Born Hugh Charles Krampe on the 19th April 1925 in Rochester, New York State USA, Hugh O’Brian was an award-winning actor and humanitarian, remembered for his roles as Wyatt Earp in the TV series “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp” (1955-1961), as Hugh Lombard in the film “Ten Little Indians” (1965), and as Granger in “Twins” (1988), among many other appearances. His career was active from 1948 until 2000. He passed away in 2016.
Have you ever wondered how rich Hugh O’Brian was at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources it has been estimated that O’Brian’s net worth was as high as $10 million, an amount earned through his successful career in the entertainment industry, during which he made more than 100 film and TV appearances.
Hugh O’Brian Net Worth $10 Million
Hugh was the son of Hugh John Krampe and his wife Edith Lillian (née Marks), and was of German, English and Scottish ancestry. Although born in Rochester, he and his family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1930, due to his father’s position at the Armstrong Cork Company. Four years later they moved to Chicago, Illinois, again because of his father’s promotion. He went to New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, and then transferred to Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri, where he excelled in football, wrestling, basketball and track. After high school matriculation, Hugh enrolled at the University of Cincinnati, however after only one semester he dropped out of studies and enlisted in the US Marine Corps after World War II started, and soon became the youngest Marine drill instructor at only 17 years old.
Having returned from the Marines, Hugh settled in Los Angeles and enrolled Yale University, studying to become a lawyer. However, at the time he was dating an actress and would often follow her on her classes and rehearsals, which led to Hugh reading lines of the “Home and Beauty” play for director Ida Lupino, after the lead actor didn’t show up. Eventually he became a replacement on stage and the play received rave reviews. The next thing was Hugh being signed by an agent, and changing the name from Hugh Krampe to Hugh O’Brien, his mother’s last name, however it was misspelled and he became Hugh O’Brian.
Ida Lupino then gave him a role in the drama “Never Fear” (1949), which marked the start of his professional career, as he signed a contract with the Universal Pictures. In the early ‘50s Hugh appeared in numerous films, mostly westerns, including “Vengeance Valley” (1951), “The Lawless Breed” (1952), “The Raiders” (1952), and the Golden Globe Award- winning “The Man from the Alamo” (1953), starring Glenn Ford, Julie Adams, and Chill Wills. Two years later, he made his breakthrough with the role of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp, in the TV series “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp” (1955-1961), which increased his net worth to a large degree. During his stint in the show, Hugh remained active in other endeavors, including a supporting role in the film “The Twinkle in God’s Eye” (1955) starring Mickey Rooney, and the lead role in the film “The Brass Legend” (1956), among several other one-time appearances in TV series, such as “Date with the Angels” (1957). Although he established himself for his roles in western films, from the start of the ‘60s, Hugh differed from his typecast character by appearing in such productions as “Feathertop” (1961), “Come Fly with Me” (1963), “Ten Little Indians” (1965), and “Wild Woman” in 1970.
Throughout the ‘70s he made several notable appearances all of which certainly increased his net worth, including in the thriller “Probe” (1972), then the Academy Award- nominated “The Shootist”, starring John Wayne and Lauren Bacall, “Game of Death” (1978), with the legendary Bruce Lee, among other appearances.
From the end of the ‘70s he started slowly to retreat from the acting scene, but still appeared in several productions such as the sci-fi comedy “Doin’ Time on Planet Earth”, and another comedy “Twins” (1988), starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. Before his full-retirement, Hugh featured as Wyatt Earp in several productions, including the TV series “Guns of Paradise” (1989), television films “The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw” (1991), “Wyatt Earp: Returns to Tombstone” (1994), all maintaining his net worth.
Regarding his personal life, he was married to Virginia Barber from 2006 until his death; this was his only marriage – the couple previously dated for 18 years. He has a son, which is a result of his relationship with photographer Adina Etkes. Hugh O’Brian passed away from natural causes at the age of 91 on the 5th September 2016, at his estate in Beverly Hills, California.
Hugh will also be remembered for his philanthropic endeavors; he started the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that focuses on establishing scholarships for disadvantaged high school children.
