How Kim Cattrall Achieved a Net Worth of $40 Million

Back in 1975, a young Kim Cattrall made her film debut in “Rosebud,” a gritty action thriller directed by Otto Preminger. The movie didn’t go anywhere. Cattrall’s career, on the other hand, most definitely did. Now aged 65 years old, she’s appeared in a plethora of movies, TV shows, and stage productions, from “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” and “Police Academy” to “Sensitive Skin” and “Sex and the City.” Not every part has been huge and not every show has won plaudits, but enough have to land her with a very impressive resume as an actress and an equally impressive fortune. Obviously, we don’t have access to her bank accounts details or credit card statements, but if Celebrity Net Worth’s estimates are correct, Cattrall is currently worth a phenomenal $40 million. So, how exactly did she do it?

Early Career

Cattrall was born in August 1961 in Liverpool in the UK. When she was three months old, her family emigrated to British Columbia, Canada. After high school, Cattrall moved to New York City to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After graduating, she landed a five-year film deal with director Otto Preminger. In 1975, she made her film debut in Preminger’s “Rosebud.” The film didn’t get much attention, but Cattrall’s performance did – a year later, Universal Studios bought out the contract and Cattrall became one of the last ever contract players at Universal. After that, she made numerous appearances on TV as a guest star, with some of her most notable roles coming in “Quincy, M.E.,” “Logan’s Run,” “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries,” “Charlie’s Angels,” and “Scruples.” Over the next decade, she continued to build her TV portfolio while also developing her film career. Some of her biggest roles from this time came in the action film “Big Trouble in Little China,” the Oscar-nominated “Tribute” alongside Jack Lemmon, “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, “Porky’s,” and the original “Police Academy.”

Sex and the City

By 1997, Cattrall had established herself as a respected film, TV, and stage star. She wasn’t however, a household name… yet. In 1997, that all changed when she was cast in the HBO series “Sex and the City” as Samantha Jones. The series, which was created by Darren Jones as an adaptation of Candace Bushnell’s 1997 book of the same name, premiered in June 1998 and ran for 94 episodes over six seasons. Starring Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, Cattrall as Samantha Jones, Kristin Davis as Charlotte York, and Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes, it tacked fashion, feminity, friendship, and romance in a way that hadn’t been done before, and which instantly struck a chord with viewers. During its original run, it was nominated for 54 Emmy Award nominations (winning seven), 24 Golden Globes (winning eight), and 11 Screen Actors Guild Awards (winning three). Since the series came to an end, it’s spawned two movies (“Sex and the City” and “Sex and the City 2”) along with a prequel TV series, “The Carrie Diaries.” Cattrall’s contribution to the series earned her five Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe nominations. It also earned her the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2008 Cosmopolitan UK Ultimate Women Of The Year Awards and the NBC Universal Canada Award of Distinction at the 2008 Banff World TV Festival. However, while the series may have won her accolades, it certainly didn’t win her friends. Since the series ended, Cattrall has made no secret of his dislike for co-star Sarah Jessica Parker. When the news broke that “Sex and the City” would be returning in 2021, it was confirmed that Cattrall would not be reprising her role as Samantha.

Sex and the City Earnings

Cattrall might not be returning to our screens as Samantha anytime soon, but ultimately, she doesn’t really need to. According to the calculations of stylecaster.com, she’s already made enough from the series to keep her in champagne and caviar for life. Although it’s not clear what she was earning at the start of the show, by the time it ended, she’d been making a whopping $350,000 per episode for the show’s final three seasons. For the 20 episodes of the final season alone, she pocketed $7 million. It might be small fry compared to the $64 million Sarah Jesica Parker is rumored to have made for the same season, but it’s still more than enough to make the rest of us a little green around the gills. As for the “Sex and the City” films, celebrity.nine.com.au claims Cattrall pulled in a very respectable $7 million for the first and $10 million for the second. Again, Parker earned a lot more – $15 million for the first and $20 million for the second – but Cattrall did manage to beat both Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis on the salary front, with both co-stars earning a comparatively paltry $3 million for the first film and $4 million for the second.

Other Projects

Since leaving “Sex and the City,” Cattrall’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Some of the highlights from her post SATC career include her portrayal of Tina Harwood in the 2009 Disney film “Ice Princess,” her star turn alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Carey Mulligan in “My Boy Jack,” her role as Amelia Bly in Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer,” and as Davina Jackson in HBO Canada’s “Sensitive Skin,” which she also executive produced. She’s also built a hugely impressive portfolio of stage work, appearing as Amanda in a production of Noël Coward’s “Private Lives” in Toronto and on Broadway (for which she received a Drama League Award nomination), and in Olivier Award-winner Marianne Elliott’s production of Tennessee Williams’s “Sweet Bird of Youth” at the Old Vic. Most recently, she appeared alongside Robert De Niro in the comedy film “About My Father.”

Summing Up

How did Kim Cattrall achieve a net worth of $40 million? Four little words… “Sex and the City.” Sure, she’d been acting for years beforehand, but this was the series that catapulted her into the big time. It also paid $350,000 an episode, which isn’t exactly a bad payday, all things considered.