Esther Williams Net Worth
Esther Williams Net Worth is
$250,000
Esther Williams Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold medal winner and Tarzan star, Johnny Weissmuller. Williams caught the attention of MGM scouts at the Aquacade. After appearing in several small roles, alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film, and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe, Williams made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aquamusicals," which featured elaborate performances with synchronized swimming and diving.From 1945 to 1949, Williams had at least one film listed among the 20 highest grossing films of the year. In 1952, Williams appeared in her only biographical role, as Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman in Million Dollar Mermaid, which went on to become her nickname while at MGM. Williams left MGM in 1956 and appeared in a handful of unsuccessful feature films, followed by several extremely popular water-themed television specials, including one from Cypress Gardens, Florida.Williams was also a successful businesswoman. Even before retiring as an actress, she invested in a "service station, a metal products plant, a manufacturer of bathing suits, various properties and a successful restaurant chain known as Trails." She lent her name to a line of swimming pools and retro swimwear, instructional swimming videos for children, and served as a commentator for synchronized swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. | Full Name | Esther Williams |
| Date Of Birth | August 8, 1921 |
| Died | 2013-06-06 |
| Place Of Birth | Inglewood, California, USA |
| Height | 5' 8½" (1.74 m) |
| Profession | Actress, Soundtrack, Writer |
| Education | Los Angeles City College |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Leonard Kovner (divorced) |
| Children | Susan Gage, Kimball Gage, Benjamin Gage |
| Parents | Bula Myrtle, Louis Stanton Williams |
| Siblings | Stanton Williams, Maurine Williams, June Williams, David Williams |
| Awards | Golden Globe Henrietta Award for World Film Favorites, Golden Globe Hollywood Citizenship Award |
| Movies | Bathing Beauty, Million Dollar Mermaid, Dangerous When Wet, Neptune's Daughter, On an Island with You, Pagan Love Song, Easy to Love, Jupiter's Darling, Thrill of a Romance, Easy to Wed, Andy Hardy's Double Life, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, This Time for Keeps, Duchess of Idaho, The Unguarded Mome... |
| TV Shows | MGM: When the Lion Roars, The Big Party |
| Star Sign | Leo |
| # | Trademark |
|---|---|
| 1 | Being an acclaimed swimming champion, her films usually had elaborate dance sequences involving swimming. |
| Title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Raw Wind in Eden (1958) | $250,000 |
| The Unguarded Moment (1956) | $200,000 |
| # | Quote |
|---|---|
| 1 | Esther Williams did more for a bathing suit than John Wayne ever did for a cowboy hat, Tom Mix for a horse, Errol Flynn for a sword, Ronald Colman for a pith helmet, or Cary Grant for a tuxedo. -- Jim Murray, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, in a 1984 article. |
| 2 | My life was of no importance to him at all. The shot was the thing. -- EW, speaking of Busby Berkeley while recalling a dangerous water-skiing shoot at Cypress Gardens, Florida. |
| 3 | [as a young player to the MGM boss who had scolded her] Mr. Mayer, please don't yell at me. You can make movies, but you can't get to the end of the pool first. So you can't yell at me 'til you can. |
| 4 | [on her marriage to Fernando Lamas] A really terrific guy comes along and says, 'I wish you'd stay at home and be my wife', and that's the most logical thing in the world for a Latin. And I loved being a Latin wife - you get treated very well. |
| 5 | I've been a lucky lady. I've had three exciting careers. Before films I had the experience of competitive swimming, with the incredible fun of winning. I had a movie career with all the glamor that goes with it. That was ego-fulfilling, but it was like the meringue on the pie. My marriage with Fernando - that was the filling, that was the apple in the pie. |
| 6 | When I first started swimming, not many girls participated in the sport. They either didn't want to get their hair wet or wanted to go out on Friday nights instead of going to a meet. But as a result of the popularity of the water ballet, pretty girls began to swim. |
| 7 | MGM made money off me, but they never understood the art form. Not until the fifth picture did I even get a choreographer. |
