How Much George C. Scott Was Worth When He Died

Film and stage actor, director, and producer George C. Scott wore many titles, and all these jobs translated into an enormous net worth when he died in 1999.

Raised in Michigan, he joined the Marine Corps in 1945, serving four years before attending the University of Missouri. After studying drama, he made a splash as Richard III for the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1956, according to The Guardian. He continued acting on stage in off-Broadway productions like Children of Darkness in 1958 and The Andersonville Trial in 1959.

He also starred in many TV series, including as Neil Brock on a series depicting the life of a NYC social worker in East Side/West Side from 1963 to 1964 when he earned $10,000 an episode — according to Celebrity Net Worth — and as President Samuel Arthur Tresch on Mr. President from 1987 to 1988. He also acted in two Arthur Miller plays adapted for TV, The Crucible and The Price. Scott received an Emmy for his role in The Price, but he did not attend the ceremony, so actor Jack Cassidy claimed it for him, according to Deadline.

Additionally, he also acted in the movies such as 1961's The Hustler, where he received a Best Supporting Actor nomination that he told the Academy to rescind. When he appeared in Patton, he became the first actor to say no to an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1970.

Since George C. Scott had told the Academy he refused the Best Actor nomination, his win surprised people, including presenter Goldie Hawn who said, "Oh my God," according to History, when she saw the winner's name. Scott had called the awards ceremony, "a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons."

Scott might have belittled his award for Patton, but he accepted the windfall salary. For the role, Scott collected $600,000 plus 5 percent of the movie's gross — $2.25 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, which is about $15 million today. 

Besides his prolific work in the entertainment industry, Scott also married five times — wedding actress Colleen Dewhurst twice! He fathered six children, including the actors Devon and Campbell Scott and theater stage manager, Alexander Scott. According to the Los Angeles Times, Scott often expressed his distaste of the entertainment industry and that he came to feel that it was "psychologically damaging." Still he acted until the end of his life, and his last role was the 1999 TV movie, Inherit the Wind. 

When he passed away on September 22, 1999, at the age of 71, Scott's net worth was $25 million, about $30 million now, reported Celebrity Net Worth.