Virginia Katherine McMatch, born on the 16th of July 1911, was an American actress, singer, and dancer popularly known as Ginger Rogers, who became famous for her Broadway and film performances, in particular for her film partnership with dancer/actor the legendary Fred Astaire.
So how much was Rogers’ net worth? As of mid-2017, authoritative sources report it at $20 million, acquired from her many years in show business from the 1920s to the ‘80s.
Ginger Rogers Net Worth $20 Million
Born in Independence, Missouri, Rogers was the only daughter of Lela Emogene and William Eddins McMath, and came from Scottish, English, and Welsh descent. After her birth, her parents immediately broke up and divorced, apparently because her mother refused to deliver her in hospital, after a previous pregnancy that went wrong.
Rogers and her mother moved to Hollywood to live with her grandparents, and for her mother to continue pursuing a career as a scriptwriter. Later on, her mother remarried to John Logan Rogers, whose last name Ginger adopted in her screen name, and moved to Fort Worth, Texas – meanwhile, one of her cousins gave her the nickname Ginger that stuck.
After failing to matriculate from Fort Worth Central High School, Rogers decided to enter the entertainment industry instead. When a travelling vaudeville act visited Fort Worth, the crew needed a stand-in and she got the part by winning a Charleston dance contest. Her early years in vaudeville helped jumpstart her career and also her net worth.
During her touring career, Rogers decided to live and act and stayed in New York City. Her decision paid off in 1929 when she was included in the Broadway play “Top Speed”, and her performance immediately catapulted her to success and also led her to star in another production called “Girl Crazy”. With her success on Broadway, in 1929 Rogers also made her way on to film, starringd in her first short film “Night in the Dormitory”, followed by “Campus Sweethearts” and “A Day of a Man of Affairs”. In 1933, she achieved a breakthrough when she starred in the film “42nd Street”, and soon she was signing with the biggest movie productions elevating her career status and wealth.
Another milestone in Rogers’ career came in 1933 when she partnered with fellow actor and dancer Fred Astaire. Despite being the supporting characters in the movie “Flying Down to Rio”, the two stole the scene with their dance routines and chemistry. Their unbelievable partnership lasted for years, starring in nine films including “The Gay Divorcee”, “Top Hat”, and “Follow the Fleet”.
After her success with Astaire, Rogers also ventured into non-musical films. Her performance in “Stage Door” showed her dramatic prowess, and “Vivacious Lady” with Katharine Hepburn also became a success, but it was in 1941 that her role in “Kitty Foyle” earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Other notable films later in her career included “Roxie Hart”, “Primrose Path”, “I’ll Be Seeing You”, and “Tender Comrade” to name a few.
In her final years in the entertainment industry, she also went back to Broadway and even starred in “Hello, Dolly!”, and directed her own off-Broadway musical production entitled “Babes in Arms” at the age of 74. Her long and outstanding career in the entertainment industry established her as a legend and also tremendously increased her net worth.
Aside from acting she also wrote her autobiography book called “Ginger, My Story” in 1991.
In terms of her personal life, Rogers was married five times, firstly to entertainer Jack Pepper from 1929 –’31, then actor Lew Ayres (1934-40), Jack Briggs (1943-49), Jacques Bergerac (1953-57), and director and producer William Marshall was her last husband, who she married in 1961, but they divorced in 1971. In 1995, Rogers died from a heart attack, partly as a resuly of largely ignoring her diabetes problem for many years. Her remains are interred with her mother’s in Chatsworth, California.
