Kevin Costner Net Worth 2024: Yellowstone’s Star and His $400 Million Fortune

Kevin Costner, the American actor with a career spanning from Dances With Wolves to Yellowstone across four decades, has amassed an incredible fortune over the years.

In 2024, Kevin Costner’s net worth is estimated at $400 million.

The famous Yellowstone actor has recently been in the spotlight after he spent $100 million of his own fortune to produce a Western movie saga. He is paying thousands of dollars in child support and still lives a lavish life, owning a fortune in real estate holdings and other assets.

In addition to being an actor, Kevin Costner is also a film director and entrepreneur. In this article, we’ll explore his story and success, as well as the main sources of his incredible wealth.

Kevin Costner’s Net Worth: Full Breakdown

Before Costner’s divorce from his wife Christine Baumgartner, most sources online listed his net worth in the range of $200 million or so. However, during the divorce proceedings, it was reported that the actor was significantly wealthier.

Based on our research of his assets, earnings, as well as expenses related to the divorce settlement, we’ve estimated Kevin Costner’s net worth at around $400 million.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of his main assets and sources of income:

6 Fun Facts About Kevin Costner

1. Early Life: Born in Lynwood, California, in 1955.
2. Breakthrough Role: Gained fame with Dances with Wolves in 1990.
3. Yellowstone: Starred in and produced the hit TV series Yellowstone.
4. Music Career: Leads the country rock band Kevin Costner & Modern West.
5. Real Estate: Owns a massive ranch in Aspen, Colorado.
6. Directorial Success: Won an Academy Award for Best Director for Dances with Wolves.

Latest News & Controversies

Kevin Costner has recently been in the spotlight due to both personal and professional developments.

• Divorce Finalization and Child Support: Costner finalized his highly publicized divorce from Christine Baumgartner in early 2024, after a contentious legal battle. The divorce became a major talking point, with Baumgartner initially seeking $248,000 per month in child support, but the court ruled that Costner should pay $63,209 per month. Despite the financial disputes, Costner expressed feeling “broken” but determined to push forward, particularly in his career and responsibilities towards his children​.
• Horizon: An American Saga: On the professional front, Costner has heavily invested in his passion project, Horizon: An American Saga, a multi-part Western saga. He spent nearly $20 million of his own money on the project and even took a $100 million mortgage on one of his properties to fund the series. Despite production delays due to industry strikes, the first chapter premiered in mid-2024, and the second installment is set to debut at the 2024 Venice Film Festival​.
• Yellowstone Departure: Costner’s exit from Yellowstone after a five-season run continues to stir controversy. His decision to leave before the conclusion of the series shocked fans, especially since he had become the face of the hit TV show. The departure coincided with his focus on Horizon, and while there were rumors of tensions on set, Costner hasn’t officially confirmed the reasons for leaving​.

Kevin Costner’s Early Life and Education

Kevin Michael Costner was born on January 18, 1955, in Lynwood, California.

His parents were William Costner, an electrician and utilities executive, and Sharon Costner, a welfare worker. The family had three boys, but the second died at birth.

When Kevin Costner was a child, the family moved to Compton, California, where he spent most of his childhood. In school, he was athletically inclined, playing sports such as football. He also took piano lessons, sang in the First Baptist Choir, and wrote poetry during his childhood.

Because of the father’s career, the Costner family moved around often, mostly throughout California during Kevin’s teenage years. He studied at Mt. Whitney High School and then Villa Park High School, where he graduated in 1973.

Following his high school education, Costner enrolled at California State University in Fullerton where he obtained his BA degree in Marketing and Finance in 1978.

Despite his educational choices and academic background, Kevin Costner found his passion in acting. Straight after college, he started chasing his secret dream to become an actor, inspired by an encounter with Richard Burton. He met Burton in 1978 when he was on an airplane returning from his honeymoon.

He would later state that Burton had encouraged him to pursue an acting career.

At this point, Costner started taking acting classes and going to auditions, supporting himself through working odd jobs for several years.

Personal Life

While he was still in college in 1975, Kevin Costner met Cindy Silva, whom he married three years later. The couple had two daughters and a son but divorced in 1994 after 16 years of marriage. The reason for the divorce was reportedly Costner’s affair while on the set of Waterworld.

