What was Robert Mitchum's Net Worth?
Robert Mitchum was an American actor who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 1997. That's the same as around $10 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation.
Robert Mitchum was best known for his deep voice, cool demeanor, and weary, disinterested stare. Smoothly transferring from cowboy to preacher, psychopath to doctor, he once stated that he only had two styles of acting – one on a horse and one off a horse. Having been drawn to dark, complicated matter, Mitchum has been referred to as the soul of film noir.
A legendary tough guy on and off-screen, Mitchum was associated with post-war film noir (stylish Hollywood film dramas) during the '50s and '60s. He will most likely be best remembered for his roles in such films as "The Story of G.I. Joe" (1945), "Crossfire" (1947), "Out of the Past" (1947), "The Night of the Hunter" (1955), and "Cape Fear" (1962). A lifelong heavy smoker, Mitchum died on July 1, 1997, in Santa Barbara, California, due to complications of lung cancer and emphysema.
Early Years
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was born on August 6, 1917, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His father, James Mitchum, was employed by the railroad and was crushed to death in an accident at a rail yard in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1919 when Mitchum was just two years old. His mother, Ann Gunderson – a native of Norway – was left to care for Mitchum, a five-year-old daughter (Julie), and the unborn son (John) she had been carrying for only two months. Ann eventually became employed by the Bridgeport Post daily newspaper as a linotype operator. She married again to former Royal Navy Reserve officer Hugh Morris. Ann gave birth to a daughter, Carol, in 1928.
Ann had sent Mitchum and his brother to live with her parents in Delaware in 1926. There, he attended Felton High School, where he was often engaged in getting into trouble and was eventually expelled.
In 1929, Ann relocated both boys to her sister's home in Philadelphia. Mitchum accompanied his aunt when she relocated to the Hell's Kitchen section of New York in 1930. He attended Haaren High School in Manhattan until he was expelled from there as well. The following year, at the age of 14, he left home and spent his days traveling by freight car through the country. He made ends meet by taking whatever small jobs he came across, such as picking fruit and digging ditches. In 1933, after being arrested as a vagrant in Georgia, he returned to his family in Delaware. The next year, he went back to life on the road, making money by taking part in boxing matches. Finally, he arrived in Long Beach, California, and settled into the home of his older sister. Julie was an actress, and Mitchum quickly became interested in the theater. In 1937, he joined Julie in the Players Guild theater group and made his stage debut that summer. He also began writing songs for Julie and other entertainers to perform at cabaret shows.
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Film
After his 1940 marriage to Dorothy Spence, Robert Mitchum became employed by American aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Aircraft Corporation as a sheet metal worker. The noise of the machinery and the late hours damaged his ears and eyes and he left the job and looked for work as an actor. In 1942, he gained a small role in the Western film "Border Patrol." Before a year had passed, he had worked on 18 additional films. In 1943, he appeared with Mickey Rooney in "The Human Comedy" and with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in "The Dancing Masters."
During the summer of 1944, Mitchum signed a seven-year contract with American film production company RKO Radio Pictures from which he earned $1,500 per week. The following year, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Captain Bill Walker in the film "The Story of G.I. Joe." In 1946, he starred in the box office hit "Till the End of Time" as well as future cult classic "The Locket." The next year, after renewing his seven-year contract with RKO and having his salary doubled, he starred as Jeff Bailey in "Out of the Past," which would eventually be regarded as one of the best film noirs of all time – and as Sergeant Peter Keeley in "Crossfire" which became the production company's highest grossing film of the year.
In 1953, Mitchum starred as Frank Jessup in "Angel Face." The following year, after starring in the western musical film "River of No Return" with American actress Marilyn Monroe, he left RKO upon the expiration of his contract.
Mitchum's role as Preacher Harry Powell in the 1955 film noir thriller "The Night of the Hunter" has been considered by some as the most impressive of his career. In 1957, he played a United States Marine in the film "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" and played Lucas Doolin in the 1958 drama-crime "Thunder Road," which he wrote. The film – about a bootleg moonshine business in the mountains – became a cult classic. Mitchum had sent the script to American actor and singer Elvis Presley, hoping he would be interested in playing the role of Robin Doolin in the film, but Presley's manager demanded that Elvis be paid an amount that was more than had been budgeted for the entire film. Mitchum ended up giving the role to his oldest son, James.
Mitchum played Paddy Carmody in the 1960 comedy-drama "The Sundowners" and antagonist Max Cady in the 1962 American psychological thriller "Cape Fear." He starred with actor John Wayne in "El Dorado" in 1966 and in British film producer Anthony Havelock Allan's romantic drama "Ryan's Daughter" in 1970. The 1973 neo-noir crime film "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" presented Mitchum as leading man Eddie Coyle in 1973. Two years later, another neo-noir crime thriller – "Farewell, My Lovely," – starred Mitchum as private detective Philip Marlowe. His last film role was in the Norwegian movie "Pakten" in 1995.
Television
In 1983, Robert Mitchum played Captain Victor Henry in the television miniseries "The Winds of War" and its 1988 sequel "War and Remembrance."
His last television role was in the 1997 biographical TV movie "James Dean: Race with Destiny."
Music
Robert Mitchum recorded two albums; "Calypso-is like so…" in 1957 and "That Man Robert Mitchum…Sings" in 1967.
Awards & Accolades
Robert Mitchum received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984.
In 1991, he had been chosen to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures but rejected it upon learning that he would have to accept it in person and finance his own transportation and lodging fees. That same year, he received the Italian television Telegatto Award.
In 1992, Mitchum received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and, in 2013, was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers. He is listed as number 23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.
Personal Life
Robert Mitchum married Dorothy Clements Spence on March 16, 1940. The two had met at a swimming hole in Delaware when he was 16 and she was 14. They remained together until his death and had three children: James, Christopher Mitchum, and Petrine.
On September 1, 1948, Mitchum was arrested for possession of marijuana and imprisoned for fifty days. The conviction was later overturned after evidence showed he had been set up.
In 1984, Mitchum entered the Betty Ford Clinic in Palm Springs, California, to be treated for alcoholism.
A lifelong smoker, Mitchum died in his sleep on July 1, 1997, at his home in Santa Barbara, California, due to complications from lung cancer and emphysema. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean. Upon Dorothy's death, her ashes were also scattered upon the Pacific so that she and Mitchum might come together again.
