What is John Carpenter's Net Worth?
John Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and composer who has a net worth of $40 million. Carpenter is best known for directing cult classics like "Halloween" (1978), "The Thing" (1982), and "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986). Additionally, he composed the music for most of his films. His directorial debut, "Dark Star" (1974), gained attention for its quality despite a shoestring budget. He followed it with "Assault on Precinct 13" (1976), which found success in Europe but took longer to capture American audiences. His 1978 film "Halloween" solidified his reputation, made on a $320,000 budget and grossing over $65 million. Through the late 1970s and 1980s, his films like "The Fog" (1980), "Escape from New York" (1981), "Christine" (1983), and "Starman" (1984) became genre landmarks. Carpenter has directed 18 feature films and received the Golden Coach Award from the French Directors' Guild in 2019.
Early Life
John Howard Carpenter was born on January 16, 1948, in Carthage, New York. Raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky, he developed an early interest in movies, particularly Westerns, horror, and science fiction. By 1962, he began making short horror films with 8 mm film. After graduating high school, he attended Western Kentucky University, where his father was head of the music department, before transferring to the University of Southern California in 1968. There, he co-wrote, edited, and composed the score for the short film "The Resurrection of Broncho Billy", which won the Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short Subject in 1970.
Career
In 1974, Carpenter made his first feature film "Dark Star" on a budget of $60,000, handling multiple roles including direction, co-writing, producing, and scoring. This was followed by the 1976 hit "Assault on Precinct 13". He directed and composed for the 1978 TV film "Someone's Watching Me!" and wrote the screenplay for "Eyes of Laura Mars". The landmark "Halloween" (1978) was released on October 25, 1978 and is among the most iconic slasher films, spawning numerous sequels. Notably, in 2006, the film was added to the Library of Congress's United States National Film Registry for its cultural significance.
In 1979, he directed the TV movie "Elvis," featuring Kurt Russell, who became a frequent collaborator. "The Fog" (1980) followed, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and her mother, Janet Leigh. Collaborations with Russell continued in films like "Escape from New York" (1981), "The Thing" (1982), and "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986). He also directed "Christine" (1983) based on Stephen King's novel and the sci-fi "Starman" (1984).
His subsequent films included low-budget hits like "Prince of Darkness" (1987) and "They Live" (1988). In the 90s, Carpenter's notable works included "In the Mouth of Madness" (1994), "Village of the Damned" (1995), and "Escape from L.A." (1996). He also composed the soundtrack for the video game "Sentinel Returns" (1998). He concluded the decade with "Ghosts of Mars" (2001) and "The Ward" (2010), while also directing episodes of Showtime's "Masters of Horror" (2005-2006). He returned to the "Halloween" franchise as an executive producer, creative consultant, and composer for the 2018 film which grossed $255.5 million globally.
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Personal Life
Carpenter began dating actress Adrienne Barbeau during the filming of "Someone's Watching Me!" They married on January 1, 1979, and worked together on "Escape from New York" and "The Fog". The couple had a son, Cody (born May 7, 1984), before divorcing in 1984. Carpenter remarried on December 1, 1990, to Sandy King, a script supervisor and producer on his films. John's son Cody sparked his interest in video gaming, an interest they share to this day. Carpenter holds a commercial pilot's license and is an avid helicopter pilot, a hobby reflected in several of his films. He was also part of the band The Coupe de Villes with directors Nick Castle and Tommy Lee Wallace.
Awards and Honors
Carpenter has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the George Pal Memorial Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in 1996, and awards for Best Special Effects for "Dark Star" (1976) and Best Music for "Vampires" (1999). He was honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2008 Bram Stoker Awards and the 2011 Louisville Fright Night Film Fest. Other accolades include the Career - Honorary Award at the 2017 CinEuphoria Awards and induction into the Online Film & Television Association Hall of Fame in 2020.
