What is Kelly Rutherford's Net Worth?
Kelly Rutherford is an American actress who has a net worth of $1 million. Kelly Rutherford's acting career began in the late 80s with a role on the short-lived but groundbreaking soap opera, "Generations." The early 90s brought appearances in various television movies including, "Breaking the Silence," and a recurring role on the short-lived, cult hit television show, "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.". She went back and forth between supporting roles in films and television movies until she was cast in the role that would bring her widespread attention, as Megan Lewis Mancini on "Melrose Place." She appeared on the show for Seasons 5 through 7. Since then, she has moved between supporting roles in film and starring roles in television shows. Some of her film projects have included, "Scream 3", "Angels Don't Sleep Here," and "Swimming Upstream." Her television projects include recurring or starring roles in "The District," "Threat Matrix," "E-Ring," and "Gossip Girl."
Financial Problems
In April 2013, it was revealed that Kelly Rutherford was nearly bankrupt and had gone through her entire savings account in a lengthy custody battle with her former husband over their daughter. Rutherford subsequently filed for bankruptcy in June of 2013
Early Life
Rutherford was born on November 6, 1968, in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. She grew up with her mother, Ann Edwards, and her brother, Anthony. The family moved to Los Angeles sometime during Rutherford's childhood. She attended Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach. She had already developed an interest in acting by then, and following high school, she moved to New York to study at HB Studio. She later returned to LA to study at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.
Career
Rutherford began her acting career on daytime soap operas. In 1987, she appeared in "Loving." She was later cast as a regular on "Generations." She remained on that soap opera from 1989 until 1991. After leaving the show, she joined the cast of the ABC drama "Homefront" in 1992.
In 1993, she was cast as a regular on the Fox series "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." as character Dixie Cousins, a saloon singer and con artist who plays the love interest of the show's main character. She remained on the show until 1994. The same year, she appeared in the 1994 film "I Love Trouble." She also had a starring role in the short-lived series "The Great Defender" as the character Frankie Collet in 1995. In 1996, she appeared in "Kindred: The Embraced" and then joined the cast of "Melrose Place" as the character Megan Lewis, one of the starring roles. She remained on "Melrose Place" until 1999.
While the beginning of her career was primarily focused on soap opera roles, Rutherford did begin landing other types of roles in the 2000s. She starred as the character Christine Hamilton in the horror film "Scream 3" in 2000. In 2003, she landed the role of Special Agent Frankie Ellroy Kilmer in the ABC drama "Threat Matrix," which she remained on until 2004. She also starred in the short-lived television series "E-Ring" on NBC.
Rutherford landed her next big role when she joined the cast of the CW's "Gossip Girl" as the supporting character Lily van der Woodsen. Her character is the mother of the main character, Serena van der Woodsen, played by actress Blake Lively. The series was very popular and helped elevate Rutherford's fame to a larger mainstream audience. She remained on the show until it ended in 2012.
After "Gossip Girl" ended, Rutherford appeared in guest-starring roles in a number of series, including "Bones," "Being Mary Jane," "Reckless," "Quantico," "Jane the Virgin," and "Dynasty." She also appeared in many television films, including "Love, of Course," "Dark Angel," "All My Husband's Wives," and the "Christmas Wedding Planner." From 2018 to 2019, she also landed the recurring role of character Melissa Daniels on the CW reboot of the popular series "Dynasty."
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Personal Life
In June of 2001, Rutherford married Venezuelan banker Carlos Tarajano. Six months into their marriage, Rutherford filed for divorce in January of 2002. Unfortunately, their wedding was already slated to appear in the February 2002 issue of "InStyle" magazine.
Rutherford later began dating German businessman Daniel Giersch. They married in August of 2006 and had their first son, Hermes Gustaf Daniel Giersch, in October of 2006. Rutherford became pregnant with their second child in 2008, though she filed for divorce from Giersch before the child was born. When their daughter, Helena, was born in June of 2009, the couple was engaged in a custody battle over the two children.
The two reached a joint physical custody temporary settlement agreement in August of 2009, which remained in effect until April of 2010. Rutherford then obtained a temporary restraining order against Giersch the following month. In April 2012, Giersch's visa was revoked after Rutherford's lawyer informed the U.S. State Department about various issues pertaining to Giersch's businesses. The allegations involved fraud, with some reports also stating that they involved drug and weapons dealing in South America. The State Department determined there was sufficient evidence to deport him.
Because Giersch was no longer able to enter the United States, he took up residence in France, and the children spent the summer of 2012 with him there. Meanwhile, Rutherford filed for sole custody so she could keep the children in the United States as the custody agreement otherwise forced her to travel frequently to France so the children could see their father, given he was unable to visit the U.S. However, a California court determined that the split custody agreement should remain and that the children should actually remain with their father in France and Rutherford should travel there to see them. She appealed the court's decision. While a different California court ruled that the children should be brought back to the United States, another judge later ruled that it actually lacked jurisdiction. She attempted to file a new case in New York, though the court there also ruled it lacked jurisdiction. In December 2015, courts in Monaco, where the children were living with their father, ruled that Giersch retained custody and granted Rutherford extensive visitation rights.
Real Estate
In August of 2002, Kelly paid $1 million for a home in Los Angeles. Upon divorcing, Kelly sold the home in July 2010 for $3.75 million.
In 2013, she sold a condo in West Hollywood for $980,000. She had originally listed the condo for $1.4 million and bought it in July 2005 for $1.25 million.
