Net Worth: $60 Million
What Is James Lee Curtis’ Net Worth?
imagespressagency / Depositphotos.comJamie Lee Curtis’ net worth is estimated to be $60 million when combined with the net worth of her husband, Christopher Guest. The couple has been married since 1984 and public estimates have combined their fortunes due to the forty years of marriage the couple has enjoyed together.
Jamie Lee Curtis started acting as a young girl, following her mother, Janet Leigh, into the acting business. Since that time she has starred in some of Hollywood’s most celebrated movies, has become a brand ambassador, and has built her fortune in other notable ways.
Here’s how the star of “Halloween” and “True Lies” has earned her fortune.
How Much Has Jamie Lee Curtis’ Net Worth Grow From Acting?
Jean_Nelson / Depositphotos.comSince her 1977 appearance in the TV series ‘Quincy M.E.” the actor has appeared in 88 roles, has produced 13 projects, and has sat down in the director’s chair on two occasions.
When Jamie Lee Curtis was just 19 years old she took part in a low-budget horror movie called “Halloween.” The movie had a very small budget and the director was only able to pay the actress $8,000 for her involvement. Halloween was released in 1978 and has earned $47 million. Adjusted for inflation the movie would have made $221 million in today’s money.
Curtis received a large pay bump for Halloween 2 and over time she earned millions from the franchise and other roles.
From 2018 through 2022 the actor appeared in three more Halloween movies where she received a cut of the profits.
Here are the salary figures that showcase how Jamie Lee Curtis’ net worth grew, mostly from her horror movie success.
| Movie | Year | Salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halloween | 1978 | $8,000 | – |
| Halloween II | 1981 | $100,000 | – |
| Trading Places | 1983 | $70,000 | – |
| True Lies | 1994 | $2 million – $5 million | Estimated |
| Halloween H20: 20 Years Later | 1998 | $5 million | – |
| Halloween: Resurrection | 2002 | $3 million | – |
| Halloween | 2018 | Scale fee + % of profits | Exact amount undisclosed |
| Halloween Kills | 2021 | Similar deal to Halloween (2018) | Exact amount undisclosed |
| Halloween Ends | 2022 | Similar deal to Halloween (2018) | Exact amount undisclosed |
Speaking about her early Halloween salary to Variety, Curtis revealed why her pay was so low in the early years of the franchise, “The truth of the matter is, I didn’t really make much money off of the horror movies. Look, we’re actors, so we already make more money based on the little work we do. It’s hard to ever say, ‘I didn’t make a lot of money.’ Tell that to a teacher or nurse. But as a young actress, I did not. I did not have ownership in the movies. There was no profit participation. There was no back end.… There was no large amount of money made.” She added, “Obviously someone was making a lot of money—it was not me and it was only in the latter years—the H2O, the 2018 Halloween, which, by the way, we made for scale.”
Jamie Lee Curtis Has Earned From Brand Endorsements
PopularImages / Depositphotos.comJamie Lee Curtis has loaned her public image to several large brands over the years. From Activia yogurt to Nintendo, Curtis has aligned herself with some very well-known brands.
Curtis may be just as famous for her Activia Yogurt commercials as she is for her acting career. The actor appeared in various types of ad spots for Activia for seven years, from 2004 to 2011. It’s very likely that the long-term deal with Dannon earned the actor millions. Curtis appeared in TV commercials, print ads, and various other forms of online content.
In the 1980s the actor also appeared in several commercials for Colgate toothpaste. Those appearances aligned with Curtis’ rising star which likely led to a significant payday.
In 1996 Curtis stepped outside of food and health products to appear in a commercial for the Nintendo 64 video game system.
In 2006 Curtis once again appeared in a food commercial but this time for pet food! Curtis was a brand ambassador for Natural Balance pet food, a role she has maintained since her first appearance.
In 2019 the queen of yogurt jumped over to Chobani to help the company launch a new line of Greek yogurt called “Trifle.”
Jamie Lee Curtis has been selective with her brand endorsements and it appears to have paid off with several long-term partnerships that have benefited the actor for many years.
Curtis Is A Best-Selling Children’s Book Author
Jamie Lee Curtis / AmazonNot only is Curtis a talented actor, she’s also the best-selling author of several children’s books, including “Today I Feel Silly & Other MOODS That Make My Day.
That particular book has almost 1,000 ratings on Amazon with a 4.7 out of 5 star rating.
Jamie Lee Curtis’s net worth has certainly grown in part to her twelve best-selling children’s books that address core childhood subjects and life lessons in a playful, accessible way. In total, she has written 20 children’s books.
Jamie Lee Curtis Did Not Inherit Money From Her Dad, Actor Tony Curtis
SharpShooter / Depositphotos.comShe Didn’t Inherit Anything From Her Father
Jamie Lee Curtis’ father was “Some Like It Hot” actor Tony Curtis. Her dad passed away in 2011 and Forbes reported that “Tony Curtis redid his Will and Trust in May of last year, a few months before he died from cardiac arrest. When he did so, he cut out all of his children. His will lists all five by name–including Jamie Lee–and states that he intentionally disinherited them. No reason was given in his will.”
Following the removal from her father’s will, Curtis revealed to Inside Edition that her and her siblings were “blindsided” by their removal from Tony’s will.
Jamie Lee Curtis’ net worth is impressive and the ability of the actor to reboot the Halloween franchise over the last half a decade and take control of her fortunes with that franchise is equally impressive and she doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down.
