What Is Tina Louise's Net Worth?
Tina Louise is an American actress, author, and singer who has a net worth of $6 million. Tina Louise is most widely known for her role as fiery redhead Ginger Grant on "Gilligan's Island," which aired from 1964 to 1967. Before her rise to television fame, Louise established herself as a serious actress on the stage and in films. She made her Broadway debut in "Li'l Abner" in 1956, and her performance garnered significant attention. Tina transitioned to the big screen with roles in movies such as "God's Little Acre," for which she won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, she appeared in several films and television shows, showcasing her versatility as an actress in both comedic and dramatic roles.
After "Gilligan's Island," Louise continued to work in television and film, appearing in various guest roles on popular TV shows and several movies. Despite being strongly identified with her character Ginger Grant, she sought to diversify her roles and not be typecast. She declined to participate in later reunions and reboots of the show.
Gilligan's Island Salary & Royalties
Tina and her castmates were paid a salary of $750 per week while working on the show. That's the same as making around $7,300 per week in today's dollars. Assuming each season required 40 weeks (there were 36 episodes in season one, 32 in season two, and 30 in season three), that worked out to an annual income of $30,000. That's the same as making around $300,000 in today's dollars.
Contrary to popular belief, the cast members did not receive any significant income in the form of residuals. As Dawn Wells explained to a reporter in 2014:
"A misconception is that we must be wealthy, rolling in the dough, because we got residuals. We didn't really get a dime… Sherwood Schwartz, our producer, reportedly made $90 million on the reruns alone."
Early Life
Tina Louise was born Tatiana Josivovna Chernova Blacker on February 11, 1934, in New York City. She began studying performance when she was in her late teens. Louise's mother was an established fashion model, and her father (Joseph Blacker) was a candy store owner/operator with a shop located in Brooklyn. He would later work as an accountant. The name "Louise" was allegedly added by Tina during her senior year in high school. She attended Miami University in Ohio, and after graduation, she began pursuing a modeling career of her own.
Modeling Career
Louise graced the covers of "Adam Sir!," "Modern Man," and "Playboy" during her very successful modeling career.
(Photo by J. Wilds/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Acting Career
Louise actually landed her first role at the tender age of 2 after being spotted in an ad for her father's candy store. She began taking acting, singing, and dancing lessons at the age of 17, studying under the legendary Sanford Meisner at Manhattan's Neighborhood Playhouse.
Louise's acting debut came in 1952 in the Bette Davis vehicle/musical "Two's Company." She also performed in several Broadway productions, including "John Murray Anderson's Almanac," "The Fifth Season," and "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" In 1957, she appeared on Broadway in the musical "Li'l Abner." Tina also had many successful TV appearances on such shows as "Studio One" and "Appointment with Adventure."
Louise subsequently moved on to the big screen, appearing in "God's Little Acre" in 1958.
Tina Louise in 1965 (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
In 1958, Louise was recognized by the National Art Council, an organization that would name her "World's Most Beautiful Redhead" with distinction. The very next year, she earned a starring role in "Day of the Outlaw" alongside Robert Ryan. Louise earned her stripes as a leading lady playing off of actors Robert Taylor and Richard Widmark in the process. Tina often played somber roles despite her stunning appearance. She made it a point to turn down reprisal roles for screen adaptations of "Li'l Abner" and "Operation Petticoat," which came at a cost to her credits. She instead accepted Broadway roles and parts in Italian cinema during the interim. Italian film credits include "The Siege of Syracuse," a film directed by Pietro Francisci, and "Garibaldi" (1960), which was directed by Roberto Rossellini and documented Garibaldi's efforts to unify Italian states during the 1860s.
After returning to the United States, Louise began studying under another legendary acting mentor, Lee Strasberg. She became an active member of the prestigious Actors Studio. In 1962, Tina booked a guest-starring role on the sitcom "The Real McCoys," portraying a country girl from West Virginia in the episode "Grandpa Pygmalion." Louise also appeared alongside her future "Gilligan's Island" co-star Bob Denver two years later in a beach party film titled "For Those Who Think Young."
George De Sota/Newsmakers
In 1964, Louise made a departure from the Broadway musical "Fade Out – Fade In" to portray movie star Ginger Grant on a budding sitcom called "Gilligan's Island." Jayne Mansfield notably turned this role down before Tina was in the running for the role.
Over time, Louise would become unhappy and dissatisfied with the role, worrying that it had done damaging work in typecasting her. When "Gilligan's Island" ended in 1967, she could not seem to repair her career and land any major film work, as those sorts of roles were no longer available to her.
Louise continued to work in film and made several guest appearances on television. However, she still claimed that playing the role of Ginger Grant had ruined her movie career. As a result, Tina never made another appearance as Ginger, not even in subsequent "Gilligan's Island" movies, which included "Rescue from Gilligan's Island," "The Castaways on Gilligan's Island," and "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island." However, Louise did appear on the big screen once again in the 1969 Matt Helm spy spoof "The Wrecking Crew" and alongside Dean Martin in 1975's "The Stepford Wives."
Louise made several attempts to shed her comedic image by opting for darker cinematic roles. For instance, she played a heroin addict in a 1974 episode of "Kojak." She also played a corrections officer in "Nightmare in Badham County," a 1976 made-for-TV movie. Other TV credits include "Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby" in 1976, "SST: Death Flight" in 1977, "Friendships, Secrets and Lies" in 1979, and the soap opera "Dallas" during the show's 1978 and 1979 seasons.
Personal Life
Tina has been an active mainstay in New York City and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as a lifetime member of the prestigious Actors Studio.