The divorce settlement with Cindy Silva cost Costner $80 million, which made a large dent in the actor’s net worth at the time.

Following his divorce, Costner dated Bridget Rooney, the future wife of Bill Koch. He has a son with Rooney, who was born in 1996.

After several more relationships, he married Christine Baumgartner, the model and handbag designer who he dated for four years. The wedding took place at Costner’s Aspen Ranch in September 2004 and three years later, the couple had their first child.

Costner has three children with Christine Baumgartner, two sons and a daughter.

He remained married to her until 2023 when Baumgartner filed for divorce, which was finalized in February 2024. Since the couple had a prenuptial agreement, Christine Baumgartner didn’t request spousal support – at least initially.

However, in June 2023, Christine Baumgartner filed a request for monthly support, requesting $248,000.

The filing made during the divorce revealed that Kevin Costner is wealthier than many assumed. Baumgartner’s documents showed that the actor earned $19.5 million in 2023 and that the family’s total expenses reached $6.6 million. Additionally, the filing stated they spent $2 million each year to manage their real estate holdings.

In the filing, it was also shown that Costner made $18,517,064 in 2022.

After a very public, very bitter legal battle, Costner and Baumgartner finally settled the divorce. While the details haven’t been publicly confirmed, reports suggest that Baumgartner wasn’t able to challenge the terms of the prenuptial agreement without having to pay a penalty of over $1 million.

The prenuptial agreement was reportedly set at $1 million, but the former model most likely received significantly more as part of the settlement.

After Costner’s victory in court in September 2023, the judge agreed that he should only have to pay his former wife $63,209 a month in child support, which, while it is still quite a lot, is drastically less than what Baumgartner requested.

Kevin Costner Net Worth: How a Finance Graduate Became a World-Famous Actor

When Costner graduated from college, he quickly started work as a marketing executive. However, he began taking acting lessons five nights a week at the same time, so his marketing job didn’t last longer than a month.

To be able to develop his acting skills, Costner started taking odd jobs such as truck driving, giving tours of Hollywood homes owned by movie stars, and working on fishing boats.

Beginnings of Costner’s Acting Career

In 1981, Costner made his film debut in Sizzle Beach, U.S.A. The movie was filmed in 1978 and was finally released in 1981. Many list The Touch as Costner’s debut since it was released in 1983, while Sizzle Beach was re-released three years later.

In 1982, Costner also played a role in Night Shift, though a minor one, as Frat Boy #1.

A year later, he appeared in the Apple Lisa commercial and the nuclear holocaust film Testament. Even though he was cast in The Big Chill, the scenes he appeared in were eventually removed from the final cut.

However, he was promised a role in a different project. That project came in 1985 when the actor played in Silverado, a role many consider his breakout role.

Rise to Stardom and Commercial Success

In 1985, Costner also starred in a special episode of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories and he took on roles in American Flyers and Fandango. However, his movie star status didn’t really come about until 1987, when he was selected to play Eliot Ness in The Untouchables.

That same year, he also stood out in the film industry when he played the leading role in No Way Out.

Some other roles he took on in the following years included:

• Bill Durham (1988)
• Field of Dreams (1989)
• Dances with Wolves (1991) – produced by his production company Tig Productions, which he founded with producer Jim Wilson, winning seven Academy Awards of the 12 it was nominated for
• Revenge (1991)
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) – which he co-produced as well as starred in

Winning His First Golden Globe Award

In 1991, Costner also starred in JFK, the political thriller directed by Oliver Stone.

He took on the role of District Attorney Jim Garrison. The film led to controversy but achieved incredible commercial acclaim. This was the movie that brought Costner his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in Motion Picture Drama.

“As Garrison, Costner gives a measured yet passionate performance. Like a man who has hold of an idea he cannot let go, he forges ahead, insisting that there is more to the assassination than meets the eye,” critic Roger Ebert said of his performance.

Kevin Costner Becomes Globally Known Actor

In 1992, Costner starred opposite Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard, another movie that he co-produced.

