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Joan Fontaine Net Worth

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Joan Fontaine's Net Worth as of 2024
$40 Million

Born as Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland on the 22nd October 1917, in Tokyo, Japan, she was an American award- winning actress, best known to the world for appearing in numerous feature films during the Hollywood golden era, including “Rebecca” (1940), “Suspicion” (1941), “Letter from an Unknown Woman” (1948), and “Ivanhoe” (1952), among many other accomplishments. She passed away in 2013.

Have you ever wondered how rich Joan Fontaine was at the time of her death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Fontaine’s net worth was as high as $40 million, an amount earned through her successful career in the entertainment industry, which was active from the mid- 30s, until the mid- ‘90s.

Joan Fontaine Net Worth $40 Million

Joan was the daughter of Walter Augustus de Havilland, an English professor at the Imperial University in Tokyo, who later became patent attorney, and Lilian Augusta de Havilland Fontaine, who before leaving for Tokyo was a stage actress, but forewent her career for the sake of family, however, just three years after Joan’s birth, her parents divorced and Joan, her mother, and her older sister Olivia, who later also became a successful actress, moved to the US.

The Fontaine trio settled in Saratoga, California and young Joan attended Los Gatos High School, and also began taking diction lessons with her older sister. Once she turned 16, Joan moved back to Japan to live with her father, where she enrolled at Tokyo School for Foreign Children, matriculating in 1935, then returned to the USA and commenced her acting career.

Joan made a debut first on stage, in the play “Call It a Day” (1935), and in no time she received a contract offer from, none other than RKO Pictures. She made her screen debut in the romantic comedy “No More Ladies”, which starred Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery and Charles Ruggles, and although only a minor role, Joan was already considered a star, and in 1937 she was cast in the lead role of Nurse Doris King in the drama “The Man Who Found Himself”, next to John Beal and Phillip Huston. The same year she starred in the romantic comedy film “A Damsel in Distress”, with Fred Astaire, Gracie Allen and George Burns, however, the film received mixed reviews and failed at the box office, which resulted in Joan’s role in RKO Pictures being diminished. Until the end of her contract in 1939, she appeared in more several minor roles, but was then let go from the production house.

However, she was quickly back on track when she met producer David O. Selznick at a dinner party, and the two found a joint interest in the novel “Rebecca”, written by Daphne du Maurier, and David called her up to audition for the film of the same name. After months of preparation for the audition, Joan finally showed her talents and was selected to portray Mrs. de Winter in the romantic mystery drama directed by Alfred Hitchcock, which was his debut film for the American market. The following year, Hitchcock and Joan worked together again, this time on the mystery thriller “Suspicion”, for which Joan received an Academy Award in the category Best Actress in a Leading Role; the film also starred Cary Grant and Cedric Hardwicke, and earned over $4 million at box office, which helped increase Joan’s net worth to a large degree. Throughout the ‘40s, Joan starred in many blockbuster films, such as “The Constant Nymph” (1943), then “Jane Eyre” (1943) – an adaption of the Charlotte Bronte novel – then the comedy “The Affairs of Susan” in 1945, in which she shared the screen with George Brent, while in 1948 she starred with Louis Jordan in the romantic drama “Letter from an Unknown Woman”, and the same year was the female lead in the Academy Award- nominated romantic comedy “The Emperor Waltz”, next to Bing Crosby and Roland Culver.

She continued quite successfully in the early ‘50s, appearing in such films as “Born to Be Bad” (1950), and in William Dieterle’s Golden Globe Award- winning romantic drama “September Affair” (1950) with Joseph Cotton, while two years later she appeared with Elizabeth Taylor and Robert Taylor in the adventure drama “Ivanhoe”, which was nominated for three Academy Awards. In 1956 Joan made appearance in the crime drama “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt”, and finished the decade with a role in the 1958 drama “A Certain Smile”.

With the start of the ‘60s, her popularity began slowly to decline, which resulted in only a few memorable appearances; these included the portrayal of Baby Warren in the drama “Tender is the Night” in 1962, then the starring role of Gwen Mayfield in the horror “The Witches” (1966), thriller “Dark Mansions” in 1986, and as Queen Ludmilla in the drama “Good King Wenceslas” in 1994, which was her last screen appearance.

Although her career on screen declined slowly, she became a stage star in a number of theater appearances, including on Broadway in plays “Tea and Sympathy” and “Forty Carats”, which also improved her wealth.

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Back in 1960 she received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, thanks for her success in film.

