The Curse of Rich & Famous: 7 Actors Who Ended Up Almost Broke
While some actors invest in expensive stocks and successfully run their own brands, others squander all the money on entertainment and luxury goods.
Wesley Snipes
The star of the Blade vampire franchise suffered financial problems that got him into prison.
The actor avoided paying taxes for a number of years and even falsified his tax papers. As a result, Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay about $16 million in back taxes and fines. When the actor was released in 2013, the public had long forgotten about Blade, and he wasn't offered any new roles.
Wesley Snipes used all his money to cover the tax debts, so he ended up pretty much in poverty.
Kim Basinger
The 9½ Weeks star had to declare bankruptcy early in her acting career.
In 1991, Kim Basinger was sued by Main Line Pictures for refusing to film in Boxing Helena. The studio demanded that the actress pay a penalty fee of $8.1 million, while Kim only had $5.4 million in savings. Basinger was able to get the fee reduced to $3.8 million, which was still a hefty sum for her.
Fortunately, the actress was able to fully recover and even increase her wealth by the end of the 1990s.
Nicolas Cage
In the mid-2010s, Nicolas Cage was considered one of the richest actors in Hollywood: the actor's salary was $150 million at the time.
However, Nicolas' lavish and extravagant lifestyle took a heavy toll on his finances as he spent millions on yachts, luxury cars, and antiques. Among the rare and extravagant things in the actor's possession are the original copy of a first-edition Superman comic, a crocodile, and even a pet octopus.
Cage was forced to face the consequences of his reckless spending after part of his property was stolen and his real estate lost much of its value during the 2008 crisis. As a result, the actor had to take pretty much any role offered to him, including parts in the most mediocre productions.
Amber Heard
Not long ago, we witnessed one of the most scandalous trials in Hollywood history: the case of ex-spouses Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
The court ordered the actress to pay $10 million compensation to Depp, but as it turned out, Heard had already spent a fortune on lawyers and simply had no savings left. She also didn't consider she could lose the case, obviously. Johnny Depp took pity on his ex-wife and reduced the amount to $8.35 million, but that didn't really save the actress from suffering financially.
Now, Amber Heard is going to appeal the verdict, which will launch another season of the celebrities' legal battle. Enjoy the show.
Johnny Depp
The Pirates of the Caribbean star also isn't doing too well money-wise.
In the 2019 interview to Rolling Stone, Johnny Depp revealed he was experiencing financial problems and had to sue his managers for embezzling $25 million. For their part, the managers accused the actor of his exorbitant spending, claiming that Depp would spend two to three million dollars a month — and much of that money was squandered on gambling and alcohol.
Following Amber Heard's allegations of domestic violence, the actor was removed from all the major productions as Hollywood studios simply couldn't afford to bear the reputational risks.
To date, Johnny Depp's finances are still far from ideal, but the actor doesn't lose hope that, one day, he'll be rich again.
Lindsay Lohan
Lohan struggled with substance addiction and was involved in numerous scandals and accidents, which had a terrible impact on her reputation and career.
Hollywood didn't need Lindsay anymore, so in the noughties, the Freaky Friday star was completely broke and didn't even have the money to pay for her apartment. She ended up owing lots of money to banks and consequently had her funds frozen.
The star was forced to move out and go back to live with her parents, hoping that her life will change for the better again.
Lena Headey
The star of the epic series Game of Thrones was on the verge of bankruptcy after her divorce from Peter Paul Loughran.
At the time, Headey was already starring in the HBO series, but the cost of lawyers was so great, the actress had to sacrifice all the money received from the project and also sell her villa in Los Angeles.
By the end of the divorce process, Lena had only five thousand dollars left — but, luckily, the show was still in production so she could restore her financial situation fairly quickly.