Net Worth Ranker
What Is Cary Grant’s Net Worth?
At the time of his death in 1986, Cary Grant’s net worth was estimated to be $60 million. Adjusted for inflation, this is equivalent to approximately $130 million in today’s dollars (as of March 11, 2025). The details of how this net worth was accumulated are not thoroughly documented in available sources, but it primarily stemmed from his acting career and shrewd business decisions, particularly establishing his production company in the 1950s. His financial acumen allowed him to oversee his career entirely, a rarity for actors of his era.
Cary Grant’s Career and Earnings
Cary Grant’s career began with the Bob Pender Stage Troupe, where he earned a weekly salary and room and board as part of a three-year contract signed by his father. The precise weekly wage is not specified in the available documentation, but it was enough to cover his basic living expenses and training until he turned 18. In his early film career, Grant signed a contract with Paramount Pictures after gaining national attention for his role in the musical “Nikki.” The specifics of this Paramount contract, including salary details, signing bonuses, and potential residuals, are not publicly available, but it marked a significant step in his transition from theatre to film.
Grant starred in numerous successful films throughout the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, accumulating substantial wealth through acting roles and profit participation deals. Some of his most famous films include “The Awful Truth,” “Bringing Up Baby,” “Gunga Din,” “The Philadelphia Story,” and “His Girl Friday.” While the exact salary he earned per film is not consistently documented, his growing stardom allowed him to negotiate increasingly lucrative contracts. Further contributing to his net worth, he established his own production company in the 1950s. This company produced films such as “Operation Petticoat,” “Indiscreet,” “That Touch of Mink,” “Father Goose,” “Charade,” and “Walk, Don’t Run.” By forming his own production company, Cary Grant gained significant control over his projects, allowing him to secure better deals and a share of the profits. Details about the specific financial arrangements, such as the exact percentage of ownership or the amount of money earned from each film produced by his company, are not widely available.
As he matured as an actor, he had a very close relationship with Alfred Hitchcock, the director, and they did 4 films together. Details about the financial arrangements between Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock are not widely available. He received five Golden Globe Award nominations in the Best Actor category, recognizing his financial achievements in films like “Indiscreet,” “That Touch of Mink,” and “Charade”. In 1970 he received the Honorary Oscar given to him by Frank Sinatra. Cary Grant retired from acting when he was 62 years old to focus on raising his daughter and started a one-man show which also added to his wealth.
Personal Life and Assets
Cary Grant had several homes throughout his life, reflecting his financial success. He owned properties in Beverly Hills, Malibu, and Palm Springs. Specific addresses and values are not publicly accessible. He was married five times: to Virginia Cherrill, Barbara Hutton, Betsy Drake, Dyan Cannon, and Barbara Harris. His marriage to Barbara Hutton, one of the wealthiest women in the world, brought significant financial resources into his life during their marriage. They divorced in 1945, and it’s not publicly known whether a settlement or prenuptial agreement affected his net worth. His daughter with Dyan Cannon, Jennifer Grant, is his only child. Cary Grant’s commitment to raising his daughter was a significant factor in his decision to retire from acting at 62. He also experimented with LSD while married to Betsy Drake.
Cary Grant’s personal life also had some difficult experiences. When Grant was nine, his father placed his mother in a mental institution and told his son that she had gone away on a long holiday and later died, which was not true. His father remarried and started a new family. Cary subsequently grew up resenting his mother, as she had also not been very affectionate towards him before she was sent to the institution. He did not learn that she was still alive until he was 31 years old, and his father confessed to the lie on his deathbed. He made arrangements for her to leave the institution once he found out her whereabouts. He enjoyed attending the theater with his father and later trained to be a stilt walker and began touring with a group of acrobatic dancers called the Bob Pender Stage Troupe. While he had won a scholarship to attend Fairfield Grammar School in Bristol, Cary was expelled at the age of 14. It was suspected he intentionally sought expulsion in order to pursue a career in entertainment with the Pender Troupe. His father then signed a three-year contract with the Troupe by which Grant would train with them for three years until the age of 18 and receive a weekly salary and room and board.
Grant also became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of 38. At this time, he also legally changed his name to Cary Grant, though he had already been going by this name professionally. It is also widely speculated that Grant may have had a long-term relationship with actor Randolph Scott throughout his career, though his daughter denies that her father was gay.
Cary Grant suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while on tour on November 29, 1986. Following his request, his ashes were spread in the Pacific Ocean, and no funeral was conducted for him.
