Donna Reed was born on the 27th January 1921 in Denison, Iowa USA, and was an actress. Films like “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1945), “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) and “From Here to Eternity” (1953) made her famous. Reed was active in the entertainment industry from 1941 to 1985. She passed away in 1986.
How rich was the actress? It has been estimated by authoritative sources that the overall size of Donna Reed’s net worth was as much as $10 million, converted to the present day. Films and television were the main sources of Reed’s wealth.
Donna Reed Net Worth $10 Million
To begin with, the girl was raised in Denison, the eldest of five children. Her election as Queen of the Campus at the high school made the headlines of the Los Angeles Times. Her beauty attracted the attention of many agents and studio managers, and soon, the beautiful actress started her career.
The agency Feldman Blum hired the young Donna Reed and signed her to a contract. She made a remarkable debut in cinema in 1941 with supporting roles in the thriller “Shadow of the Thin Man” with William Powell and Myrna Loy, and in the musical “Babes” on Broadway featuring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Shortly after, she landed important roles in mainstream films, such as “Calling Dr. Gillespie” (1942) and “See Here, Private Hargrove” (1944). In 1945, she portrayed Gladys Hallward in the film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, which was a box office success despite mixed reviews. After several years at MGM Studios, Reed starred in Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), which became one of the favourites on American television at Christmas, and was also a box office hit. The actress kept quiet for several years, however, she made a starring comeback when she was chosen for the important role of Alma, the prostitute in the film “From Here to Eternity” (1953). Featuring talented actors such as Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr and Frank Sinatra, the film won 8 Oscars, including for the Best Supporting Actress – Donna Reed. Afterwards, the actress starred with Elizabeth Taylor in the film “The Last Time I Saw Paris” (1954) directed by Richard Brooks, then appeared in the blockbuster “Far Horizons” (1955). From 1958 to 1966, she played the leading role in the popular family series “The Donna Reed Show”, and in 1963 she won the Golden Globe Award as the Best Female TV Star. She was also nominated four times for an Emmy Award, but could never win. In 1984, she took on her last role of Miss Ellie in the popular soap opera “Dallas”, but was replaced by Barbara Bel Geddes the next season, and settled for a payment of $1 million in recompense.
Finally, in the personal life of the actress, Reed married William Tuttle in 1943 and they divorced two years later. In 1945, she married Tony Owen and had four children with him – the oldest two were adopted. After 26 years of marriage, the couple broke up in 1971. Three years later, she married retired US Army Colonel Grover W. Asmus, and they were together until she died of pancreatic cancer on the 14th January 1986, in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles – the cancer was diagnosed three months before her death. Reed is buried in the cemetery of Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
