What Was Rip Torn's Net Worth?
Rip Torn was an American actor, director, and producer who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 2019. Rip Torn won a Primetime Emmy for playing Artie on "The Larry Sanders Show" (1992–1998), and he earned an Academy Award nomination for the 1983 film "Cross Creek." Torn had more than 190 acting credits to his name, including the films "King of Kings" (1961), "The Cincinnati Kid" (1965), "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1976), "Airplane II: The Sequel" (1982), "RoboCop 3" (1993), "Canadian Bacon" (1995), "Men in Black" (1997), "DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story" (2004), and "Marie Antoinette" (2006), the television series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1965), "Will & Grace" (2002), and "30 Rock" (2007–2009), and the miniseries "The Blue and the Gray" (1982), "The Atlanta Child Murders" (1985), and "Heaven and Hell: North and South Book III" (1994).
Rip voiced Zeus in the 1997 Disney animated film "Hercules" and Lou Lo Duca in the 2007 DreamWorks Animation film "Bee Movie," and he lent his voice to the video games "Hercules" (1997), "Disney's Animated Storybook: Hercules" (1998), "God of War III" (2010), and "Shadow Stalkers" (2020). He directed the 1972 TV special "Hollywood Television Theater: Two by Chekhov" and the 1988 film "The Telephone," and he executive produced the 2008 film "Lucky Days." Torn appeared in numerous Broadway productions, such as "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955–1956), "Sweet Bird of Youth" (1959–1960), "The Glass Menagerie" (1975–1976), and "Anna Christie" (1993), and he directed "Look Away" in 1993. For "Sweet Bird of Youth," he won a Theatre World Award and earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play. Rip died on July 8, 2019, at the age of 88.
Early Life
Rip Torn was born Elmore Rual Torn, Jr. on February 6, 1931, in Temple, Texas. His mother, Thelma, was the aunt of actress Sissy Spacek. Torn's father, Elmore Sr., was an economist and agriculturalist who promoted the idea of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. His father and uncle were nicknamed "Rip" and passed the tradition along to Torn. Rip attended Taylor High School, graduating in 1948, then he joined the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets. Torn later studied acting at the University of Texas, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity's Alpha Nu chapter. After earning his college degree, Rip served in the Korean War as a U.S. Army military police officer in the 2nd Infantry Division.
Career
After he moved to Hollywood, Torn made his onscreen acting debut in 1956, appearing in an episode of the TV series "Omnibus" and the comedy film "Baby Doll." He studied with Lee Strasberg at New York's Actors Studio, and in the '50s, he performed in Broadway productions of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Sweet Bird of Youth." Rip reprised his role in "Sweet Bird of Youth" in a 1962 film adaptation and a 1989 TV movie. In the '60s, he appeared in films such as "Critic's Choice" (1963), "The Cincinnati Kid" (1965), "Beyond the Law" (1968), and "Tropic of Cancer" (1969), and he played Judas Iscariot in 1961's "King of Kings." Torn guest-starred on "The Untouchables" (1961), "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1961), "Dr. Kildare" (1962; 1964), "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1965), "Mannix" (1965), "Rawhide" (1965), and "Bonanza" (1971), then he appeared in the films "Payday" (1972), "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1976), "The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover" (1977), "Coma" (1978), and "Heartland" (1979). He portrayed Ulysses S. Grant in the 1982 miniseries "The Blue and the Gray," and he earned a CableACE Award nomination for playing Big Daddy in a 1984 Showtime production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." In the '80s, Rip appeared in the films "One Trick Pony" (1980), "The Beastmaster" (1982), "Airplane II: The Sequel" (1982), "Flashpoint" (1984), "City Heat" (1984), "Summer Rental" (1985), "Extreme Prejudice" (1987), "Hit List" (1989), and "Cold Feet" (1989), and he received an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Marsh Turner in 1983's "Cross Creek."
