Kevin Costner Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What Is Kevin Costner’s Net Worth and Salary?

Kevin Costner, an American actor, producer, and director, boasts a net worth of $250 million. During the height of his career in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, he was among the highest-earning actors globally, owing to his performances in successful films such as “Dances with Wolves,” in which he both directed and starred, and “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.”

In 1991, he amassed a remarkable income of $50 million, significantly attributed to backend points from “Dances with Wolves.” This figure translates to the equivalent of $110 million in today’s money. The film earned seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The following year, backend points similarly elevated his earnings for “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” to $40 million.

Additionally, he received a substantial paycheck of $14 million for his part in the 1995 blockbuster “Waterworld.” As of now, Costner has been honored with two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, one Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Recently, he has garnered both critical and popular acclaim for his performance in the television series “Yellowstone.”

“Yellowstone” Salary

Prior to the fifth season filming of “Yellowstone,” Kevin finalized a new contract with Paramount, increasing his salary to $1.2 million per episode for what was scheduled to be a 16-episode season divided into two segments. The first part aired from November 2022 to January 2023. In February 2023, it came to light that Costner was in a dispute with the show’s creator/producer, Taylor Sheridan, and Paramount concerning the filming schedule for the second part. If filming for the latter occurs, he will have earned $19.2 million for the fifth season. Should a sixth season be produced, his per-episode salary will rise to $1.5 million, totaling $24 million for that season.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Kevin Michael Costner was born on January 18, 1955, in Lynwood, California. His mother, Sharon Rae (née Tedrick), worked as a welfare worker, while his father, William Costner, was an electrician who later became a utility executive at Southern California Edison. As the youngest of three brothers, with the middle sibling having died at birth, he navigated his early years in Compton, California, raised in a Baptist household.

Owing to his father’s job, the family relocated frequently across various regions in California, especially during his adolescent years. Kevin attended Mt. Whitney High School before moving to Orange County, California, where he ultimately graduated from Villa Park High School in 1973. He pursued higher education at California State University, Fullerton, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing and finance in 1978.

After graduating, Costner began his journey into acting, spurred by an inspiring encounter with actor Richard Burton, who motivated him to follow his long-held, secret aspiration. Costner’s path to Hollywood was challenging, consisting of acting classes, various odd jobs, auditions, and minimal financial gain. Nonetheless, his efforts eventually bore fruit, leading to a breakthrough in the 1980s following a brief appearance in a 1974 film.

Film Career

Costner’s performance in the 1987 film “The Untouchables” is often regarded as a pivotal moment in his career.

His “big break” was soon followed by the release of “Dances with Wolves” in 1990, a film in which he not only starred but also directed. This film is notable for earning him two Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture. Throughout his extensive career, however, Kevin has taken part in numerous projects and films.

Technically, Costner made his debut in feature films with “Sizzle Beach, U.S.A.,” which was shot during the winter of 1978 to 1979. Despite being filmed then, it didn’t see a release until 1981, and it was re-released in 1986. This confusion led many to believe that Costner’s first feature was actually “The Touch” from 1983. That same year, he also starred in “Table for Five” and “Testament,” in addition to featuring in a commercial promoting Apple’s Lisa desktop computer. In 1985, he took on several projects, including a leading role in Lawrence Kasdan’s “Silverado” as well as appearances in “Fandango” and “American Flyers.”

Costner’s work in 1987 included not just “The Untouchables,” but also the thriller “No Way Out.” His roles in subsequent years, particularly in “Bull Durham” (1988) and “Field of Dreams” (1989), solidified his reputation as an A-list actor. In 1990, he partnered with producer Jim Wilson to create the production company Tig Productions, with their first project being the ambitious “Dances with Wolves” (1990), which he directed and starred in. Additionally, that same year, Costner appeared in “Revenge” (1990).

Following the success of “Dances with Wolves,” Costner starred in a series of films that achieved either critical acclaim or significant box office success. Among these are “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” (1991), “JFK” (1991), “The Bodyguard” (1992), and Clint Eastwood’s “A Perfect World” (1993). However, this sequence of successes was met with a downturn, as he delivered a few films that didn’t attract much attention and received negative reviews from both audiences and critics, such as “The War” (1994), “Waterworld” (1995), and “The Postman” (1997). Of these, “The Postman,” which Costner starred in and directed, experienced the worst outcome, garnering five Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Director.

Continuing his acting career, Kevin featured in “Tin Cup” (1996), “Message in a Bottle” (1999), “Thirteen Days” (2000), “Rumor Has It” (2005), “The Guardian” (2006), “Mr. Brooks” (2007), “Swing Vote” (2008), and “The Company Men” (2010). In 2012, Costner debuted on television in the three-part miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys” on the History Channel, which set a record with 13.9 million viewers. Since then, he has continued to feature in various films and embraced a regular television role beginning in 2018 with the series “Yellowstone.”

