A screenwriter, author and actor, Jacqueline Jill Collins was born on 4 October 1937, in Hampstead, London England. She was best known for her prowess in writing English romantic novels, all of which featured in the bestsellers list of The New York Times. Eight of her works were adapted either as TV mini-series or films. She died on September 19, 2015.
How rich was Jackie Collins? What was her net worth by the time of her death? Credible sources state that Jackie Collins had a net worth of more than $180 million, as of her death. She made most of her money by writing novels, selling more than 500 million copies globally translated into 40 languages.
Jackie Collins Net Worth $180 Million
Jackie Collins was the youngest daughter of Joseph William Collins and Elsa Collins; her older sister was noted actress Joan Collins. She was educated at Francis Holland School girl’s day school in London, but was expelled when she was 15 for delinquent behaviour. She started practicing her talent in acting, appearing in ‘B Movies’ in 50s. She was also a stage singer, working with Des O’Connor among others. Collin’s parents sent her to live with Joan, her older sister, in Los Angeles, California, where she was cast in small roles in films such as ‘Barnacle Bill,’ ‘Rock You Sinners,’ ‘The Safecracker,’ ‘Intent to Kill’ and ‘Passport to Shame.’ These appearances were the start of her net worth.
In 1968, Jackie Collins decided to shift from acting to writing novels, releasing her first book entitled ‘The World Is Full of Married Men.’ The book was a best seller, so she continued, releasing her second novel called ‘The Stud’ in 1969, which also made to the best sellers list. In 1971, she released the third one, ‘Sunday Simmons & Charlie Brick,’ followed by ‘Love head’ in 1974. Thereafter, every few years she had a book in the stores, all of which made her rich by making it to the best sellers list. ‘Hollywood Wives,’ a novel she released in 1985 made her extremely popular as it was made into a TV mini-series.
The 2000s turned out to be Jackie’s busiest years as she published a total of eight bestselling novels, a number which was high compared to other decades in her career. She published ‘Hollywood Wives: The New Generation,’ ‘Deadly Embrace,’ ‘Hollywood Divorces,’ ‘Lovers & Players,’ ‘Drop Dead Beautiful,’ ‘Married Lovers,’ and finally, ‘Poor Little Bitch Girl.’ In the 2010s she continued with her talent, publishing more books such as ‘Goddess of Vengeance,’ ‘The Power Trip’ and ‘Confessions of a Wild Child.’ All these books saw her add to her net worth and become one of the most successful authors in her time.
In her personal life, Collins married Wallace Austin in 1960, the couple had one daughter but divorced in 1964. In 1965, she married Oscar Lerman, a nightclub and art gallery owner, and they had two daughters. Following the death of Lerman due to prostate cancer in 1992, Jackie became engaged to Frank Calcagnini, a Los Angeles, California, business executive. Frank too died, in 1998 following a brain tumor. On 19 September 2015, Jackie Collins died of breast cancer, just two weeks before she could celebrate her 78th birthday.
