Anna Nicole Smith Net Worth -

What was Anna Nicole Smith’s Net Worth?

Anna Nicole Smith, the American model, actress, and television personality, had a net worth of $1 million dollars at the time of her death. She was known for being named the 1993 Playmate of the Year and for her work as a reality TV star and model for various brands, including H&M, Lane Bryant, and Guess Jeans.

Anna Nicole Smith’s Legal Battle for J. Howard Marshall’s Estate

Anna Nicole Smith was married to J. Howard Marshall II for 14 months and claimed that he had promised her half of his estate. However, according to his will, all of his assets were to be inherited by his son E. Pierce Marshall, excluding Anna and another son named J. Howard II. After J. Howard Marshall II passed away, Anna and his son became embroiled in a lawsuit over his estate.

Anna initially declared bankruptcy in California in 1996, but continued to appeal the Texas court’s ruling. In 2000, the California bankruptcy court entered a $475 million judgment in Anna’s favor, but this was later overturned by Pierce’s appeal. In March 2002, a district court found in Anna’s favor that she was entitled to half of the couple’s community property, which would have been any appreciation of assets during the marriage, resulting in an $88 million judgment.

Pierce appealed to Texas’ Ninth Circuit court of appeals, which vacated the $88 million judgment and ruled that he was not one of Marshall’s heirs. Anna appealed the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court, which ruled in her favor by saying that the Ninth Circuit’s judgment was false and she had the right to continue pursuing the case back in the Ninth Circuit.

In March 2010, the Ninth Circuit ruled that Anna’s bankruptcy court claim was false and she was not entitled to any of J. Howard Marshall’s estate because the bankruptcy court did not have jurisdiction in Texas to make such an award in a case where the probate had already been settled. After 15 years of legal battles, all of Anna’s claims and previous judgments were overturned in favor of the Marshall family.

Anna passed away in 2007, leaving all of her assets to her son Daniel, who had tragically died six months earlier. Her next of kin was a daughter named Danielynn, who was born three days before Daniel’s death. Howard K. Stern continued the legal fight on Danielynn’s behalf, but all of Anna’s claims and previous judgments were ultimately overturned in favor of the Marshall family.

Had Anna actually been victorious, she would own 8% of Koch Industries and be worth around $8 billion today. Instead, E. Pierce Marshall’s widow Elaine Marshall is now worth $17 billion and is one of the richest women in the world.

Early Life and Career

Anna Nicole Smith, born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston, Texas on November 28, 1967, was raised by her mother and aunt alongside five half-siblings. She attended Aldine High School and Mexia High School, where she dropped out during her sophomore year. Smith looked up to Marilyn Monroe during her teenage years and worked as an exotic dancer in Texas before becoming a single mother at the age of 20.

Anna Nicole Smith’s Early Career

Anna Nicole Smith, then known as Vickie Smith, first appeared in Playboy in March 1992 and was named Playmate of the Month for the May 1992 issue. A year later, she became Playmate of the Year and secured a Guess jeans ad campaign. She gained further attention modeling for H&M and appearing on the cover of Marie Claire in Germany.

In August 1994, Smith’s photograph was used by New York Magazine without her authorization in an issue titled White Trash Nation. Her lawyer initiated a 5 million dollar lawsuit against the publication.

Anna Nicole Smith’s Career in Acting and Reality TV

Anna Nicole Smith found success as a model but struggled to gain recognition as an actress. Her screen debut was in the 1994 film “The Hudsucker Proxy” followed by a larger role in “Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult,” which received favorable reviews and moderate box office success. However, she was often typecast as the “ditzy dumb blonde” archetype in Hollywood. She attempted to revitalize her movie career with a leading role in “Skyscraper” in 1996, but it was a low-budget direct-to-film movie that didn’t help her career. In the late 90s, she turned to television roles, appearing in “Sin City Spectacular,” “Veronica’s Closet,” and an episode of “Ally McBeal.”

Smith gained popularity with tabloids and was given her own reality show on the E! cable network called “The Anna Nicole Show.” It premiered in August 2002 and achieved the highest cable rating possible for a reality show. The show focused on her private life, her boyfriend and attorney Howard K. Stern, her son Daniel Wayne Smith, and her miniature poodle Sugar Pie. The show was canceled in June 2003. Smith appeared in the comedy film “Wasabi Tuna” and briefly in “Be Cool” starring John Travolta. Her final film before her death was in the parody film “Illegal Aliens” opposite wrestler Joani Chyna Laurer.

Anna Nicole Smith’s Life and Death

Anna Nicole Smith, a former Playboy Playmate of the Year, was married twice in her life. She married Billy Wayne Smith, a cook at a Jim’s Krispy Fried Chicken restaurant in Mexia, Texas, in 1985. They had a son named Daniel in 1986, but divorced in 1993.

In 1994, Anna married J. Howard Marshall, an oil business mogul who was 62 years her senior. Marshall died in Houston just 13 months later at the age of 90. After his death, a legal battle ensued between Anna and Marshall’s son Pierce Marshall over her desire to inherit half of his $1.6 billion estate. Anna was initially awarded $475 million, but eventually received nothing.

The last six months of Anna’s life were filled with media attention surrounding the death of her son, Daniel, and the paternity and custody battle over her newborn daughter, Dannielynn. Although she was in a relationship with Howard K. Stern at the time, several other men came forward claiming to be the father of Dannielynn. DNA tests later confirmed that entertainment photographer Larry Birkhead was the father.

On February 8, 2007, Anna was found dead in her hotel room in Hollywood, Florida. A seven-week investigation found that she had died of a combined drug intoxication, with the sleeping pill chloral hydrate listed as the “major component,” along with four benzodiazepines. No illegal drugs were found in her system. Her funeral took place on March 2, 2007.