What Is Darcy LaPier's Net Worth?
Darcy LaPier is an American actress and model who has a net worth of $1 million. Darcy LaPier is probably best known for having several high-profile relationships and marriages with celebrities and wealthy businessmen. After being chosen to represent Oregon for a Hawaiian Tropic Beauty Contest in 1985, she went on to marry the President of Hawaiian Tropic, Ron Rice, in 1990. They had one child together before the marriage ended in 1993. The marriage was actually annulled when it came to light that she had never actually divorced her first husband, Larry Rae Robertson.
During her years with Ron Rice, Darcy launched an acting career, appearing in projects such as "Think Big," "Dream Trap," "Drive Me Crazy," and "Double Trouble."
Darcy married Jean-Claude Van Damme in 1994. She had a part in his 1994 film, "Street Fighter." She reportedly received $10 million in a divorce settlement from Van Damme.
In 1999, Darcy married Mark Hughes, the extremely rich founder of Herbalife. Mark died in May 2000, less than a year into their marriage. Despite their short marriage, Darcy reportedly received $30-40 million worth of real estate and cash from his estate.
More recently, she has focused on a career on the rodeo circuit and starred in/executive produced a show called "Rodeo Girls," which aired on A&E.
Bankruptcy
In 2019, Darcy attempted to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which would have wiped out any unsecured debts, such as credit cards and personal loans, while also preventing creditors from seizing her assets. In a filing, she claimed to be "destitute" and unable to pay her creditors.
In an interesting twist, the trustee overseeing the case rejected her Chapter 7 filing and, in a response, slammed Darcy after it was alleged that she received $500,000 worth of assets from her ex-husband, Ron Rice, without properly disclosing the transfers to the court. She also reportedly transferred ownership of her primary home in an apparent attempt to further hide and protect assets while claiming to be broke. It was alleged that millions of dollars worth of assets disappeared. In a response to her filing, the judge slammed Darcy for claiming to be destitute while recently (at that point) flaunting a lavish lifestyle on her reality show "Rodeo Girls." From the response to her filing:
"In a further affront to her creditors, over the last ten years, the Debtor has spent millions of dollars on travel expenses and purchasing, maintaining, and training horses so that she can compete in rodeos throughout the country from which she has earned only a few thousand dollars."
"Her actions since 2008 have been calculated to deceive. The Debtor is not an 'honest but unfortunate debtor,' (rather) she is a person who is focused on continuing her decadent lifestyle at the expense of her creditors and without regard for the integrity of this Court. The Debtor does not deserve a discharge."
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Early Life
Darcy LaPier was born on July 9, 1965, in Molalla, Oregon. She is reportedly the only child of Native American parents who worked blue-collar jobs. Darcy herself worked at a chicken slaughterhouse when she was young. For fun, she and her father enjoyed attending rodeos. After high school, Darcy attended Portland State University. She also previously studied drama at the University of Oregon and Huntington Film Institute in Florida.
Career
LaPier began her career after competing in a Hawaiian Tropic Beauty Pageant in 1985. She then began booking modeling jobs on a regular basis before also stepping into the world of acting. In 1989, she made her film debut in "Think Big" as the character of Donna. The next year, Darcy appeared as an extra in "Dream Tap." In 1991, she had a small role in "Driving Me Crazy" followed by a small role in "Double Trouble" in 1992.
In 1994, she appeared in the film "Street Fighter" along with her future husband Jean-Claude Van Damme. She took a five-year break from acting before appearing in "Operation Delta Force 3: Clear Target" in 1999.
Marriages
Darcy is perhaps best known for her many relationships and marriages, several of which to very famous and wealthy men. Below is a breakdown of her five marriages:
Marriage #1
When Darcy was 19 years old, she married a guy from her hometown, Larry Ray Robertson. The marriage didn't last long. Darcy wanted far more than their small Oregon town could give her. She saw a poster for the Miss Hawaiian Tropic contest and entered. Tall, lithe, with long blonde hair—Darcy was and still is a beautiful woman. She won the Miss Hawaiian Tropic contest for the state of Oregon and left Larry Robertson back in her home wondering what happened to the sweet, young small-town girl he'd married.
Marriage #2
Darcy traveled to the Miss Hawaiian Tropic pageant in 1985. While she did not win the ultimate title of Miss Hawaiian Tropic, the aspiring model and actress won something else—the heart of the company's founder. Ron Rice, nearly twice her age, asked Darcy out on a date. She accepted but failed to tell him she was already married.
