What is Jean Harlow's Net Worth and Salary?
Jean Harlow was an American actress who had a net worth of $40,000 at the time of her death. That's the same as around $900 thousand in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation. Jean Harlow was one of the defining sex symbols and figures of pre-Code Hollywood cinema in the 1930s. Known for her platinum blonde hair and vampish characters, she starred in such films as "Hell's Angels," "Red-Headed Woman," "Red Dust," "Dinner at Eight," "Libeled Lady," and "Suzy." Harlow's career ended abruptly when she died of kidney failure at the age of 26 in 1937.
Salary & Contracts
Jean Harlow was at the peak of a young career when she died suddenly in 1937 at the age of 26. She rose from making $7 a day as an unbilled extra. In 1929 she signed a 5-year contract with Howard Hughes that paid her $100 a week. On her 21st birthday in 1932, she learned that MGM had purchased her contract from Hughes for $30,000. MGM increased her weekly fee to $1,250. She was earning $4,000 per week at the time of her death. That's the same as making around $90,000 per week in today's dollars, $5 million on an annual basis.
Finances at Death
After years of financial mismanagement at the hands of her step-father, Jean's estate at the time of her death was worth $41,000, which is the same as around $900,000 in today's dollars. Unfortunately, Jean also owed $76,000 to the IRS, which significantly reduced her estate's finances. Her biggest asset at the time of death was a $104,000 life insurance policy annuity that was left to her mother. She owned three cars, a modest jewelry collection and some family heirlooms.
Early Life and Education
Jean Harlow was born as Harlean Harlow Carpenter on March 3, 1911 in Kansas City, Missouri to Jean and Mont. As a child, she went to Miss Barstow's School, a finishing school for girls. While Harlow was at the school, her parents divorced. In 1923, she moved to Hollywood with her mother, who hoped to become an actress; however, her mother was told she was too old. Meanwhile, Harlow attended the Hollywood School for Girls. Due to economic struggles, the two eventually moved back to Kansas City. Harlow went on to attend Ferry Hall School in Lake Forest, Illinois, which was relatively close to the home of her mother's new boyfriend.
Start of Film Career
Having gotten married to a wealthy heir in 1928, Harlow moved to Beverly Hills, California and flourished as a socialite. She soon became noticed by film executives, and was given letters of introduction to Central Casting. Signed under her mother's name, Jean, she appeared in her first film, "Honor Bound," as an extra. Harlow went on to appear in small parts in such films as "Moran of the Marines," "Chasing Husbands," and the Laurel and Hardy shorts "Double Whoopee," "Liberty," and "Bacon Grabbers." Her first speaking role came in the 1929 Clara Bow vehicle "The Saturday Night Kid."
Jean Harlow circa 1935. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Superstardom in the 1930s
In late 1929, Harlow signed a five-year contract with Howard Hughes. She subsequently had her first major role, in Hughes's 1930 epic war film "Hell's Angels." The film was the highest-grossing of the year, launching Harlow to superstardom. In 1931, the actress gained further recognition for her roles in such films as "The Secret Six," "Iron Man," and "The Public Enemy." Harlow's defining film at the time, however, was "Platinum Blonde," which established her as a bonafide sex symbol with her trendsetting platinum blonde hair. She went on to star in "Three Wise Girls" and "The Beast of the City" in early 1932.
In the spring of 1932, Harlow signed with MGM and began the most successful phase of her career, starting with her role as the titular vamp in "Red-Headed Woman." She next starred in Victor Fleming's "Red Dust," her first of six films co-starring Clark Gable. In 1933, Harlow starred in "Hold Your Man," "Dinner at Eight," and "Bombshell." Her sole film in 1934 was "The Girl from Missouri." The following year, Harlow starred in the musical "Reckless" and the adventure film "China Seas." Harlow had a big year in 1936, starring in "Wife vs. Secretary," "Suzy," "Riffraff," and "Libeled Lady." Her final two films, "Personal Property" and "Saratoga," came out in 1937, the latter posthumously.
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Marriages
Harlow's first husband was wealthy heir Charles McGrew III, to whom she was married from 1928 to 1929. She went on to marry MGM executive Paul Bern in 1930. Only two months into their marriage, Bern was found dead at their home, causing a major scandal implicating Harlow. Ultimately, it was determined that Bern had fatally shot himself. Harlow became involved in another controversy when she began an affair with boxer Max Baer, who was still married at the time. To avoid another scandal, MGM arranged a marriage between Harlow and cinematographer Harold Rosson in 1933. The pair discreetly divorced eight months later.
Illness and Death
In early 1937, Harlow came down with influenza while on a fundraising trip in Washington, DC. Not long after that, she developed sepsis from a wisdom-tooth extraction and had to be hospitalized. While filming "Saratoga" in the spring of 1937, Harlow began experiencing various symptoms, including fatigue, nausea, and abdominal pain. Her condition worsened over the ensuing weeks, and she fell into a coma at the hospital on June 6. The next day, Harlow passed away from complications of kidney failure; she was 26 years of age. She was interred in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, in a private room purchased by her then-partner, actor William Powell.