| 8 | [in 2003] I was just a swimmer who got lucky. |
| 9 | [International Swimming Hall of Fame] If swimming would make his daughter grow up to look like Esther Williams, then father was willing to pay for the lessons. |
| 10 | The popular "Andy Hardy" series movies were MGM's tests for its promising stars such as Judy Garland, Lana Turner and Donna Reed. If you didn't make it in those pictures, you were never heard from again. |
| 11 | I don't know to this day how I managed to fit into those bathing suits when I was pregnant, but I did. |
| 12 | No one had ever done a swimming movie before so we just made it up as we went along. I ad-libbed all my own underwater movements. |
| 13 | All they ever did for me at MGM was change my leading man and the water in my pool. |
| 14 | I was called America's mermaid, because it appeared that I could stay underwater indefinitely. |
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Miscarried what would have been her 1st child with 2nd husband Ben Gage in September 1946 at 4 months pregnant. |
| 2 | Longtime best friend of Jane Wyman. |
| 3 | She was very good friends with: Angela Lansbury, Jane Wyman, Arlene Dahl, Fernando Lamas, Ann Miller, Ben Gage, Howard Keel, Virginia Mayo, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse, Keenan Wynn, Lena Horne, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Ricardo Montalban, Kirk Douglas, Tippi Hedren, Carol Channing, Betty Garrett, Elaine Kaufman, June Allyson, Margaret O'Brien, Ann Rutherford, Abby Dalton, Ruta Lee, Cesar Romero, Cora Sue Collins, Ann Blyth, Donna Reed, Ann Sothern, Leon Ames, Gloria DeHaven, Jimmy Durante, Ginger Rogers, Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Mario Lanza, Alexis Smith, Ava Gardner, Katharine Hepburn, Gene Kelly, Jeanette MacDonald, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney and Robert Mitchum. |
| 4 | "Ziegfeld Girl" is Williams' favorite film. |
| 5 | Upon her death, she was cremated and her ashes scattered at sea in the Pacific Ocean. |
| 6 | Looking back, Esther claimed that the water was her favorite co-star. When she discovered her talent in swimming, she practiced dutifully in the ocean to gather strength and eventually won a spot on the prestigious Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. She started gaining notice after appearing in aquatic revues, occasionally opposite such swimming notables as actor and Olympic swimming champion Johnny Weissmuller. |
| 7 | Aquatic filming had its dangers according to Esther. She once broke three neck vertebrae in a dive; suffered several broken eardrums over the years; nearly drowned once when she couldn't find an underwater trapdoor exit; was almost mutilated by an out-of-control outrigger; and was nearly overcome by waves created by a camera boat that came within inches of her water skis while shooting (pregnant) a scene in Cypress Gardens, Florida. |
| 8 | Esther was the youngest of five children. Claiming that her oldest sister, Maurine, was more of a mother to her while growing up, it was Maurine who became her first swimming coach. Esther later stated that her mother, Bula, tried "to get rid of me" while pregnant by purposefully going horseback riding and by once jumping off a chest of drawers. |
| 9 | Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, as a contributor, in 1966. |
| 10 | MGM's Louis B. Mayer claims he pursued Esther as an answer to 20th Century Fox's box office ice-skating film star Sonja Henie. Esther won her contract after making a screen test with Clark Gable. |
| 11 | Once worked as a stock girl for I. Magnin in Los Angeles. |
| 12 | She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960. |
| 13 | She was a strong supporter of the Republican party. She appeared with Virginia Mayo at the 1953 Republican Rally and in past presidential elections she endorsed Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney. |
| 14 | She was a member of the Unity Church. |
| 15 | Esther Williams was an advisor to the International Olympic Committee at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles for the new sport of Synchronized Swimming. |
| 16 | Was the national champion in the 100 meter freestyle and was a favorite to make the 1940 Olympic team. Unfortunately, she missed her opportunity due to the outbreak of World War II. |
| 17 | She had two grandchildren, Austin and Erin, from her son Ben. She has a grandson, Thomas, from her daughter Susie. |
| 18 | Her son, Kim, was injured in a motorcycle accident. Both of his legs were shattered and he had to relearn how to walk. |
