Alfred Hitchcock Net Worth 2024: 60 Thrilling Years with the Master of Suspense

Alfred Hitchcock is remembered as a pillar of the cinematic world. But did you know that he never won a single award despite the classics he created throughout his career? Here’s more on the Master of Suspense and Alfred Hitchcock net worth.

Alfred Hitchcock is a grand figure of American and British films with a career spanning almost six decades. He was famously known as the Master of Suspense. Hitch found success from his meticulously crafted suspenseful films, meant to scare viewers out of their wits.

From his early found love for silent movies, Hitchcock grabbed the opportunity to work in the movie industry when the moment presented itself. He would never have looked twice at movies like Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, riddled with CG and special effects.

Amongst the most famous Hitchcock films include 1927’s The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, featuring murderous a character similar to Jack The Ripper. It was followed by Blackmail in 1929, originally a silent movie but was later remade into Britain’s first-ever “talkie” or sound film.

Unlike his films, it came to no surprise that Alfred Hitchcock net worth was $200 million at the time of his death in 1980/ What remains puzzling is that he never won a single award for any of his outstanding films. It is thought of as a great injustice from Hollywood’s film industry.

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Alfred Hitchcock – Short Bio

On the 13th of August, 1899, Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, Essex, London. His father, William Edgar, supported the family as a greengrocer, and his mother, Emma Jane, did work around the shop. Alfred was the youngest of three, and he had an older brother named William and a big sister named Eileen.

Later, the family moved to Limehouse, where they set up a grocery and a fish and chips shop at Salmon Lane. Shortly after their relocation, Alfred Hitchcock started his education at the Howrah House Convent in Poplar, where he stayed from age seven to nine.

For primary school, Hitchcock was enrolled at the Salesian College school for boys in Battersea district, south of London. Then, at the age of eleven, young Alfred was sent to study at St. Ignatius College in Stamford Hill, Tottenham, and Jesuit priests ran the institution.

Alfred Hitchcorck’s Career

His father died from emphysema when he was fourteen, just a year after Hitchcock told his parents that he was leaving St. Ignatius to study engineering. To help support their mother, Hitchcock worked as a technical clerk at the Henley Telegraph and Cable Company.

He stuck with the job for a few years until he was bored out of his mind. Hitchcock then decided to jump on the next opportunity that would come his way, unknowingly so that the next one would lead him to world fame and his name forever etched in film history.

Career Beginnings

His career began in 1919. As many of his close peers in the industry would call him, twenty-year-old Hitch gathered his title-card illustrations and brought them to the newly-opened London studio of the Famous Players-Lasky, a company affiliated with Paramount Pictures.

He was hired on the spot and worked as a title card designer for Islington Studios. And fortunately for Hitch, he was not stuck to a single designation. The company encouraged its crew to try their hand in any work that would click with them. And from there, Hitch gained experience as co-writer, art director, and production manager in at least eighteen different silent movies.

When the London studio closed in 1922, Hitch was hired as an assistant director by film producer Sir Michael Balcon. And while working on the movie Woman to Woman in 1923, Hitch met his future wife, Alma Reville, who was also involved in the same film as the “script girl.”

Balcon approached Hitch with the movie Pleasure Garden in early 1925, and he took it as a great opportunity. Although it was a commercial flop, the book adaptation was the first film directed by Alfred Hitchcock with his fiancee, Alma Reville, working closely by his side.

The following two years were challenging; it brought Hitch to the point that he may need to quit directing. And in 1927, He was down to one last movie project, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, the first of many suspense thriller movies Alfred Hitchcock will be famous for in the near future.

Courtesy of YouTube: Bio Feature on Alfred Hitchcock

Blackmail

In 1929, Hitch directed his tenth film entitled Blackmail, starring Anny Ondra, John Longden, and Cyril Richard. And with sound slowly being integrated into moving pictures, Elstree Studios produced a secondary version of the film with sound, making it the first in British film history.

The success of the movie granted the former title-card designer unforeseen wealth. Alfred Hitchcock net worth was more than enough to buy an eleven-acre Tudor farmhouse after finding out that his wife Alma was pregnant with their daughter, Patricia Alma, in 1928.

The 39 Steps and Off To Hollywood

His success led him to a multi-film contract with Gaumont-British Picture Corporation and a reunion with Sir Michael Balcon. With the company, Hitch directed The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1934, which became a success, followed by another classic, The 39 Steps, in 1935.

The 39 Steps was not just a big hit in the UK. It also earned Hitch the recognition of the American film industry. The film also pioneered the use of the MacGuffin plot device.

Lastly, the film also established the perfect template of the “Hitchcock blonde” with the image of Madeleine Carroll as the base standard for leading ladies in every Alfred Hitchcock movie.

By 1938, Hitch took his wife and precious young daughter, Pat, and got on a ship bound for the United States. There was no more room for him to grow in the British film industry. But he didn’t leave without gracing his audience with a few classic Hitchcock movies.

The last movie he directed before leaving for the States, entitled The Lady Vanishes, was an even bigger success. In 1938, Hitch was named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle, a suitable parting gift from his home country and a big welcome from Hollywood.

He directed:

Spy thriller film Sabotage 1936
Spy thriller film Secret Agent 1936
Crime thriller film Young and Innocent 1937
Mystery thriller film The Lady Vanishes 1938

Upon his arrival to America, Hitchcock signed a seven-year contract with producer David O. Selznick out of the many offers he received.

Alfred Hitchcock’s American Films

Alfred Hitchcock’s first movie with Selznick was Rebecca’s 1940 romantic psychological film. The two clashed. Selznick screamed for a straightforward screen adaptation of the book, but Hitch stood firm. He wanted to be creative with his US debut film.

