Paul Edward Haggis was born on 10 March 1953, in London, Ontario, Canada, to Mary Yvonne and Edward H. Haggis. He is a Canadian director, screenwriter and producer, perhaps best known for his work for the films “Million Dollar Baby” and “Crash”.
A noted filmmaker, how wealthy is Paul Haggis? Sources state that Haggis’ net worth reaches $50 million, as of mid-2016. His wealth has been acquired through his involvement in the entertainment industry.
Paul Haggis Net Worth $50 Million
Haggis attended St. Thomas More Elementary School, and later enrolled in H. B. Beal Secondary School to study art. In 1966 he moved to England to pursue a career as a fashion photographer, but soon returned to Canada to enroll in Fanshawe College to study cinematography.
After his graduation in 1975 he moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a career in screenwriting. His parents were the owners of London’s Gallery Theatre, which served as a perfect place for him to learn about the industry, and gain some theater experience, and at the age of 19 he even started to write plays for the local community theater. After moving to LA, Haggis got his first writing job, for the Canadian television series called “Hangin’ In”. He soon got another offer, this time from Hollywood for the series “Diff’rent Strokes”. He also worked for the ’70s sitcoms “One Day at a Time”, “The Love Boat” and “The Facts of Life”, also serving as a producer in the latter.
Haggis’ ’80s and ’90s screenwriting and production work includes the series “The Tracey Ullman Show”, “L.A. Law”, “EZ Streets”, “Walker, Texas Ranger”, “Family Law” and “Michael Hayes”. In the 1987 series “thirtysomething” he served as a supervising producer, writer and director, earning two Emmy Awards. All the aforementioned productions contributed significantly to his net worth.
In 1994 Haggis returned to Canada to work as a creator, executive producer, screenwriter and unit director for the series “Due South”, which lasted until 1999. The show was a great success and brought Haggis five Gemini awards as well as Canada’s Choice Award. His net worth was again boosted.
In 2004 he turned to feature films, and created the screenplay for the sports drama movie “Million Dollar Baby”, starring Clint Eastwood, who was also the film’s director; a huge success at the box office, the film received four Academy Awards and considerably added to Haggis’ net worth.
The same year he served as a co-writer, producer and director for another drama film, the highly acclaimed “Crash” – based on the racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, the movie won rave reviews as well as numerous awards, including three Academy Awards and two BAFTA Awards. Haggis himself won two Academy Awards for his work in production and screenwriting. The film also received a number of nominations including one for Haggis’ direction, and contributed significantly to his wealth.
By producing two Best Picture winners in a single year, Haggis became the only person in Oscar history to do so, earning star status. Since then, he has written the screenplay for two of Eastwood’s 2006 films “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters from Iwo Jima”. In the following years, he served as a screenwriter for the film “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace”, as screenwriter, director and producer for “In the Valley of Elah”, and as screenwriter and director for “The Next Three Days” and “Third Person”. His net worth rose consistently.
As for television, Haggies created the 2007 series “The Black Donellys” and served as director and executive producer for the 2015 series “Show Me a Hero”. Additionally, he co-wrote the screenplay for the 2011 video game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3”. All added to his wealth. His most recent producition work has been for the upcoming drama thriller film “Gold”.
In his private life, Haggis was married to Diane Christine Gettas from 1977 to 1994, and they have three children. In 1997 he married actress, producer and writer Deborah Rennard, with whom he has a son, actor James Haggis. The couple has recently filed for divorce.
Haggis made headlines in 2009 when he publicly quit the Church of Scientology, due to his disagreement with the organization’s support of banning gay marriage in California. He now says that he is a confirmed atheist.
Paul is involved in philanthropy, founding a non-profit organization called Artists for Peace and Justice, which helps the unprivileged youth in Haiti.
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