Arthur Andrew Kelm was born on 11 July 1931, in New York City, USA, of part-German and Jewish descent. As Tab Hunter, he was known as an actor, author and singer, who was one of the most popular Hollywood actors during the 1950s to 1960s. He appeared in over 40 films, and guest starred in numerous TV series, so all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it was when he passed away in 2018.
So how rich was Tab Hunter? Aources estimate a net worth at over $10 million, mostly earned through a successful career in the entertainment industry, and from writing his autobiography. He won numerous awards over the course of his career, and all of his efforts ensured the position of his wealth.
Tab Hunter Net Worth $10 million
Tab’s father was abusive, and after his parents divorced, he and his mother would relocate to several cities. During his teenage years, he competed in figure skating both in pair and singles. At the age of 15, he joined the US Coast Guard, lying about his age to enlist – checks weren’t so thorough at that time, but when his real age was discovered he was discharged. While in the Coast Guard, he was given the nickname “Hollywood”, because he preferred to watch movies instead of going to bars.
His long interest in films and filming led him to sign with his first agent, Henry Wilson, who would give him the stage name “Tab Hunter”. His boyish good looks – maintained even until his passing – saw him make one of his first appearances in the film “Island of Desire”, and he was then cast in the drama “Battle Cry”, which solidified his status as one of the top romantic leads of Hollywood. He would continue appearing in films including “The Pleasure of His Company” and “Gunman’s Walk”, and due to his increasing popularity, he was put under an exclusive studio contract by Warner Bros, along with other young stars James Dean and Natalie Wood. In 1957, he released the song “Young Love” which went on to top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks, and was certified gold; later on he would release “Ninety-Nine Ways”, which led to Warner Bros banning Dot Records from his contract, and establishing their own recording company.
In 1958, Hunter appeared in the musical “Damn Yankees”, which was based on the book entitled “The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant”. Throughout the late 1950s, Hunter became the top grossing star of Warner Bros. In 1960, he starred in “The Tab Hunter Show”, but it was cancelled after just a season. In the late 1960s, he would appear in various productions, such as “Bye Bye Birdie” and “The Tender Trap”, before being cast in several westerns, including “Hostile Guns”. He had a supporting role in “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean”, and would have a career revival in the 1980s in “Polyester”, with other later projects including “Grease 2” and “Cameron’s Closet”.
Most recently, in 2015 a documentary about his life was released called “Tab Hunter Confidential”, based on his own autobiography which he co-wrote, and is entitled “Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star”, which went on to get several writing nominations, and boosted his net worth somewhat.
For his personal life, it is known that Hunter was gay, a fact he stated through his autobiography. He faked romances with co-stars Natalie Wood and Debbie Reynolds to go along with Hollywood promoting him into being a heterosexual star of the screen and TV. He even contemplated marrying Etchika Choureau and Joan Perry, but never thought that he could maintain such a relationship.
It is known that he had long term relationships with actor Anthony Perkins and figure skater Ronnie Robertson. He eventually settled down with film producer Allan Glaser in the early 1980s, and they remained together until his death on 8 July 2018, in Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara California, from a blood clot which caused cardiac arrest – he was 86.