The next year, he starred in A Perfect World, playing a criminal on the run.

In the following decade, Costner became a worldwide renowned actor and a highly respected film producer. He took on major roles in some highly profitable films, including:

• Wyatt Earp (1994), which he co-produced as well
• Tin Cup (1996)
• Message in a Bottle (1999)
• Thirteen Days (2000)
• Open Range (2003), which he directed and starred in
• The Upside of Anger (2005), for which he won the San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
• Rumour Has It (2005)
• The Guardian (2006)
• Mr. Brooks (2007)
• Swing Vote (2008)
• The Company Men (2010)

Even though the movies in this list brought him incredible fame, not all his acting endeavors were successful.

The War (1994), for instance, did not receive quite the commercial acclaim it expected to get, and Waterworld (1995) and The Postman (1997) were considered commercial disappointments. Waterworld even won five Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Actor.

At this time, he also developed Air Force One, but while he was supposed to play the lead role, he offered the project to Harrison Ford instead, to focus on finishing The Postman.

More Recent Roles and Successes

In 2008, Costner closed Tig Productions and created another production company instead, called Three House Films.

However, it would take him a couple of years to return to the director’s chair. In 2011, his comeback was with A Little War of Our Own, which he did at the same time as filming Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout.

In 2012, the actor appeared in the three-part miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, which premiered on the History Channel and broke a record when it pulled 13.9 million viewers. This role also earned him several prestigious awards including:

• Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
• Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries
• Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series

In 2013, Kevin Costner acted in the rebooted Man of Steel Superman movie, and he was chosen to play a role in Django Unchained, but this didn’t pan out due to scheduling conflicts.

The following year, he starred in the spy movie Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. This same year, he also starred in 3 Days to Kill and Draft Day, as well as Black or White (which he also produced).

Some other roles he took on at this time include:

• McFarland, USA (2015)
• Hidden Figures (2016)
• Molly’s Game (2017)
• The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019) – voiceover

In 2018, the actor and television producer started working on Yellowstone, his first regular TV series role. He is the producer and actor in the series, which still runs to this day.

In 2022, Costner started producing Horizon: An American Saga, which will be split into at least four films.

Earnings from Acting Career

According to Forbes, Costner earned $50 million back in 1991, largely from Dances with Wolves, the movie that won seven Academy Awards, including one for Best Picture.

For Waterworld, the actor reportedly earned $14 million, and for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, he earned $40 million.

The actor’s biggest known contract to date is for the acclaimed epic series Yellowstone.

Ahead of the series’ fifth season filming, he signed a new deal with Paramount, increasing his salary to $1.3 million per episode. The fifth season is scheduled to comprise 16 episodes and is set to bring him $20.8 million.

According to his contract, if the series continued filming and had a sixth season, his per-episode salary would have increased to $1.5 million ($24 million for the whole season). However, Costner recently announced that he is leaving Yellowstone.

Before signing the new deal, Costner reportedly took $500,000 an episode in season 1 and at least that same amount for the following three seasons.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Costner has spent $38 million of his own money on Horizon, the movie he directed, produced, and co-wrote. As for how much he made from it, this hasn’t been disclosed to the public yet.

To fund the project, he has taken a mortgage for $100 million on one of his properties.

The first chapter was released in June 2024 and only took $11 million on its first weekend. The second installment was due for cinematic release in mid-August 2024 but that has since been put on hold to allow audiences time to discover the first one.

 

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During the divorce proceedings between Costner and Christine Baumgartner, court filings disclosed that the actor earned an average of $1,308,920 per month for the 30 months ending in June 2023 (totaling nearly $40 million).

Awards and Accolades

As of this writing, Kevin Costner has won:

• Two Academy Awards, for Best Picture and Best Director for Dances with Wolves
• One Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor
• Three Golden Globe Awards for Dances with Wolves, Yellowstone, and Hatfields & McCoys
• Two Screen Actors Guild Awards

Other Investments and Assets of Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner might have made the bulk of his fortune from acting and producing, but this is not all he has invested in – or earned from over the years. Let’s take a look at what else contributes to Kevin’s finances.