Regarding her personal life, Joan had four marriages and divorces, and one child from those relationships. Firstly to actor Brian Aheme (1939-45), then a year later she married actor/producer William Dozier, with whom she had her only child, Deborah Leslie, born in 1948, but they divorced the year after. Joan soon found a new partner, and in 1952 she married Collier Young, a producer and writer; their marriage lasted until 1962, but she filed for divorce two years before she was officially divorced from the successful television producer. Her last marriage was to Alfred Wright, Jr., which lasted from 1964 to 1969.

In 1951 a visit to South America saw her adopt a girl from Peru, named Martita. The two lived together until Martita was 16 years old, when she escaped the Fontaine household. The deal was that Martita visit her parents back in Peru that year, but instead she fled and Joan and Martita never spoke again.

Throughout her life, Joan had problems with her sister, behaving as though they hated each other. Their altercation culminated in 1975 following the funeral of their mother, after which the two didn’t speak to each other.

Joan owned a house in Carmel Highlands, California, called Villa Fontana, and passed away in her home from natural causes at the ripe old age of 96, on the 15th December 2013.

As the Managing Editor at NetWorthPost, I lead a talented team in delivering compelling content on the lives and achievements of influential figures. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I oversee the production of insightful biographies that resonate with our audience. My role involves not only managing the editorial process but also conducting research, crafting engaging narratives, and ensuring the accuracy and quality of our publications. At NetWorthPost, we strive to provide our readers with in-depth profiles that offer valuable insights into the worlds of business, entertainment, and beyond. Through meticulous research and captivating storytelling, we bring to light the remarkable journeys and successes of individuals who inspire and captivate us.

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Actresses

Milla Jovovich Net Worth

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Milla Natasha Jovovich was born on 17 December 1975, in Kiev, Ukraine (then in the USSR), and is a model, actress and singer, perhaps best known for her breakthrough role in the film “The Fifth Element” in 1997, with Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman.

So just how rich is Milla Jovovich, as of late 2017? Authoritative sources estimate that Milla has a net worth of over $45 million, accumulated from her various career elements spanning almost 30 years since she began modelling in 1987.

Milla Jovovich Net Worth $45 Million

Milla had a really unusual childhood, maybe that’s one of the reasons for her multi-million dollar net worth. Jovovich started her carrier in modeling from the early age of nine, a few years after she and her parents moved from Ukraine, which at that time belonged to the Soviet Union, to Los Angeles, California, in 1980. She even dropped out of school at the age of 12, when Gene Lemuel discovered her, and she signed a contract with Prima Modeling Agency. Milla Jovovich  was covered by magazines including Vogue, Glamour, Madmoiselle, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, and has been advertising brands including L’oreal, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, Donna Koran, Revlon for many years.

However, exclusive looks and beauty was not the only value she had: Milla Jovovich has a great voice, a talent to write songs, design fashion and find herself in acting as well. Milla started her acting career in 1988 in the film “Two Moon Junction”, but the roles that gave this girl much more attention were in “Dazed and Confused” in 1993 and “The Fifth Element” in 1997 directed by Luc Besson, in which she worked with Bruce Willis. Of course, subsequently all five films based on “Resident Evil” made Milla Jovovich’s popularity and net worth go through the roof. The original movie was so successful that it was even turned into a video game.

Between her acting in those two movies, Milla tried the shoes of a singer and a song writer, and released her debut album – “The Divine Comedy – which was really appreciated by the audience and critics and even received positive feedback from Rolling Stone magazine’s, John McAlley; in his opinion the album was remarkable. In 1999 Milla Jovovich became a member of the band named Plastic Has Memory, and performed some gigs in New York and Las Vegas, but unfortunately not with her new band, and Milla has never released a second album.

As for her career in fashion, Milla launched her first line in 2003, and her brand was successful until 2008 when she decided to close her business because of lack of time, which is perhaps no surprise, assuming that all of her free time was taken-up by her daughter Ever Gabo Anderson, who was born in 2007.

As for other details of Milla’s personal life, aside from several well-known relationships, she has married three times, all husbands met when taking some part in films in which she was acting. She first married Shawn Andrews in 1992, which was apparently quickly annulled by her mother; ironically, he and Milla were starring in “Dazed and Confused”! The second was with the director of “The Fifth Element” – Luc Besson (1997-99), and she has been married to Paul W. S. Anderson, who worked with Jovovich on the set of “Resident Evil”, since 2009, and he is the father of her two daughters. The family is based in Los Angeles.

Milla is something of a philanthropist too, and often participates in and supports various charities including UNICEF, World Education, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and many more.

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Actresses

Kirstie Alley Net Worth

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Kirstie Alley is a famous comedian and actress. She is known for her roles in such movies and television shows as “Look Who’s Talking”, “Cheers”, “Shoot to Kill”, “David’s Mother” and others. During her career as an actress, Kirstie has been nominated for and has won various awards, for example the Golden Globe Award, the Primetime Emmy Award, the American Television Award, Kid’s Choice Award and others.

