What Is Kim Basinger's Net Worth?
Kim Basinger is an American model and actress with a net worth of $20 million. She is acclaimed for her roles in seminal films like "Never Say Never Again" (1983), "The Natural" (1984), "Batman" (1989), and "L.A. Confidential" (1997). Basinger famously had a high-profile relationship with Alec Baldwin, culminating in a widely publicized divorce.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Kimila Ann Basinger was born on December 8, 1953, in Athens, Georgia. Her mother, Ann Lee, was a model and actress, while her father, Donald Wade Basinger, was a loan manager, big band musician, and U.S. Army Veteran. Kim has four siblings. She studied ballet from age three to her mid-teens. At seventeen, Basinger won the title of Athens Junior Miss and competed in America's Junior Miss Scholarship Pageant. Initially declining a modeling contract with Ford Modeling Agency to attend the University of Georgia, she later moved to New York to work as a Ford model. Throughout the 1970s, Basinger starred in numerous advertisements, including as the Breck Shampoo girl. She also studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse and the William Esper Studio for the Performing Arts.
Career
Basinger relocated to Los Angeles after five years of modeling to pursue acting. She made guest appearances on "McMillan & Wife" and "Charlie's Angels" before starring in the television film "Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold" (1978) and the miniseries remake of "From Here to Eternity" (1979), alongside Natalie Wood, William Devane, and Steve Railsback, repising her role in the 1980 spinoff series.
Her film debut came in 1981 with "Hard Country," followed by "Mother Lode" (1982) and her iconic role as Bond girl Domino Petachi in "Never Say Never Again" (1983) opposite Sean Connery. A 1981 "Playboy" pictorial published in 1983 helped promote this role. She received a Golden Globe nomination for "The Natural" (1984) directed by Barry Levinson.
During the 1980s, Basinger starred in "The Man Who Loved Women" (1983), the Robert Altman-directed "Fool for Love" (1985), "9 ½ Weeks" (1986) with Mickey Rourke, "Blind Date" (1987) with Bruce Willis, "Nadine" (1987) directed by Robert Benton, and "Batman" (1989) directed by Tim Burton, co-starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
In 1991, she starred with Richard Gere in "The Marrying Man" and "Final Analysis" (1992). Both films were moderately successful. Her role in "L.A. Confidential" (1997) won her an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first actress to win an Academy Award after posing nude in "Playboy." She also starred in "I Dream of Africa" (2000), "8 Mile" (2002), "The Door in the Floor" (2004), "Cellular" (2004), "The Sentinel" (2006), "Grudge Match" (2013), and "Fifty Shades Darker" (2017).
As a singer, Basinger featured on "Shake Your Head" by Was (Not Was) in 1992, alongside Ozzy Osbourne. She appeared on Prince's "Scandalous!" (1989) and the album "Too Hot to Handle EP: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (1991) for her film "The Marrying Man."
Personal Life
Basinger's first marriage was to Ron Synder-Britton from 1980 to 1989, and it became the subject of Britton's 1988 book "Longer than Forever." She paid $9,000 monthly alimony for eight years post-divorce. She married actor Alec Baldwin in 1993, after meeting on the set of "The Marrying Man." They separated in 2000 and divorced in 2002, sharing a daughter, Ireland Baldwin.
Basinger has had relationships with hairdresser/producer Jon Peters, fitness trainer Phil Walsh, fashion designer Alexio Gandara, and singer Prince. She is an advocate for animal rights, posing for PETA, and a vegetarian.
Financial Difficulties
In 1989, Basinger bought 1,691 acres of land in Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million to develop a tourist attraction and film festival site. Financial difficulties led to her selling parts of the land in 1995. Her withdrawal from "Boxing Helena" triggered a lawsuit, resulting in an $8.9 million judgment. Basinger filed for bankruptcy but later settled for $3.8 million.
Real Estate
In 2001, she purchased a home in Woodland Hills, LA, for $540,000 and listed it for nearly $1 million in 2017. She owns another property in the area, bought in the late 1970s for $150,000.