Kathy Bates Net Worth

Kathy Bates net worth in 2026 is estimated at $20 million [1][2]. Most published estimates agree on $20 million, while a few give $22 million and others cite a range up to $32 million [1][3][4]. The $20 million figure is the most widely cited, and it reflects more than five decades of steady work in film, television and theatre [1][2].

Bates made her money from more than five decades of acting in film, television and theatre [1][2]. Her income comes from film salaries, television leads including Matlock at a reported 175,000 dollars per episode, residuals from hits like Titanic and Misery, and directing work on television dramas [1][4].

Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1991 for playing Annie Wilkes in Misery, released in 1990 [1][2]. She was the first woman to win Best Actress for a horror film, and she later earned Oscar nominations for Primary Colors, About Schmidt and Richard Jewell, plus a Golden Globe win for About Schmidt [1].

Yes, Bates stars as Madeline Matlock in the CBS reboot of Matlock, which premiered in 2024 [1][4]. The show became a hit and was renewed, and Bates won the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for the role, with Golden Globe and Emmy nominations to follow in 2025 [1][4].

Bates has said she lost about 100 pounds over several years, starting with lifestyle changes and later using medication for the final 15 to 20 pounds [1][4]. She has said the change improved her health and her energy for leading Matlock, and she has become an advocate for lymphedema awareness since her cancer treatment [1].

Bates was married to actor Tony Campisi from 1991 to 1997, and she has no children [1][2]. She has kept her romantic life private since the divorce, focuses publicly on her work and her health, and has spoken openly about surviving ovarian cancer in 2003 and breast cancer in 2012 [1].