| 19 | Three stepchildren, from Lamas: Cristina, Alexandra "Alex" and Lorenzo. |
| 20 | Her son Kimball Austin died at age 57 in May 2008. |
| 21 | Stepmother of Lorenzo Lamas. |
| 22 | Grandstepmother of Shayne Lamas and A.J. Lamas. |
| 23 | In Italy, all her films were dubbed by Dhia Cristiani, except Raw Wind in Eden (1958) where the talented Andreina Pagnani lent her voice to Williams. |
| 24 | She was offered roles in both The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974) by Irwin Allen. She turned down both. |
| 25 | Youngest of five children. The others were Stanton, June, Maurine and David. |
| 26 | Born in Los Angeles, Esther was the youngest of five children. Her family had come to Los Angeles from Salt Lake City, where her older brother Stanton Williams was "discovered" by actress Marjorie Rambeau and brought to Hollywood for films. Stanton, who was born in Salt Lake City, died suddenly at age 16 when he developed intestinal blockage and his colon burst. |
| 27 | Second husband was singer/actor Ben Gage, a "Big Band" vocalist who dubbed Victor Mature, George Montgomery, Dana Andrews and Cornel Wilde in various musical films. They had three children. |
| 28 | Was inducted into the Swimming Pool Hall of Fame in 1967. |
| 29 | Received her first screen kiss by Mickey Rooney in Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942). |
| 30 | Met first husband Leonard Kovner while a student at the University of Southern California. He was a premed student. |
| 31 | She and teammate Virginia Hopkins were to take part in the 1940 Olympics, which was canceled due to World War II. |
| 32 | Her first job was at age 8 at a local Inglewood, California neighborhood school's swimming pool counting towels. |
| 33 | Longtime friend of June Allyson. |
| 34 | Before her stint in MGM musicals, she had been training as a competitive swimmer, and probably would've participated in the 1940 and/or 1944 Olympics (she would've been 18 and 22 years old respectively) if they hadn't been canceled because of World War II. |
| 35 | She lent her name to a brand of swimming pools that are still sold today, Esther Williams Pools. |
| 36 | Met fourth and last husband, Edward Bell, at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. |
| 37 | A mother of three children, two sons and one daughter. Benjamin Stanton "Ben" Gage was born on August 6, 1949. Second son, Kimball was born on October 30, 1950. And only daughter, Susan Tenney "Susie" Gage was born on October 1, 1953. |
| 38 | Co-producing Aquaria, a Las Vegas water spectacle set to open in 2003. [2002] |
| 39 | Her movie career played a major role in the promotion of competitive and synchronized swimming, which she is credited with popularizing. |
| 40 | Filed a lawsuit against MGM for use of some footage in That's Entertainment! (1974). |
| 41 | In the 1950s, she was known as "America's Mermaid". |
| 42 | Younger sister of Stanton Williams. |
| 43 | Excerpts from her 1999 autobiography in major American magazines revealed that her one-time lover, actor Jeff Chandler, was obsessed about dressing in women's clothing. Williams' revelations about Chandler angered many readers. The book also revealed Williams took LSD under a doctor's supervision, after Cary Grant recommended it. |
Actress
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Fountain | 1963 | Hyacinth Tower | |
| The Big Show | 1961 | Hillary Allen | |
| Zane Grey Theater | 1960 | TV Series | Sarah Harmon |
| The Donna Reed Show | 1960 | TV Series | Molly |
| Raw Wind in Eden | 1958 | Laura | |
| Lux Video Theatre | 1957 | TV Series | Vicki |
| The Unguarded Moment | 1956 | Lois Conway | |
| Jupiter's Darling | 1955 | Amytis | |
| Easy to Love | 1953 | Julie Hallerton | |
| Dangerous When Wet | 1953 | Katie Higgins | |
| Million Dollar Mermaid | 1952 | Annette Kellerman | |
| Skirts Ahoy! | 1952 | Whitney Young | |
| Callaway Went Thataway | 1951 | Esther Williams (uncredited) | |
| Texas Carnival | 1951 | Debbie Telford | |
| Pagan Love Song | 1950 | Mimi Bennett | |
| Duchess of Idaho | 1950 | Christine Riverton Duncan | |
| Neptune's Daughter | 1949 | Eve Barrett | |
| Take Me Out to the Ball Game | 1949 | K.C. Higgins | |
| On an Island with You | 1948 | Rosalind Rennolds | |
| This Time for Keeps | 1947 | Leonora 'Nora' Cambaretti | |
| Fiesta | 1947 | Maria Morales | |
| Till the Clouds Roll By | 1946 | Esther Williams (uncredited) | |
| Easy to Wed | 1946 | Connie Allenbury Chandler | |