So how rich is Kirstie Alley? It has been estimated that Alley’s net worth is $30 million. It is quite a big sum of money which might also become even higher in the future.

Kirstie Alley Net Worth $30 Million

Kirstie Lousie Alley, known simply as Kirstie Alley, was born in 1951 in Kansas. Kirstie studied at Wichita Southeast High School and later continued her studies at Kansas State Univeristy. After graduation, Kirstie appeared on TV game shows: “Password Plus” and “Match Game”. In 1982 she got her first role, in the movie called “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”. It of course added to Kirstie Alley’s net worth and made her more noticeable in the industry. Five years later, Alley appeared in the popular show entitled “Cheers”. There she met Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, Shelley Long and others. In 1989 she had a huge success with the movie, “Looks Who’s Talking”, which had a huge impact on Alley’s net worth as well.

Kirstie then acted and worked as an executive producer on the show called “Veronica’s Closet”. Other movies and television shows in which she appeared include “Champions”, “It Takes Two”, “For Richer or Poorer”, “Peter and the Wolf”, “The Last Don” and others. All these appearances have added to Kirstie Alley’s net worth. In addition to this, Kirstie participated in “Dancing with the Stars”, with her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. They were very successful in this competition and were able to take second place, which made Kirstie even more famous and also added to her net worth.

Totalk about her personal life, Kirstie was married twice, but both of her marriages ended in divorce. Alley has two children from her second marriage. Alley has also had some problems with weight gain, and even launched Organic Liaison, which helped her to lose weight. She is also a member of the Church of Scientology and participates in its activities.

Finally, it could be said that Kirstie Alley is a very experienced actress. During her career, she has acted in many movies and television shows and now her face is recognized almost everywhere. Although Alley is 63 years old, she is still continuing her career as an actress and will probably appear in more projects in the future. If this happens, there is no doubt that Kirstie’s net worth will become even higher. Let’s hope that exactly this will happen in the near future.

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Actresses

Irene Ryan Net Worth

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Jessie Irene Noblett was born on the 17th October 1902, in El Paso, Texas, USA of part-Irish origin and was an actress, best known for her role as Granny in the series “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1962-1971), alongside Buddy Ebsen, Donna Douglas and Max Baer Jr. For this character, she was nominated for several Emmy Awards. Ryan was active in the entertainment industry from 1913 to 1973, when she passed away.

How rich was the actress? It has been estimated by authoritative sources that the outright size of Irene Ryan’s net worth was as much as $1 million, converted to the present day. Acting was the major source of her modest fortune.

Irene Ryan Net Worth $1 Million

To begin with, initially the girl was raised with her sister in El Paso by her parents James Merritt Noblett and Catherine MacSharry. Ryan and her parents moved to San Francisco when she was a child, and she began her career at age 11, after earning money singing “Pretty Baby” in a supposedly amateur contest at the Valencia Theatre in San Francisco.

Concerning her professional career, she performed in vaudevillewith her husband, known in the art medium as a “Dumb Dora” and personified by George Burns and Gracie Allen. Ryan toured with Bob Hope, also making regular appearances on his radio show. She also played Edgar Kennedy’s wife in two short films in 1943, and that same year appeared in the feature film “O, My Darling Clementine” (1943) starring Roy Acuff. In 1944, Irene played the role of Polly Kane in “Hot Rhythm”, and continued on working in films from the 1940s and early 1950s, starring in “The Woman on the Beach” (1947) by Jean Renoir, “Heading for Heaven” (1947) by Lewis Collins, “The WAC from Walla Walla” (1952) by William Witney as well as “Spring Reunion” (1957) by Robert Pirosh and John E. Burch.

In 1955, Ryan made her first appearance in a television series “The Danny Thomas Show” aired on CBS, then appeared with Walter Brennan in an episode of the ABC comedy “The Real McCoys” (1956). In 1960-1961, she appeared in “Bringing Up Buddy”, starring Frank Aletter, portraying the character of Cynthia Boyle. After 1961, she appeared in the most important series of her career “The Beverly Hillbillies”, in which she played Daisy Moses, the mother-in-law of JD Clampett (Buddy Ebsen), created by Paul Henning, and continuing for lost 10 years.

Finally, in the personal life of the actress, at the age of 20 she married the writer and comedian Tim Ryan -the couple divorced in 1942. In 1946, she married Harold E. Knox, who worked in film production, but in 1961 the two announced their divorce. She did not have any children. Irene Ryan died on the 26th April 1973 in Santa Monica, California, at age 70. Her body was buried in a crypt at the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica, along with his sister, Anna Thompson.

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