What Was Nell Carter's Net Worth?
Nell Carter was an American singer and actress who had a net worth of $2 million at the time of her death in 2003. Nell Carter was best known for starring as Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper on the NBC series "Gimme a Break!" from 1981 to 1987. Carter also played Ethel Green on the ABC soap opera "Ryan's Hope" (1978–1979) and P.J. Moore on the ABC sitcom "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" (1993–1995). Nell had more than 40 acting credits to her name, including the films "Hair" (1979), "Tex" (1982), "The Grass Harp" (1995), and "Swing" (2003) and the television series "The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo" (1980–1981), "You Take the Kids" (1990–1991), "Touched by an Angel" (2001), "Reba" (2001), and "Ally McBeal" (2002). Carter also performed on Broadway, appearing in productions of "Soon" (1971), "Dude" (1972), "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1978–1982; 1988–1989), and "Annie" (1997). She won a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for "Ain't Misbehavin'." Nell Carter passed away on January 23, 2003, at 54 years old from heart disease complicated by diabetes.
Early Life
Nell Carter was born Nell Ruth Hardy on September 13, 1948, in Birmingham, Alabama. Nell was the daughter of Horace and Edna Mae Hardy, and she had eight siblings. Sadly, her brother Bernard passed away from complications from AIDS in the late '80s. Through Carter was born into a Catholic family, she was actually raised Presbyterian. When Nell was two years old, her father was electrocuted by a live power line, and Carter witnessed it. During her childhood, Nell performed on a gospel radio show and sang in the church choir. At the age of 15, she started performing at local coffee houses, and she later became a member of the Renaissance Ensemble, which performed at gay bars and coffee houses.
In 1965, 16-year-old Nell was raped at gunpoint. She became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, Tracey, in 1966. Raising a baby alone as a teenage mother was too difficult, so Nell sent Tracey to live with her sister Willie. In a 1994 interview with "People" magazine, Carter said of the traumatic experience, "We never called the police. Rape wasn't something you talked about then outside the family. When I missed my monthly, I was in shock. I hadn't even been told the facts of life. I went to my mother, which was a mistake. There was no understanding there. I could have had an abortion—they were around. But I had my baby, my daughter Tracey. I've always told people that she was the product of an early marriage, but that was a lie my brother helped me concoct as protection from even more pain."
Career
When Nell was 19, she changed her last name to Carter and moved to New York with the Renaissance Ensemble. There, she performed in nightclubs, coffee shops, and bathhouses until she made her Broadway debut in the rock opera "Soon" in 1971. The show closed after just three performances, but Nell returned to Broadway in 1972 in the musical "Dude." In 1974, she served as the music director for a Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective production of "What Time of Night It Is." In 1978, Carter won a Tony for her performance in "Ain't Misbehavin'," and she later won a Primetime Emmy for a televised version of the musical. In 1978, she also appeared in the TV movie "Cindy" and began a 12-episode stint as Ethel Green on the ABC soap opera "Ryan's Hope." Nell's first feature film was 1979's "Hair," and she followed it with "Back Roads" and "Modern Problems" in 1981 and "Tex" in 1982. From 1980 to 1981, she played Sergeant Hildy Jones on NBC's "The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo." In 1981, Carter began starring as Nellie Ruth 'Nell' Harper on the NBC sitcom "Gimme a Break!," which aired 137 episodes over six seasons and earned her two Primetime Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. Around this time, she guest-starred on "The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" (1982), "Santa Barbara" (1985), "Amen" (1986), "Rosie" (1986), and "227" (1989) and starred in the 1986 special "Nell Carter: Never Too Old to Dream."
In the '90s, Carter lent her voice to the 1992 animated movie "Bebe's Kids" and appeared in the films "The Crazysitter" (1995), "The Grass Harp" (1995), "The Misery Brothers" (1995), "The Proprietor" (1996), "Fakin' da Funk" (1997), "Follow Your Heart" (1999), and "Special Delivery" (1999). From 1990 to 1991, she starred as Nell Kirkland on the CBS sitcom "You Take the Kids," then she appeared in the TV movies "Maid for Each Other" (1992), "Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story" (1992), and "Sealed with a Kiss" (1999). From 1993 to 1995, Nell played P.J. Moore on ABC's "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper." In the last few years of her life, Carter appeared in the film "Perfect Fit" (2001) and guest-starred on "Touched by an Angel" (2001), "Seven Days" (2001), "Reba" (2001), and "Ally McBeal" (2002). The films "Swing" (2003) and "Back by Midnight" (2005) were released posthumously.
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Personal Life
Nell attempted suicide in the early '80s and sought treatment for cocaine addiction at a drug-detoxification facility in 1985. On May 16, 1982, Carter married George Krynicki, a lumber executive and mathematician. She converted to Judaism before the wedding. Nell adopted sons Daniel and Joshua shortly before her divorce from George was finalized in September 1989. Carter married Roger Larocque on May 14, 1992. They divorced the following year. In the early '90s, Nell underwent surgery to repair two aneurysms. She declared bankruptcy in the mid-1990s and in 2002. At the time of her death in 2002, Carter had been in a relationship with Ann Kaser for more than a decade.
Death
On January 23, 2003, Nell collapsed at her Beverly Hills home and died at the age of 54. Carter's 13-year-old son Joshua found her body later that night. An autopsy was not performed because of a provision in Nell's will, but X-rays, blood tests, and a physical exam led the Los Angeles County coroner's office to rule that her death was the result of "probable arteriosclerotic heart disease, with diabetes a contributing condition." Ann Kaser, Carter's partner, inherited Nell's property and was given custody of Joshua and Daniel. Carter was laid to rest at L.A.'s Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery.
Awards and Nominations
In 1978, Carter won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and Theatre World Award for "Ain't Misbehavin'." She earned three Primetime Emmy nominations, winning for Outstanding Individual Achievement – Special Class for "Ain't Misbehavin'" in 1982. Her other nominations were for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for "Gimme a Break!" in 1982 and 1983. Nell also received Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical for "Gimme a Break!" in 1983 and 1985.
Real Estate
In 1991, Carter sold her 4,000-square-foot Beverly Hills home to Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash for around $1.495 million. The three-bedroom home was built in 1964 and later remodeled, and it was described as a "glass, post-and-beam contemporary with mountain-to-ocean and canyon views."
