He Was Once The 'Highest-Paid Actor on the Planet'; What Was Charles Bronson's Net Worth?

He earned as much as $1 million for films like, "The Stone Killer", " Chino", "Death Wish" and many such movies.

PUBLISHED OCT 30, 2023

Charles Bronson earned as much as $1 million for films like "The Stone Killer", " Chino" and "Death Wish". Getty Images/Bettmann

Name	Charles Bronson
Net Worth	$65 Million
Sources of Income	Acting
Gender	Male
Date of Birth	Nov 3, 1921 - Aug 30, 2003
Age	81 years
Nationality	United States of America
Profession	Actor, Soldier and Miner

Charles Bronson's Net Worth

Actor Charles Bronson | Getty Images | Michael Ochs Archives

American actor Charles Bronson had a career spanning more than four decades and was one of the highest-paid actors of his time. With a rags-to-riches story, Bronson inspired many. He started by working in the mines before joining the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 to fight in World War II. Later in the 1950s, he joined a theatrical company that directed his career towards showbiz. He was soon seen in his breakout film, "The Magnificent Seven" opposite Steve McQueen. Charles Bronson passed away at the age of 81 in 2003, his net worth at the time was $65 million.

Charles Bronson's Sources of Income

Charles Bronson earned his fortune mostly through acting. He was a part of many classic films which were also critically acclaimed. He has also made a ton of money by acting in TV shows. At the very peak of his career, he was tagged as the highest paid in the entire world. He earned as much as $1 million for films like "The Stone Killer", " Chino" and "Death Wish".

Career

Charles Bronson | Getty Images | Silver Screen Collection

He joined a theatre company in Philadelphia around the time when the World War II ended. This led to a few small roles that had him sharing apartments with an actor Jack Klugman. He later moved to LA where he enrolled in acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse, as per TCM. He later started doing a few uncredited roles before landing credited roles in projects like, "The Mob", "Bloodhounds of Broadway", "Battle Zone" and more. He was also seen in the hit detective show, "Man with a Camera." After this, he started bagging bigger roles. He was seen in "The Magnificent Seven", "General Electric Theater" and "The Great Escape."

He continued to act in a plethora of projects through the '70s and '80s. He was cast in the hit movie, "The Dirty Dozen" which went on to earn a ton at the box office. Some of his best-known works include, "Once Upon a Time in the West", "Guns for San Sebastian", "Rider on the Rain" and more. Towards the end of his career, he was seen in films like, "Assassination", "Messenger of Death", "The Evil That Men Do", and more.

Charles Bronson's Assets

Charles Bronson was worth around $45 million at the time of his death. Around $1.6 million and an $8 million Malibu mansion went to his wife while his children received properties of their own.

Charles Bronson's Personal Life

Charles Bronson | Getty Images | Gene Lester

Charles Bronson was born on November 3, 1921 in Pennsylvania. His original name was Charles Dennis Buchinsky which he changed to Bronson when he began acting in the '50s. He was born in poverty and was the 11th of the 15 children in a Lithuanian family. He did not speak English growing up which was common in the coal region of the Allegheny Mountains north of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He worked in the mines before joining the United States Army Air Forces.

He was married to Harriet Tendler whom he met when both were shooting for a project together. The couple welcomed two children before parting ways in 1965. He married Jill Ireland in 1968, and they stayed married until she passed away in 1990. He later married Kim Weeks who was an actress and former employee of Dove Audio.