How Eric Braeden Achieved a Net Worth of $25 Million

Eric Braeden is a German-American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless and 1997 film Titanic. We will discuss his film and TV career in detail. Eric had other interests before transitioning to acting. During the Second World War, he was an exceptional athlete who excelled in track-and-field events. According to ESPN, Eric helped his high school team win the National German Youth Championship.

After immigrating to the United States, he worked as a cowhand, translator, and lumber mill hand. In college, he and his friend Bob made a film, The Riverbusters. The duo looked for a distributor. Eric met an agent who considered him handsome with accented English. Since then, he has landed many acting roles. Thanks to his acting career, he became wealthy. Here are further details on how Eric Braeden achieved a net worth of $25 million.

Combat (1962-1967)

Combat was one of the longest-running World War 2 dramas. In the series, he played a German soldier. It focused on a front-line American infantry squad battling its way across Europe. The series was so popular that it was nominated for 3 Emmy awards. The series involved a lot of action, but its focus was on the human element of the events. This focus was necessary for people to understand how devastating the war was. If this series were made today, it would likely focus on explosions than a good story.

The Rat Patrol (1966-1968)

The series is about the battle between the Long Range Desert Group and the Nazis in North Africa. In the series, the actor played Nazi officer Hans Deitrich. Hans was written as a likable character and a hapless Wile E. Coyote who would never catch his enemies. When the first season was released, it instantly became a hit. According to Drunk TV, it became one of five ABC series to make it into the Nielsen Top Thirty.

Gunsmoke (1971-1974)

Eric steals the show with his portrayal of Carl Jaekel, a psychopath. Carl was married to Beth. A man insults Beth, which causes Carl to kill him. Carl ends up serving a jail term. While in prison, he plans to escape. In order to escape, he ends up killing two prisoners. He also manages to break out of prison with other inmates.

The Young and the Restless (1980-2022)

In this CBS’ longest-running daytime drama, he portrays Victor Newman. Victor was supposed to be a short-term character as part of a six-month storyline. However, the show’s creator, William Bell, was so impressed with Eric’s acting that he entered into a contract with him. Since then, the character became the main antagonist and antihero throughout the show’s run. He plays an unfaithful and abusive partner to his wife. Additionally, he refuses to let anyone get the better of him since he is a self-made man.

Thanks to the thespian’s appearance in this series, he has made a lot of money. According to Cheat Sheet, he earns $5,000 per episode. As the main character, he appears in nearly every episode, which further increases his net worth. He also enjoyed further success in 1998 when he won the Daytime Emmy Award for his role.

The Bold and the Beautiful (1999)

Eric’s character, Victor Newman, makes an appearance in this soap opera. His goal is to meet Brooke Logan to make Ridge Forrester jealous. Brooke persuades Victor to kiss her, which he does. Ridge sees them kissing and becomes infuriated. He only appears in four episodes of this show.

Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

In the movie, he plays Dr. Charles Forbin. Charles develops a computer system called Colossus. The system is supposed to protect his country against nuclear attacks. Soon, Colossus connects to a similar computer, Guardian. The computers begin engaging privately, which worries Charles. Charles decides to sever the connection. However, things turn ugly when Colossus threatens a nuclear attack. Critics overwhelmingly loved the film. One critic described it as full of humor and intelligence. The movie even managed to win the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films award in 1979.

Escape from the Planet of Apes (1971)

This is a prequel to “Planet of the Apes,” where three apes flee their world before it is destroyed. Eric plays Otto Hasslein, the main antagonist of the movie. His goal is to kill Zira and Cornelius, who are apes in military custody. After the apes escape from custody, Otto mounts a full-scale hunt on them. The movie did well at the box office. With a budget of $2.5 million, it made $12.3 million worldwide.

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977)

Herbie goes to Monte Carlo is a comedy and adventure film centered on race car driving. Eric plays Bruno von Stickle in the film. Bruno is a German driver with experience in the European Racing Circuit. His car is a powerful Porsche 917 clone, which makes him a force to reckon with.

Titanic (1997)

In the film, he plays the role of John Jacob Astor. John was an American real estate developer and the richest person on the ship. Additionally, he was a member of the prominent Astor family and served as the lieutenant colonel in the 1898 Spanish-American War. During the accident, the film does not show whether or not he dies. When the ship fills with water, he holds onto a post, and the movie changes scenes. Titanic is a movie you can consider one of the biggest success stories in box office history. According to Variety, it earned $600.7 million after being originally released. Moreover, it has generated $659 million with subsequent re releases.

Conclusion

Eric worked many jobs and eventually struck gold with acting. It all started as a simple film with his friend in college. His story illustrates the importance of putting yourself out there. Some people do not make an effort to market themselves. They hope that one day someone will notice them. Thanks to Eric’s drive, he landed a permanent role in a series that pays him much money.