Nicolas Cage
Looking back at the 1990s, it sometimes seems like Nicolas Cage starred in every single movie in that entire decade. That must have brought in a hefty sum, right? Unfortunately, the actor loved to spend money and his tastes were both expensive and exotic. He bought rare animals, a Gulfstream jet, and even his own private island, which left him on some unsteady financial ground even without the $14 million in back taxes that he owed the IRS.
Things got even worse in 2009 when he was sued by his ex-wife for $13 million and then later that year sued by a real estate company for not returning millions that they apparently loaned to him. So, if you’re at the movie theater and find yourself wondering how such a great actor agreed to be in a not-so-great movie, he may just be trying to make some money to pay off his debts.
Don Johnson
In the ’80s, Don Johnson was famous for his portrayal of “Sonny” in the popular television series Miami Vice, and in the 90s he starred in Nash Bridges. However, his portrayal of law enforcement officials didn’t help him in 2002, when he was accused of money laundering. He was never charged with anything, but the rumors were enough to cause his production company to lose investors.
In 2008, the actor was again in dire financial straits when authorities announced that they were about to foreclose on his Colorado home. Johnson managed to come up with $14.5 million to pay his debt just 24 hours before the house went to auction. It is unclear how much the actor is currently worth.
Suzanne Somers
Famous for playing the role of Chrissie on the classic 70’s sitcom, Three’s Company, Suzanne Somers is a beloved television icon. Although she was only on the hit show for one year, Somers really made an impression on the audience, but also became a cautionary tale about why actors shouldn’t anger their producers.
The actress, who was taking a stand about how much she earned per episode, left the show and found herself in breach of contract. She ended up having a hard time affording her legal expenses, and with a bad reputation that made finding new gigs quite difficult.
Tia Carrere
Tia Carrere got her first big break in the long-running soap opera, General Hospital. She then went on to star in the two Wayne’s World movies and her Hollywood success seemed to be a sure thing. Things became complicated, however, when Carrere wanted to appear on The A-Team and tried to get out of her General Hospital contract to do so.
She sued the show claiming that she was not earning enough, and lost. She was unable to get out of her contract and missed out on the chance to appear on the hit show and become a bona fide star.
Brendan Fraser
Once upon a time, Brendan Fraser was the go-to guy when casting for a new hit action movie was taking place. That has not been the case for a while though, and after the actor was divorced in 2007, he found himself in a bit of a tricky financial situation.
Things came to a head in 2013, when he was forced to petition the court to reduce the yearly spousal support payments he was making to his ex-wife. They stood at $900,000 and he claimed that he did not have enough income to afford them.