reputable reporting; others are the kind of figures that follow private deals like a shadow – close enough to feel real, but never officially confirmed.