Music Career

Costner is a singer and a member of a country rock band called Kevin Costner & Modern West. He founded his band nearly two decades ago and, in 2007, they began their worldwide tour, including shows in Rome and Istanbul.

Costner’s group is very successful, too. They have performed at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races (Daytona International Speedway), as well as at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

In 2008, the band released their first country album titled Untold Truths through Universal South Records. The album reached number 61 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

In 2009, the band went on another tour.

However, in August, when they were about to perform at the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alberta, a severe thunderstorm struck. This caused the stage to collapse and one person died from the incident. To raise money for the family of the woman killed, Costner auctioned a dinner with him for $41,000 and autographed a guitar to raise another $10,000.

In 2010, Costner’s band released their second album titled Turn It On, which was followed by another European tour.

Finally, their most recent album is Tales from Yellowstone, written by Costner and other writers and based on the TV series of the same name.

While we know that Costner earns money from his successful music career, the details of it haven’t been disclosed.

Business Ventures and Investments

Costner has been a long-term fan of sports and as such, he is even a partial owner of Zion, the independent baseball team in the North American League. His exact stake in the team is unknown.

In 1991, Costner invested in and opened the Midnight Star Casino and Restaurant in Deadwood. He fired Carla and Francis Caneva, the casino’s managers in 2004, but a judge ordered him to pay $6.1 million to buy them out as his business partners. Costner asked the South Dakota Supreme Court to re-examine this ruling since the partner had a 3.25% ownership and the casino wasn’t worth that much. He eventually won in court, but closed the casino in 2017 and sold it in 2020. He reportedly got $1.6 million from the sale.

Back in 1995, Costner acquired a stake in a company developing oil separation machines based on the patent he bought from the US government.

These machines weren’t of great commercial interest, at least not until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. When the incident occurred, BP took six of the machines from a company that Costner held a stake in called Ocean Therapy Solutions, for testing purposes in 2010. That same year, BP entered into a lease with the company to use 32 of their oil-water separation devices.

In 2004, Costner opened a $5 million attraction called Tatanka: The Story of the Bison, located a mile south of Deadwood in South Dakota. The attraction is an interactive center featuring food and beverage areas, offices, exhibits, retail, and a small theater.

Finally, in 2020, Costner co-founded Woody Sear’s audio entertainment travel app HearHere. He is an investor and podcast narrator of the app.

Authorship

Costner has dabbled in many industries to date. He is also an author, having published The Explorer’s Guild: A Passage to Shambhala in 2015 with John Baird, Rick Ross, and Stephen C. Meyer.

Real Estate

The wealthy actor owns an impressive portfolio of real estate, including:

• An Aspen property comprising three different homes that he combined into one. He rents this property for $30,000 a night. The home is worth around $80 million.
• A Carpinteria estate; over the years, Costner has pieced together an estate made of several side-by-side properties in Carpinteria, between Santa Barbara and Malibu. The home is reportedly worth $145 million.

What Can We Learn from Kevin Costner’s Story?

Kevin Costner’s journey from a finance graduate to a globally famous actor is a compelling story. This is a story of adaptability, perseverance, and most importantly, the pursuit of passion.

Despite his educational background in finance, Costner’s true calling emerged in acting.

He was courageous enough to pursue his passion despite financial instability over the years, as well as initial setbacks. This teaches us the importance of following one’s passion even if it means diverging from an expected career path – and even when it’s very difficult.

Costner’s career trajectory is a testament to the power of continuous growth.

From his modest acting beginnings in small roles to his breakthrough performances in Silverado and his stardom with Dances with Wolves, he is an example of how talent can lead to extraordinary success.

Furthermore, Costner’s ability to reinvent himself through various roles and projects, expanding his reach to producing in addition to acting, illustrates the importance of versatility in achieving long-term success in entertainment.

Over the years, the actor has shown a diversified approach to wealth accumulation. He’s amassed an impressive wealth through acting, but also production, business investments, music, and more. This teaches us the value of diversifying one’s investments and using multiple income streams to build your wealth.

Finally, Costner’s personal life and legal battles, including his two high-profile divorces and substantial divorce settlements, reveal the complex interplay between the personal and the professional.