The couple quickly became inseparable and married in 1990, months after Darcy gave birth to their daughter Sterling. She was living the life she'd sought. She had money, a bit of fame, a beautiful beach house in Malibu with a staff of seven, a nanny with references from Jerry Hall and Margaret Thatcher, luxury cars, jewelry, and a jet-set lifestyle.
But that old familiar itch for more returned, and by 1992, Darcy was growing bored. At a Hollywood event, Mrs. Hawaiian Tropic met the "Muscles from Brussels," Jean-Claude Van Damme, who was not only at the height of his action movie career but also very married.
Darcy set her sights on Van Damme, found out he was filming his latest movie in Hong Kong, and hopped on a plane to track him down. She invited Van Damme to her hotel room, where the two reportedly made love and quickly fell for each other. Within a few days, just like with Ron Rice, the pair were inseparable and wanted out of their respective marriages.
When Ron Rice heard about his wife's affair, he began divorce proceedings, kicking himself for not having a prenup in place and expecting to lose a sizeable chunk of his wealth. However, someone unexpected would come to the Hawaiian Tropic founder's help: "The National Enquirer" informed Rice that his wife had never divorced husband number 1, Larry Robertson. Rice had the marriage annulled, and LaPier received only child support for her efforts.
Marriage #3
In February 1994, Darcy married Jean-Claude Van Damme. She was his fourth wife. They had a volatile marriage marked by accusations, fights, and allegations of abuse. Darcy gave birth to her son Nicolas in 1995. Van Damme wasn't entirely sure it was his son, which outraged LaPier.
Darcy filed for divorce from Jean-Claude three times in three years. Each time, the lovebirds were able to patch it up. But in 1997, she filed, and the divorce stuck. In the court documents, she alleged that Van Damme, then 35 years old, was a cocaine addict who beat her regularly. Van Damme had gone to rehab for substance abuse in 1996. Darcy sought a restraining order against him as well as custody of their then 2-year-old son, plus $150,000 a month in child support and $300,000 in legal fees.
In the divorce papers, Darcy said:
"I am presently too afraid to stay with Jean-Claude. His physical and mental abuse and his drug abuse are at a dangerous level." She also alleged that the "Universal Soldier" star had threatened to shoot one of Darcy's attorneys and grab their son and take him outside of the U.S. When all was said and done between Darcy LaPier Robertson Rice Van Damme and her action hero, she reportedly received around $10 million plus child support in a settlement.
Marriage #4
Darcy met Mark Hughes, founder of Herbalife, on a blind date. Hughes had built his company from an operation he ran out of his garage to a then $1.8 billion multi-level-marketing juggernaut in the nutrition arena. On their first date, LaPier and Hughes had sex in his Rolls Royce.
They were married on Valentine's Day 1999, and Darcy LaPier Robertson Rice Van Damme Hughes settled into her new husband's 32,000-square-foot home in Malibu. Darcy finally had the wealth –via marriage – that she sought. Hughes bought her a $4 million helicopter to ferry her to their 150-foot yacht.
But then it all fell apart. Hughes had taken a prescription pill, Doxepin, to help him sleep. He'd been at a party earlier in the night and had been drinking. Darcy woke up to a dead man next to her in bed the next morning. His autopsy revealed his blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit.
When Mark Hughes died, Darcy reportedly received $30-40 million from his estate. They had been married for one year. Darcy had been seeking $64 million. She had also been fighting for $4 million to purchase a house in Portland and $10 million, within 45 days of his death, to purchase an LA home.
She'd never have to marry again… but she did. Her "acting" career is negligible—she was in six films, one of them as an extra, between 1989 and 1999. Her roles were small. She played "David's Neighbor" and "Guile's Date" in forgettable films from the early 1990s.
So after Mark Hughes died, Darcy packed up Sterling and Nicolas and moved home to Oregon, where she bought a ranch and began barrel racing. But love would find Darcy again soon.
Marriage #5
In 2002, Darcy became Darcy LaPier Robertson Rice Van Damme Hughes Snodgrass when she married Brian Snodgrass. His family founded and operates the Seven Dees nursery chain. The two had a daughter, Madison.
Darcy and Snodgrass divorced in 2013.
