Roger Corman networth: Fortune explored as Hollywood Mentor and 'King Of The Bs' dies aged 98

Prominent Hollywood director, writer, and producer Roger Corman passed away on Thursday, May 9, at his Santa Monica, California residence aged 98. Corman is fondly remembered as the 'King of Bs' for putting out some of the most fondly remembered low-budget titles in Hollywood history. Corman commanded an impressive net worth of $100 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Roger Corman produced over 400 films in his illustrious career and directed a plethora of cult classics like The Little Shop of Horrors (1960). He was also responsible for helping out during the early careers of many actors and directors who are considered industry legends of today, including Jack Nicholson, Robert de Niro, Martin Scorsese, and James Cameron.

Corman's passing was confirmed by a statement released by his family on Saturday, May 11. It read:

"He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him."

It further added:

"When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.’"

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Roger Corman was a Hollywood mainstay for over eight decades

Roger Corman's humungous net worth stemmed from his lengthy tenure in Hollywood that spanned over eight decades, doing everything he possibly could, including direction, production, writing, and even acting.

Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1926, Roger Corman received an industrial engineering degree from Stanford University and looked to be following his engineer father William's footsteps. However, that wasn't the case as his career aligned more with that of his older brother, Gene, a Hollywood agent and producer, who Corman occasionally collaborated with.

Roger Corman alongside Francis Ford Coppola (Image via Instagram/@rogercorman)

Corman initially worked as a messenger and then a story reader for 20th Century Fox, before leaving the studio after not getting credit for an idea he had proposed for the 1950 film, The Gunfighter. Corman began producing films independently and quite successfully too, churning out as much as nine in a year and over 400 in his illustrious career.

According to IMDb, Corman's very first production credit stems back to his time as the co-producer of 1954's Highway Dragnet starring Richard Conte, based on a story by Corman and U.S. Andersen. Some of his other production credits include Monster from the Ocean Floor, The Little Shop of Horrors, Death Race 2000, Death Race, Piranhaconda, and Abduction.

Corman's last production credit was for 2021's The Jungle Demon. He was well-known for his rather playful film titles, low film budgets, and the unique and quite charming B-movie feel of his films.

Corman also directed films, including a few critically acclaimed Edgar Allen Poe adaptions like 1961's The Pit and The Pendulum. The last film he directed was 1990's Frankenstein Unbound.

Roger has also helped the budding careers of many Hollywood legends, including Jack Nicholson who appeared in The Little Shop of Horrors and a few other Corman movies, and Robert De Niro who appeared in Bloody Mama. Others who crossed paths with the producer in their early days include Sandra Bullock, Peter Fonda, Talia Shire, and even William Shatner.

Roger Corman has also helped out a plethora of directors including a pre-Mean Streets Martin Scorsese, whose 1970 film Boxcar Bertha he produced. Some of the other directors who he helped included Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, and James Cameron.

Corman also dabbled in acting for a while, appearing in films like The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, The Godfather Part 2, Apollo 13, and Scream 3.

Corman married UCLA graduate and film producer Julie Halloran in 1964, who he is survived by along with his four kids Catherine, Roger, Brian, and Mary.