In the end, David Selznick re-edited Rebecca until he got the version he wanted. The film won the Best Picture category at the 13 Academy Awards. Selznick received the statuette, while Alfred Hitchcock received his first of five Oscar nominations.

The nomination from his second movie in the country, the spy thriller film Foreign Correspondent, was also released in 1940.

During the same year, the family bought a 200-acre ranch in California. And with steady success, Alfred Hitchcock net worth was again enough to buy a second property in Bel Air in 1942.

The Roaring 40s

From 1941 to 1945, Hitchcock worked on at least ten movies, and surprisingly enough, some of them didn’t include scaring his audience with the usual psychological whiplash. Half of his projects during this period were amongst the best and most memorable of his works.

1941 comedy film Mr. & Mrs. Smith
1941 romance psychological thriller, Suspicion
1942 spy thriller film Saboteur
1943 thriller film-noir Shadow of a Doubt
11944 survival film Lifeboat

Post-war Movies and the 50s

The 1945 psychological thriller Spellbound was the first movie Hitchcock directed with Ingrid Bergman. The film also featured a dream sequence designed by renowned Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali. Selznick, again, made changes according to his personal quirks.

The movie was followed by the spy thriller, Notorious, in 1946, with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Selznick sold the film’s rights to cover the expenses of another movie.

Hitchcock’s next hit came in the reel of Strangers on a Train, released in 1951. Countless films and drama series drew inspiration from Hitchcock’s adaptation, using the story as a plot twist.

His next movies were Dial M for Murder and Rear Window, both of which came out in 1954—followed by To Catch a Thief in 1955.

Last Three of Hitchcock’s Greatest Films

It would simply be criminal not to include three of Hitchcock’s best and final films. The 955 film Vertigo is one of them. It centered on the story of a police officer who was plagued with acrophobia. At the same time, he harbored a Pygmalion-like obsession with the woman he was protecting. Though the film was poorly received, critics praised the cast’s performance.

The second film is North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. The New Yorker and The New York Times declared the film a masterpiece and has since been listed as one of the greatest films of all time. The Library of Congress selected it for preservation for its cultural and historical significance.

The third and last of Hitch’s most notable films is the 1960 film, Psycho. The very movie that terrified and traumatized hippies all across America and even the world. Norman Bates and his mother are probably two of the most iconic Halloween costumes aside from The Clown.

According to Hitchcock, the famous shower scene where Marion Crane was stabbed to death by Norman Bates had eighty shots. The crew produced a fake but almost realistic human torso, but Hitch said that the actress’ expressions were more important than the stabbing.

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Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Regardless of generation, you’ve probably heard the tv show’s catchy tune at some point in your life. The song is called Funeral March of a Marionette; the piece was the perfect, attention-grabbing element accompanied by the mysterious squiggles later revealed to be Hitch’s silhouette.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents was an anthology series hosted, produced, and partially directed by the big man himself. It was aired on CBS and NBC from 1955 to 1965. The show featured a different mind-boggling episode each time. It could be drama, thriller or mystery, or all of it.

Many heard about Hitch being a notorious jokester. On top of the pranks he frequently pulled on actors, movie crew, friends, and family, Hitch enjoyed doing cameo appearances, and the show gave him the absolute freedom to pop up in every opportune moment that proved amusing.

Alfred Hitchcock Net Worth – Frequently Asked Questions

How Much is Alfred Hitchcock Net Worth?

Alfred Hitchcock net worth was $200 million at the time of his death. His career began in 1919 with Famous Players-Lasky, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures that opened a studio in London for a short time.

Which of Hitchcock’s Films Made the Most Money?

Three of the director’s top money-making films were Psycho, which earned $32 million from Box office collection in 1960. Do note that the film was created as a low-budget B movie.

The second one was 1954’s Rear Window at $27.6 million, Followed by 1946’s Notorious, which came in with $24.5 million. These films gave Alfred Hitchcock net worth a considerable boost.

Which Two Phobias Did Hitchcock Have?

Hitch had more than just two phobias; he was practically terrified of everything due to his strict parents’ upbringing. His time at St. Ignatius College was particularly significant. It was a place where children got tormented with punishments throughout the day.

Two of his most prominent fears were his phobia of policemen, something his father was much to blame. And the absolute scare he gets from eggs because they are tiny, white, and have no holes. His reason may not make sense to us, but that’s how bad it is for people like Hitch.

Who Inherited Hitchcock’s Wealth?

The legendary director’s closest family and only possible heir at the time of his death was Pat, his only child. And Alfred Hitchcock’s net worth at the time of his death in 1980 was no less than $200 million.

Alfred Hitchcock Net Worth – Final Thoughts

Hitch was a man with many fears. The only difference between him and other people suffering from intense paranoia is that Hitch was one of the century’s greatest filmmakers. He used his phobias to create a string of classic thriller films. The thousands of shots necessary to make one film were based on a specific reel he saw inside his head.

Alfred Hitchcock’s net worth reached astonishing levels, which enabled him to purchase grand estates belonging to royalty and historical figures by the time his daughter was born. Despite this statement of success, he never won an Oscar or a Golden Globe for any of his films.

Back then, the reason for the injustice was that thrillers or suspense were genres not worthy of recognition. The lack of quality and story were the usual reasons, but Hitch’s classics always carried a complete package. Generations of great directors used his work as study material.

Like most geniuses, the value of Alfred Hitchcock’s net worth was not a concern; he wanted something much simpler, and it was to scare his audience. Hitch made a specific reference to going for a scary amusement park ride. People scream, but they always get off giggling.