| The Hoodlum Saint | 1946 | Kay Lorrison | |
| Ziegfeld Follies | 1945 | Esther Williams ('A Water Ballet') | |
| Thrill of a Romance | 1945 | Cynthia Glenn | |
| Bathing Beauty | 1944 | Caroline Brooks | |
| A Guy Named Joe | 1943 | Ellen Bright | |
| Inflation | 1942 | Short | Mrs. Smith |
| Personalities | 1942 | Short | Sheila Brooks (screen test footage) (uncredited) |
| Andy Hardy's Double Life | 1942 | Sheila Brooks |
Soundtrack
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| That's Entertainment! III | 1994 | Documentary performer: "Ten Percent Off" 1947 - uncredited | |
| That's Entertainment, Part II | 1976 | Documentary performer: "Water Ski Ballet" 1953 - uncredited | |
| Raw Wind in Eden | 1958 | performer: "THE MAGIC TOUCH" | |
| Jupiter's Darling | 1955 | performer: "I Had A Dream" | |
| Easy to Love | 1953 | performer: "That's What a Rainy Day Is For" | |
| Dangerous When Wet | 1953 | performer: "Ain't Nature Grand", "I Got Out Of Bed on the Right Side" | |
| Skirts Ahoy! | 1952 | "The Navy Waltz", uncredited / performer: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "What Good Is a Gal? Without a Guy?", "What Makes a Wave?", "We Will Fight" - uncredited | |
| Pagan Love Song | 1950 | "The House of Singing Bamboo", "Singing in the Sun", uncredited / performer: "Pagan Love Song", "The Sea of the Moon" - uncredited | |
| Neptune's Daughter | 1949 | performer: "Baby, It's Cold Outside" | |
| Take Me Out to the Ball Game | 1949 | "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" / performer: "Strictly U.S.A." - uncredited | |
| On an Island with You | 1948 | "All Aboard", uncredited | |
| Easy to Wed | 1946 | performer: "Acercate más" Come Closer To Me, "Bonecu de Pixe" |
Writer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athena | 1954 | uncredited |
Thanks
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edición Especial Coleccionista | 2013 | TV Series in memory of - 1 episode |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Legenden | 2004 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| The 100 Greatest Musicals | 2003 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration | 2001 | TV Special documentary | Herself |
| Parkinson | 2000 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Rosie O'Donnell Show | 1999 | TV Series | Herself |
| Glorious Technicolor | 1998 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| Biography | 1995-1998 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof | 1998 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| Private Screenings | 1996 | TV Series | Herself |
| Pebble Mill at One | 1996 | TV Series | |
| That's Entertainment III: Behind the Screen | 1994 | Video documentary | Herself |
| That's Entertainment! III | 1994 | Documentary | Herself - Co-Host / Narrator |
| Golden Globes 50th Anniversary Celebration | 1994 | TV Movie | Herself |
| Querida Concha | 1993 | TV Series | Herself |
| This Is Your Life | 1993 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Vicki! | 1993 | TV Series | Herself |
| MGM: When the Lion Roars | 1992 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Herself |
| Stars and Stripes: Hollywood and World War II | 1991 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| One on One with John Tesh | 1991 | TV Series | Herself |
| Burt Reynolds' Conversation With | 1991 | TV Series | Herself (1991) |
| The 48th Annual Golden Globe Awards | 1991 | TV Special | Herself - Presenter |
| The Geraldo Rivera Show | 1990 | TV Series | Herself |
| The 35th Annual Thalians Gala | 1990 | TV Movie | Herself |
| 7th Annual American Cinema Awards | 1990 | TV Special | Herself |
| Más estrellas que en el cielo | 1989 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Télé Caroline | 1988 | TV Series | Herself |
| Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood | 1987 | TV Special documentary | Herself |
| The 58th Annual Academy Awards | 1986 | TV Special | Herself - Performer |
| All-Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan | 1985 | TV Special | Herself |
| Night of 100 Stars II | 1985 | TV Movie | Herself |
| Hollywood '84 | 1984 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Herself |
| AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Bette Davis | 1977 | TV Special documentary | Herself (uncredited) |
| The Mike Douglas Show | 1973 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Bob Hope Show | 1961 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The Annual National Sports Awards | 1961 | TV Special | Herself - Presenter |
