Born Roger William Corman on the 5th April 1926 in Detroit, Michigan USA, he is a film director, producer and writer, best known to the world for producing numerous independent films, including “The Little Shop of Horrors” (1960), “House of Usher” (1960), “Death Race 2000” (1975), and “Bloodfist” (1989) among many others.
Have you ever wondered how rich Roger Corman is, as of mid- 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Corman’s net worth is as high as $40 million, earned through his long and successful career in the entertainment industry which began in the 1950s.
Roger Corman Net Worth $40 Million
Roger was the son of Anne, and her husband William Corman. He has a younger brother, Eugene Harold ‘Gene’ Corman, who also became a film producer. Roger attended Beverly Hills High School and after matriculation enrolled at Stanford University where he studied Industrial Engineering. However, he decided that he didn’t want to become an engineer, and instead enlisted in the V-12 Navy College Training Program. For the next two years, he served in the navy and after the war, he returned to Stanford to complete his studies, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1947. The following year, he found his first job, at US Electrical Motors in Los Angeles, however, after just four days he quit his job, with the statement that he had made a terrible mistake becoming an engineer.
His brother Gene had started a career in the film industry a few years prior, and Roger decided to join him. Slowly Roger ventured out on his own, and found employment at 20th Century Fox, and moved up to a story reader. He gave a few ideas for the film “The Gunfighter”, however, he received no credit, so left Fox, deciding to start on his own. He then studied English Literature at Oxford University under the GI Bill, afterwards living in Paris, France for quite some time, before returning to Los Angles, to try once again to succeed in the film industry.
He found a job as Dick Hyland’s assistant; in his spare time, Roger created a script which he sold to William Boidy for $2000, which was subsequently turned into the film “Highway Dragnet”, released in 1953.
He used the money from the sale with around $10,000 more raised with the help of his family and friends, and produced his first film “The Monster From the Ocean Floor” (1954). The film received positive critiques, which inspired Roger to continue with his career, and the same year he produced the racing car thriller “The Fast and the Furious”.
Since then, Roger has become one of the most successful independent film producers, with more than 400 film titles to his name. Some of his most successful films include “Machine-Gun Kelly” (1958) starring Charles Bronson, for which he received rave reviews, than “I, Mobster” (1958), “The Intruder” (1962) with William Shatner in the lead role, “The Wild Angels” (1966) with Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra, “Thunder and Lightning” (1977), and “Battle Beyond the Stars” (1981), all benefiting his growing net worth.
Since the start of the new millennium, he has worked for Syfy channel, producing such films as “Raptor” (2001), “Dinocroc” (2004), “Dinoshark” (2010), and “Piranhaconda” (2012). Most recently he produced the sci-fi action film “Death Race 2050” (2017), which is a sequel to his hit film “Death Race 2000”, released in 1975.
During his career, Roger has launched the careers of numerous directors and actors, including Peter Fonda, Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, and Ron Howard, among many others. Although he started several of his own production companies, which include Filmgroup, New World Pictures, Millennium Films, and New Horizons, Roger has also worked for several major production houses, including Fox, Columbia, and Universal, which also improved his net worth.
Thanks to his success and contribution to film industry, Roger has received numerous prestigious awards, including an Honorary Oscar for his rich engendering of films and filmmakers.
Regarding his personal life, Roger has been married to Julie Halloran since 1970, and has four children with her. Roger published his autobiography in 1990, entitled “How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime”, which also added to his net worth. They still live in Los Angeles.