From 1992 to 1998, Torn played Artie the producer on HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show" alongside Garry Shandling and Jeffrey Tambor. The series aired 90 episodes over six seasons and earned Rip several awards and nominations. Around this time, he also appeared in the films "Beautiful Dreamers" (1990), "Defending Your Life" (1991), "RoboCop 3" (1993), "For Better or Worse" (1995), "Canadian Bacon" (1995), "How to Make an American Quilt" (1995), "Down Periscope" (1996), "Trial and Error" (1997), and "The Insider" (1999), and he narrated The Family Channel anthology series "Ghost Stories" from 1997 to 1998.
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Torn also famously co-starred with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in 1997's "Men in Black" and 2002's "Men in Black II," which grossed $589.4 million and $441.8 million at the box office, respectively. He appeared in the films "Wonder Boys" (2000), "Freddy Got Fingered" (2001), "Welcome to Mooseport" (2004), "Eulogy" (2004), "Yours, Mine & Ours" (2005), "Marie Antoinette" (2006), "Three Days to Vegas" (2007), "American Cowslip" (2009), and "3 Weeks to Daytona" (2011), and he played Patches O'Houlihan in 2004's "DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story" alongside Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, and Christine Taylor. In 2002, Rip had a recurring role as Lionel Banks on "Will & Grace," and from 2007 to 2009, he played Don Geiss in seven episodes of "30 Rock." His final film was 2012's "Bridge of Names."
Personal Life
Rip was married to actress Ann Wedgeworth from 1956 to 1961, and they had a daughter named Danae together. He wed actress Geraldine Page on September 8, 1963, and they had three children together, daughter Angelica and twin sons Jon and Tony. Angelica and Tony both became actors, and Jon is a professor at Northern Arizona University who has taught Electronic Media and Film courses. Torn and Page remained married until Geraldine's death in June 1987. In 1989, Rip married actress Amy Wright, and they had two daughters, Claire and Katie, together. The couple remained together until Torn's death in 2019.
Legal Issues
In January 2010, Rip was arrested for breaking into a Litchfield Bancorp office in Connecticut, thinking it was his home. He was charged with burglary, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, carrying a firearm without a permit, criminal mischief, and criminal trespassing, and his lawyer told a judge that Torn needed to be treated for alcohol abuse and could start treatment immediately in New York. As a condition of Rip being released on $100,000 bail, he was required to be evaluated for substance abuse. He was denied special probation in August 2010, and a few months later, he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, and criminal trespass. Torn received a two-and-a-half-year suspended jail sentence and was sentenced to three years' probation.
In 1994, Dennis Hopper told a story on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in which he claimed that during the filming of "Easy Rider," Rip pulled a knife on him. Torn sued Hopper for defamation, claiming that it was actually Hopper who pulled the knife. A jury sided with Rip, and he was eventually awarded nearly $1 million in damages.
Death
On July 9, 2019, Torn passed away at his Connecticut home at the age of 88. His cause of death was complications from Alzheimer's disease. Rip was laid to rest at New York's Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.
Awards and Nominations
In 1984, Torn earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for "Cross Creek." He received nine Primetime Emmy nominations, winning Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for "The Larry Sanders Show" in 1996. Rip earned five other nominations for "The Larry Sanders Show," and he was also nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for "The Atlanta Child Murders" (1985), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for "Chicago Hope" (1996), and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for "30 Rock" (2008). He won an Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Actor in a Cable Series for "The Larry Sanders Show" in 1998, and he was inducted into the OFTA TV Hall of Fame for Actors and Actresses in 2019. "The Larry Sanders Show" also earned Torn two American Comedy Awards and two CableACE Awards as well as nominations from the Satellite Awards, Television Critics Association Awards, and American Television Awards. He also received CableACE Award nominations for Actor in a Theatrical or Dramatic Special for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1985) and Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries for "Laguna Heat" (1989) and a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical for "Men in Black" (1998). "Heartland" won a Bronze Wrangler for Theatrical Motion Picture at the 1981 Western Heritage Awards, and in 2011, Rip earned a NAVGTR Award nomination for Supporting Performance in a Drama for the video game "God of War III."