Business Interests

In June 2004, Costner established an attraction named Tatanka: The Story of the Bison along U.S. Route 85, situated one mile south of Deadwood, South Dakota. His aim was for it to serve as an educational venue for visitors to learn about America’s history of westward expansion.

to his investment in the Midnight Star Casino located in Deadwood. In July 2004, when he dismissed casino managers Francis and Carla Caneva, a judge mandated that he pay a percentage of $6.1 million to buy out the Canevas as business associates. Subsequently, Kevin sought to have the South Dakota Supreme Court re-evaluate this decision in 2006, after an accountant he hired assessed the casino’s market value at $3.1 million.

Personal Life

After graduating in 1978, Costner wed Cindy Silva, his college girlfriend, with whom he has three children. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1994 after 16 years. For the divorce settlement, Costner consented to pay Cindy Silva $80 million, which was among the most expensive divorces in Hollywood history at the time.

Post-divorce, Kevin entered a relationship with Bridget Rooney, with whom he had a son. Bridget is notable as an heiress to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and her nieces include actresses Kate Mara and Rooney Mara.

In addition, Kevin has previously dated activist Birgit Cunningham and model/actress Elle Macpherson.

In 2004, he married Christine Baumgartner, a model and handbag designer, and they share three children.

Divorce Settlements

In the mid-1990s, Kevin granted his first wife, Cindy Silva, an $80 million divorce settlement, which would equate to approximately $160 million today when adjusted for inflation.

On May 2, 2023, Christine Baumgartner submitted a divorce filing after 18 years of marriage, stating irreconcilable differences as the reason. Initially, Christine did not seek spousal support, as their prenup agreement was in effect. According to a statement from Kevin’s lawyer:

“Spousal support to be payable to petitioner pursuant to the terms of the parties’ Premarital Agreement.“

However, in mid-June 2023, Christine requested monthly support of $250,000, not covering their children’s associated expenses, which Kevin was already taking care of. In her documents, Christine claimed Kevin earned $19.5 million in 2023, while the family’s overall expenses reached $6.6 million. These expenses included regular family vacations to destinations like Aspen, Hawaii, and the Caribbean, where they often hired chefs and caterers. Additionally, they spent about $2 million annually on maintaining their various properties.

In a detailed follow-up filing, Christine outlined their family’s income and expenses from 2022. Her legal documents indicated Kevin’s total income for that year was $19.5 million, specifically $19,517,064. Kevin earned $1.2 million per episode of “Yellowstone,” with an estimated eight episodes filmed in 2022, contributing nearly $10 million to that total. Furthermore, he generated $2.3 million in rental income from his Aspen ranch and $503,000 from renting a beachfront property in Carpinteria, California.

The filing outlined total “family expenses” as $6.5 million, specifically $6,645,285.

A breakdown of the Costner family’s 2022 expenditures included:

• Aspen House Costs: $1,964,294.95
• Beach House Costs: $1,178,147.16
• Gifts: $830,504.51
• Gardener: $542,303.47
• Beach Club Costs: $288,381.24
• Household Help: $84,040.78
• Golf & Club Dues: $34,434.90
• Boat Expenses: $25,806.45
• Spa Service: $21,807.67
• Personal Trainer: $12,851.58

Total Expenses: $5,982,772.71

Moreover, Christine asserted in her filing that Kevin had once shared that he had received an offer of $250 million for his Aspen property. This is in addition

We provide an overview of their other real estate holdings in the following section.

Real Estate

Featuring stunning properties across the nation, Costner boasts an impressively extensive real estate portfolio. Below are some of the standout examples:

Aspen, Colorado:

The Costners possess a substantial 160-acre property in Aspen that includes three lakefront homes capable of accommodating 30 guests comfortably. The property was acquired through three separate transactions. The initial two purchases, made in the late 1980s and early 1990s, were for undisclosed sums. In 2017, he completed the acquisition of the third parcel for $7.3 million, rounding out the 160 acres. This property is available for rent at an impressive rate of $30,000 per NIGHT.

Carpinteria, California:

Situated between Santa Barbara and Malibu, Carpinteria is a charming beach town. Over the years, the Costners have developed an extraordinary estate comprising three contiguous properties. The first property was purchased in the 1980s, with the second added in the following decade, and the third bought in 2017 for $7.3 million.

They had previously owned a 7-acre parcel in the vicinity, which was sold for $25 million in 2009.

This isn’t the only property the Costners own in Carpinteria.

In 2006, they acquired a 17-acre undeveloped lot with ocean views for $28.5 million.

Additionally, they possess a 10-acre property in Carpinteria that they attempted to sell in 2017 for $60 million. A year later, they lowered the asking price to $49 million, but ultimately removed it from the market. Take a look at this incredible property through the video tour below: