What is Jane Campion's Net Worth?
Jane Campion is a New Zealand director and screenwriter who has a net worth of $10 million. Jane Champion is known for such films as "The Piano," "The Portrait of a Lady," "Bright Star," and "The Power of the Dog." For "The Piano," she became the first woman to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and for "The Power of the Dog" she became the third woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director. In other work, Campion co-created, co-wrote, and co-directed the television series "Top of the Lake."
Early Life and Education
Elizabeth Jane Campion was born on April 30, 1954 in Wellington, New Zealand to actor, writer, and heiress Edith Campion and actor and theater director Richard M. Campion. She has an older sister named Anna and an older brother named Michael, with whom she was raised in the theater world in New Zealand. For her formal education, Campion attended Queen Margaret College and Wellington Girls' College before going to Victory University of Wellington. She graduated from the lattermost school in 1975 with a degree in anthropology. Campion subsequently enrolled at the Chelsea Art School in London and traveled throughout Europe. She then moved to Australia to attend the Sydney College of the Arts, where she studied painting. After graduating in 1981, Campion enrolled at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, where she created many short films. She graduated from the school in 1984.
Film Career
Campion had her career breakthrough in 1986 with her short film "Peel," which won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. This made her the first woman ever to win that award. Campion screened two other short films at that year's Cannes, "Passionless Moments" and "A Girl's Own Story," as well as her feature directorial debut "Two Friends." Her next film was "Sweetie," which premiered at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. A dark dramedy focused on a dysfunctional Australian family, the film earned significant acclaim. Campion earned further plaudits for her 1990 biographical drama "An Angel at My Table," about New Zealand author Janet Frame, portrayed by Kerry Fox. The film came in second place at the Venice Film Festival and won numerous awards in New Zealand.
Campion achieved her biggest critical and commercial success yet with her 1993 period drama "The Piano." Starring Holly Hunter as a mute Scottish woman who travels with her young daughter to a remote area of New Zealand for an arranged marriage, the film won the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, making Campion the first woman ever to win that prize. "The Piano" went on to win a plethora of further awards after that, including Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. Moreover, Campion became the second woman ever to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. She followed "The Piano" with the literary adaptation "The Portrait of a Lady," based on the Henry James novel and starring Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, and Barbara Hershey. Released in 1996, it earned Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Hershey) and Best Costume Design. Campion closed out the decade with the 1999 romantic dramedy "Holy Smoke!," starring Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel.
Campion's first film of the new millennium was the 2003 erotic thriller "In the Cut," based on the book by Susanna Moore and starring Meg Ryan and Mark Ruffalo. She went on to write and direct the biographical drama "Bright Star," about the romance between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. Starring Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish in the lead roles, it came out in 2009. After largely focusing on television in the 2010s, Campion returned to film in 2021 with an adaptation of Thomas Savage's Western novel "The Power of the Dog." Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirsten Dunst, and Jesse Plemons, the film premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, where Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Director. "The Power of the Dog" subsequently became one of the most critically laureled films of the year, and received 12 Academy Award nominations. Campion ended up winning for Best Director, making her just the third woman ever to win the Best Director Academy Award.
via getty
Television Career
Beyond film, Campion co-created the mystery drama television series "Top of the Lake" with Gerard Lee; she also co-wrote and co-directed the series. The first season, which premiered in 2013, starred Elisabeth Moss as a detective investigating the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old in New Zealand. Campion and Moss returned for the second season, entitled "Top of the Lake: China Girl," in 2017. The series was highly acclaimed, earning several AACTA and Emmy Award nominations.
Personal Life
In 1992, Campion married Colin Englert, who worked with her on "The Piano." They had two children together named Jasper and Alice, the former of whom passed away after 12 days. Campion and Englert eventually divorced in 2001.
