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George Clooney has become the golden face of Hollywood, born in 1961 in Lexington, Kentucky, to a family of professionals in show business. His mother, Nina Bruce, was a beauty contestant and a councilwoman, while his father, Nick Clooney, was an anchor and TV host. The millionaire had a difficult phase in his childhood when he was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, which is a clinical condition that paralyzes one side of the face. Sadly, he was bullied by his peers in school because of his condition. Luckily, he recovered from this condition after a year. Clooney began studying Journalism in college but never completed his graduation. However, he soon realized that his passion lies in acting and moved to Los Angeles to land himself as an actor.
This was a financially difficult phase in his life, and George had to live in his car for a while. However, it is because of his tremendous perseverance that he has gotten this far in life. George Clooney went from a net worth of $500 thousand in 1993 to a mind-blowing $500 million. Here is how the 60-year-old American actor, director, producer, and businessman built his $500 million.
Early Life and Career
Clooney lived in his car for a while in Los Angeles, which would remain parked in his aunt, Rosemary Clooney’s driveway. Rosemary was a renowned singer at that time. According to Wealthy Gorilla, Clooney made his living by selling women’s shoes, cutting tobacco, and selling insurance. He made his debut on television through the miniseries called Centennial, which aired in 1978. Soon enough, his fate changed when he began landing more small roles in television series such as The Facts of Life, Roseanne, and The Golden Girls.
The actor’s breakthrough in his television career was when he got a leading role in the sitcom E/R in 1984. This is often confused with his groundbreaking performance as Dr. Doug Ross in NBC's ER, but that came way later in 1994. While being on the sitcom, he took up other acting projects simultaneously. These were films like From Dusk till Dawn, One Fine Day, and Out of Sight. His memorable performance succeeded Val Kilmer as Batman in one of the Batman movies called Batman and Robin.
Clooney had a particularly long and successful career with ER, appearing on 109 episodes, from 1994 to 1999 and again from 2000 to 2009. He even received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes as the best actor on ER.
Success in Hollywood
With his heap of award nominations, Clooney was a big deal even before he made his debut in the movie industry. He left ER in 1999 to act in numerous box office blockbusters such as The Perfect Storm and O’Brother, Where Art Thou. By 2000, his net worth had increased exponentially to $10 million, and by 2005 it had skyrocketed to $50 million.
One of his most popular performances is in Ocean’s 11, after which he was also seen in its reprise of Ocean’s 12 and Ocean’s 13. In addition, Clooney won an Academy Award for the first time in 2005 as the best supporting actor for the movie Syriana. He also got nominated for the best writer and director of Good Night and Good Luck.
Clooney’s net worth kept increasing as he acted in one hit film after another. These include The Men Who Stare at Goats, Up in theAir and Fantastic Mr. He won over the critics through his phenomenal performances in The Descendants in 201. George is also remembered for his short but iconic role in Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock, which came out in 2013. Clooney topped the Forbes list in 2018 as the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.
Lucrative Ventures
George Clooney made $500 million despite not having starred in as many blockbusters as is required of a Hollywood actor to grow that kind of money. The secret behind his great wealth is his tequila company called Casamigos Tequila. 2013 was an exceptionally prosperous year for Clooney as he founded this company in the same year as acting in Gravity.
Clooney was not expecting such enormous profits out of it. He started this company with some of his wealthy friends, and when it was a big deal, they sold it to the bigger company called Diego for $700 million, as stated by Esquire. In addition, the stakeholders would receive another $300 million out of it if customers continued liking the tequila. As a result, Clooney drew a massive $239 million out of this lucrative business deal.
George Clooney is married to Amal Clooney, and they live alternatively in luxury mansions worldwide. He has purchased millions worth of property in England, New York, and California, to name a few. The star has invested around $100 million in real estate alone.
Source: Esquire, Men’s Health, Wealthy Gorilla, Celebrity Net Worth
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