Brooke Shields is a famous American actress, model, author, entrepreneur, and producer. She’s best known for her role in several controversial yet highly popular films, including Pretty Baby (1978) and The Blue Lagoon (1980).
Shields starred in several hit TV shows in the ‘80s and ‘90s, such as Jane the Virgin, Suddenly Susan, and Momma Named Me Sherriff.
So, with all that fame and success, how much is Brooke Shields’ net worth in 2024? What’s the story behind her career’s controversies? What is the actress doing now? As a long-time Shields fan, let me answer all your burning questions below!
What Is Brooke Shields’ Net Worth?
As of 2024, experts estimate Shields’ net worth to be around $40 million. Given her long history in the entertainment industry, Brooke Shield would easily be one of the wealthiest celebrities in Hollywood.
Brooke Shields’ tremendous wealth came from her acting career, modeling contracts, and businesses. She’s also an author, penning over six books, some of which talk about her life experiences as a child star.
The famous actress’s husband, Chris Henchy, also boasts a massive fortune as a film director and producer. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Shields’ husband has an accumulated wealth of $50 million.
What Is Brooke Shields Famous For?
Brooke Shields is an ‘80s superstar and household name known for controversial acting roles as a teenager. Her career was laden with sexuality and provocative ads beginning at a tender age, sparking both admiration and criticism from the public.
Early Life
Brooke Cristina Shields was born in Manhattan, New York City, on May 31, 1965. Her parents were Frank and Teri Shields, who unfortunately broke up a few months after her birth.
Due to the split, Shields grew up mostly with her doting, yet alcoholic, mother, Teri.
Resolved to make her only daughter a star, Teri decided to curate Shields’ career early on. At 11 months old, Shields would model for an Ivory soap advertisement.
Shield’s first gig opened up many opportunities. With her mother’s management, she landed considerable modeling jobs with famous brands, including Band-Aid and Colgate.
Acting Career & Controversies
At age 12, Shields landed her first break in the acting scene. She starred in Louis Malle’s highly controversial film Pretty Baby (1978), a role that would catapult her career, turning the teen into a pop culture icon.
In the movie, she is the daughter of a prostitute, forced into becoming a sex worker herself during the World War in New Orleans.
Despite winning prestigious awards and nominations, the movie received much backlash because of its sensitive subject matter.
Critics slammed the creators for allowing nude scenes with a child actor, and some countries banned the film from showing on the big screen.
Two years later, the 14-year-old Shields would appear in Christopher Atkins’ The Blue Lagoon (1980).
The coming-of-age Victorian film revolves around two young cousins stuck on a tropical island alone, facing significant physical and emotional changes of adolescence.
Without the restrictions of society and pressures from norms, the protagonists quickly fall in love. They’d discover loneliness and sexuality, forming a deep bond amidst the tragedy.
Owing to the movie’s taboo-breaking nature, the film received much love from the audience, earning over $48 million in the U.S., beating popular titles like The Shining and Raging Bull.
That said, controversies about Shields’ nude scenes in the movie quickly followed its success. Topless skinny dipping and fully nude scenes raised cries from conservative viewers.
Commenting on her past roles in an interview, Shields’ noted that “never again will a movie be made like that [The Blue Lagoon].” “It wouldn’t be allowed,” she added.
The critics of Shields’ work would often call out her mother, Teri, for allegedly profiting from the “sexualization and exploitation” of her daughter.
However, Brooke Shields would always defend Teri’s actions, saying that all she wanted to do as a child of a single parent was to protect her mother.
Modeling Career
Shields did a lot of modeling throughout her career, too, which would only blast her fame more than ever. She was one of the youngest models to appear in Vogue magazine at 14.
Flaunting her perfect brows, brunette curls, and refined features, the young superstar became the most recognizable face in the U.S., featuring in shampoo and toothpaste to fashion ads.
By 15, Shields signed a modeling and advertising contract with Calvin Klein for a new line of skinny jeans.
This time, the public would see a writhing Shields, appearing much older than her age, mouthing the iconic phrase: “You wanna know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.”
Calvin Klein’s ads with Shields were instantly banned from some national TV channels. The negative publicity only secured Shield’s supermodel position while simultaneously catapulting Calvin Klein’s fame.
Where Is Brooke Shields Now?
Shields has always been open to her struggles as a child superstar. In 2015, she wrote a bestselling book entitled There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me.
In the book, she recounted the complicated relationship between her young self and her alcoholic mother. It also talks about her professional exploits, brief relationship with the actor Liam Neeson, and first marriage to Andree Aggassi.
The former actress also recently produced a two-part documentary series that premiered on Hulu, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields.
Exploring topics of celebrity exploitation and sexualizing of women in American culture, Shields bravely faces the trauma she’d experienced in the industry.
Finally, Shields launched a lifestyle apparel brand for women aged 40 and beyond, Beginning Is Now, proving that in her 50s, Brooke Shields has no intention of quitting.
The ‘80s superstar is currently married to Chris Henchy. The couple met in 1999, two years after Shields’ divorce with Agassi, and tied the knot in 2001. Together, they had two beautiful daughters, Grier and Rowan.
Final Thoughts
The Brooke Shields of today likely won’t remember anything from when she wasn’t famous. Starting her career even before she could speak, you can say that she was born for the spotlight.
Brooke Shields never left the public eye growing up, appearing in over 100 films and TV series. Earning both recognition and criticism, her story is a series of ups and downs typical of every celebrity with a superstardom status.
Despite innumerable setbacks in her career as a young star, Shields remained on track, refusing to get derailed. Now, as a certified veteran in the Hollywood industry, Brooke Shields enjoys an iconic status among actresses.
Borrowing Shield’s words herself, “She did it, she pulled through.”
