American singer, songwriter, and actor Kris Kristofferson is retired and has a $160 million net worth. In addition to penning songs for other musicians over the years, Kris Kristofferson has had a number of hits throughout the years.
He wrote songs including “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Times,” and “Sunday Morning Coming Down.” Along with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kristofferson, the Highwaymen were another band that Kris was a part of. He received his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
Kristofferson has a thriving acting career in addition to his music career. Movies like Blume in Love, A Star is Born, Lone Star and the “Blade” film trilogy feature him. For his work in “A Star is Born,” costarring Barbra Streisand, he won a Golden Globe in 1976. At the age of 85, he formally retired in 2021.
Early Life
On June 22, 1936, Krist Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas. He grew up in a family with Swedish, Swiss, and another European ancestry. Kris was raised as a military brat because his father was a US Army Air Corps officer who ultimately rose to the position of US Air Force major general. As a result of this upbringing, Kristofferson was pushed to join the military at a young age.
Due to his father’s military duty, his family also moved around the country, but they eventually landed in San Mateo, California. Kris attended Pomona College and decided to pursue a profession as a writer after graduating from high school in 1954.
He produced numerous pieces that won awards and excelled academically, playing on the school’s rugby, American football, and track teams. He accepted a position in the dredging sector during this time. Kristofferson eventually earned a Bachelor of Arts in literature from Pomona College and received his summa cum laude.
Kris later won a scholarship to Oxford University, enabling him to attend Merton College. He once more carried on with his physical endeavors, participating in boxing and rugby. He began creating poems and songs in his latter undergraduate years. He also started recording his first records with Top Rank Records. He earned a Bachelor of Philosophy in English Literature by 1960. Years later, Pomona College awarded him an honorary degree in fine arts.
Even though Kris was already dabbling in the music business, he gave in to family pressure to enlist. After leaving Oxford, he enlisted in the US Army and rose to the rank of second lieutenant. After completing Ranger School, he became a helicopter pilot and was assigned to West Germany.
He would eventually get to the position of captain. Kris continued to play music and create a band during this time. He was given the chance to teach English literature at West Point after his tour was through, but he chose to focus on becoming a songwriter instead. His family abandoned him as a result.
Career in Music
In 1965, Kristofferson was finally able to pursue his singing career after leaving the military. He had to work a variety of odd jobs to make ends meet at first because it wasn’t easy. Prior to his triumph, he and his first wife ultimately divorced. He was hired as a janitor at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, and while sweeping floors, he met June Carter.
She complied with his request and gave Johnny Cash his sample tape. Cash, though, paid it no attention. During this period, he was also a helicopter pilot, which allowed him to land a craft in Cash’s front yard. When he finally succeeded in getting Cash’s attention, the celebrity listened to Kristofferson’s tape.
Cash made the decision to record “Sunday Mornin’ Coming Down,” a song that Kris had written, and thus launched Kristofferson’s career as a songwriter. The song “Vietnam Blues” and others penned by Kris were soon being recorded by other artists including Dave Dudley. While trying to release his own music at this time, Kristofferson’s efforts were not as successful as those of his songs that were covered by other singers.
Over the following several years, more singles containing lyrics by Kristofferson began to be played on the radio, including “Jody and the Kid” by Roy Drusky and “Once More with Feeling” by Jerry Lee Lewis. The 1970s saw the sustained widespread appeal of his tunes. The album “The Silver Tongued Devil and I,” which Kris published in 1971, marked the beginning of his career as a music artist.
He has continued to advance in his musical career, eventually working with performers in the 1980s and beyond including Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. He launched a new album in 2013 titled “Feeling Mortal.”
Career in Acting
Following this accomplishment, Kris spent several years pursuing a career in film, making appearances in films such as “A Star Is Born,” “Blume in Love,” and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.” His film career would last for many years, and in the “Blade” movie series in the 2000s, he made another appearance.
Personal Life
Relationships
He wed Frances Mavia Beer, his lifelong partner, in 1961; nevertheless, they later divorced. Janis Joplin, who passed away in 1970, was then seeing Kristofferson. He wed singer Rita Coolidge in 1973. Seven years of marriage were spent together before a divorce was granted in 1980. He wed Lisa Meyers, his present spouse, in 1983. Eight children have been born to Kristofferson during the course of his marriage.
Medical Problems
Kris received a successful bypass procedure in 1999. Then, between 2004 and 2015, he experienced a strange condition that was eventually identified as Lyme disease. He had previously received an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. He received antibiotic treatments in California to treat Lyme disease.
Kris Kristofferson’s Net Worth
In addition to being well-known in music, Kristofferson had numerous credits in both film and television, which contributed to his enormous wealth.
Kris Kristofferson’s net worth is $160 million. His decade-long career in music, cinema, and television has contributed significantly to his current net worth.
Kristofferson has so many albums because he has released 18 studio albums, 3 live albums, 5 compilations, 31 singles, and 6 collaborative albums altogether.
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