Hans-Jörg Gudegas, was born on 3 April 1941 in Bredenbek, Germany of German ancestry and later emigrated to America. Known by his stage name Eric Braeden, he is an award-winning film and television actor perhaps best recognized for his roles in “The Young and the Restless”, in the science fiction film “Colossus: The Forbin Project” and romantic disaster film “Titanic”.
So how rich has Eric Braeden become after these years of working as a film and television actor? Sources estimate his current net worth to be $25 million.
Eric Braeden Net Worth $25 Million
Eric Braendon was 18 years old when he emigrated from Germany to America with a University of Montana scholarship. At the beginning of his acting career, Eric Braeden guest-starred in a great number of television shows: on the drama series “Twelve O’Clock High”, on the adventure series “The Rat Patrol” and many more. Interestingly, in order to appear in the science fiction film “Colossus: The Forbin Project” (1966), he had to choose an American stage name – Eric Braedon. In 1971, he played one of the main roles in the science fiction movie “Escape from the Planet of the Apes”.
In the next few years, Braeden guest-starred in a number of TV series such as the superhero TV series “Wonder Woman”, western TV series “Gunsmoke”, science fiction series “The Six Million Dollar Man” and the American sit-com “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. However, the most significant role that gave Braeden a big leap in his acting career was his role of Victor Newman in the CBS soap opera “The Young and the Restless” in 1997. For this role, Braeden received a Daytime Emmy Award as an “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series” in 1998 and has been nominated for a number of Daytime Emmy Awards over the years. Braeden is still one of the lead actors in “The Young and the Restless” which steadily increases his net worth and is the main source of his income.
In the 90s, Braeden appeared in the miniseries “Lucky Chances” and the thriller film “The Ambulance” (in 1990), he guest-starred in the CBS sitcom “The Nanny” in 1994, and the crime drama series “Diagnosis: Murder” in 1995. Naturally, Braenden’s role of John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 blockbuster catastrophe film “Titanic” has also had a certain significance on his career and net worth; he was chosen for this role for his resemblance to the character he played.
Braeden’s success as an actor is marked by the numerous awards he has received during his long acting career. In 1990 he was presented with the “Distinguished German-American of the Year” award, in 2007 Eric Braenden’s name appeared on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame” and in the same year he received the Gilmore Award. Unsurprisingly, Braenden’s success as an actor was noticed by his homeland country Germany – he was rewarded by German Federal Government twice with “Bundesverdienstkreuze” medals of Honor.
In his personal life, Eric Braeden is married to Dale Russell Gudegast. They have a son – Christian Gudegast (born on 1970) who is now a famous writer and filmmaker. Braeden’s interest in sports persisted over the years – he is known as a good tennis player and a boxer.