| The National Sports Awards | 1961 | TV Special | Herself - Presenter |
| Person to Person | 1955-1960 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Esther Williams at Cypress Gardens | 1960 | TV Movie | Herself |
| The Big Party | 1959 | TV Series | Herself |
| What's My Line? | 1955-1959 | TV Series | Herself - Mystery Guest / Herself - Guest Panelist |
| I've Got a Secret | 1959 | TV Series | Herself - Guest Panelist |
| The Steve Allen Plymouth Show | 1957-1959 | TV Series | Herself - Swimmer |
| The Garry Moore Show | 1958 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | 1954-1958 | TV Series | Herself / Herself - Guest Host |
| Omnibus | 1955-1958 | TV Series | Herself |
| You Asked for It | 1958 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | 1957 | TV Series | Herself |
| Film Fanfare | 1956 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Esther Williams Aqua Spectacle | 1956 | TV Movie | Herself - Host |
| Texaco Star Theatre | 1955-1956 | TV Series | Herself - Actress / Herself |
| The Jimmy Durante Show | 1956 | TV Series | Herself |
| 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration | 1955 | Short documentary | Herself (uncredited) |
| The 26th Annual Academy Awards | 1954 | TV Special | Herself - Presenter: Best Film Editing |
| Screen Actors | 1950 | Documentary short | Herself (uncredited) |
| Sucker Bait | 1943 | Documentary short | Secretary - Spy |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listen to Me Marlon | 2015 | Documentary | Herself (uncredited) |
| The 86th Annual Academy Awards | 2014 | TV Special | Herself - Actress (In Memoriam) |
| The EE British Academy Film Awards | 2014 | TV Special | Herself - Memorial Tribute |
| 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2014 | TV Special | Herself - In Memoriam |
| Imprescindibles | 2011 | TV Series | Herself |
| Rock Hudson: Dark and Handsome Stranger | 2010 | Documentary | Herself (uncredited) |
| Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing | 2009 | Video documentary | Herself |
| Tough Baby: Torch Song | 2008 | Video documentary short | Herself |
| The Pursuit of Excellence | 2007 | TV Series documentary | |
| Voces | 2006 | TV Series documentary | Eve Barrett |
| Love Find Andy Hardy Intro | 2004 | Video documentary short | Herself |
| Haunts of the Black Masseur | 2004 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| The Milton Berle Show: The Lost Elvis | 2003 | Video | Herself |
| The Original Mermaid | 2002 | Documentary | Herself |
| American Masters | 2002 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Inside the Dream Factory | 1995 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter | 1982 | TV Movie documentary | Actress - 'Bathing Beauty' (uncredited) |
| That's Entertainment, Part II | 1976 | Documentary | Clip from 'Easy to Love' |
| That's Entertainment! | 1974 | Clips from 'Bathing Beauty' & 'Million Dollar Mermaid' etc. | |
| The Dick Cavett Show | 1971 | TV Series | Herself |
| Andy Hardy Comes Home | 1958 | Sheila Brooks (in Clip from "Andy Hardy's Double Life") | |
| Screen Snapshots: Hollywood, City of Stars | 1956 | Documentary short | Herself (uncredited) |
| MGM Parade | 1956 | TV Series | Herself - Water Ballerina in 'Ziegfeld Follies' |
| The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Story | 1951 | Documentary | |
| The Costume Designer | 1950 | Short | Herself |
| Some of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership | 1949 | Documentary short | Herself (uncredited) |
| Parade of Aquatic Champions | 1945 | Short | Esther Williams |
Won Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Star on the Walk of Fame | Walk of Fame | Motion Picture | On 8 February 1960. At 1560 Vine Street. |
| 1956 | Hollywood Citizenship Award | Golden Globes, USA | ||
| 1953 | Sour Apple | Golden Apple Awards | Least Cooperative Actress | |
| 1952 | Henrietta Award | Golden Globes, USA | World Film Favorite | |
| 1951 | Sour Apple | Golden Apple Awards | Least Cooperative Actress |
2nd Place Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Bambi | Bambi Awards | Best Actress - International | Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) |
| 1952 | Bambi | Bambi Awards | Best Actress - International | Neptune's Daughter (1949) |
Known for movies
Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)
as K.C. Higgins
Neptune's Daughter (1949)
as Eve Barrett
Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
as Annette Kellerman
On an Island with You (1948)
as Rosalind Rennolds