What is the net worth of Charles S. Dutton?
Charles S. Dutton is an American actor who has a net worth of $4 million. Dutton spent most of his early years in prison, however, during his incarceration he discovered the world of acting and fell in love with the arts. He then became known for his television roles in the early 90s, most notably in the show ‘Roc’. This performance helped earn him a Golden Globe nomination, and a host of other awards and accolades are soon to follow.
Charles has also become a well-known film actor, appearing in a number of notable blockbusters over the years. Most of these films were released in the 90s, such as ‘Alien 3’, ‘Rudy’, ‘Menace II Society’, ‘A Time to Kill’ and ‘Cookie’s Fortune’. However, Dutton continued to appear in a number of films after the 90s, such as 2003’s “Gothika.” She eventually won three Primetime Emmy Awards and three NAACP Image Awards.
The first years
Charles Stanley Dutton was born on January 30, 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was initially raised by his mother and father, the latter a truck driver. However, Charles’ parents divorced when he was four and he spent most of his childhood growing up in a public housing project in Baltimore. Dutton then dropped out of school before finishing secondary school. During this time, he became an amateur boxer.
In 1967, Charles S. Dutton pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the age of 16. He is alleged to have killed a man, although Dutton claimed when this man attacked him with a knife. As a result, he was sentenced to five years in a Maryland correctional facility. Due to his age, he got a little under a year and was released. Unfortunately, he was then quickly arrested on charges of robbery and burglary. Because he violated his probation, he was sent back to prison for another three years on charges of robbery and armed robbery.
Things quickly turned sour for Dutton. After an argument with a guard, he received another eight years of parole. Charles later stated, “I got three years for killing a negro and eight for punching a white man.” Dutton continuously fought for his life during his time in prison, at one point almost dying from a stab wound inflicted by another prisoner. During this time, he also became interested in politics, particularly the Black Panther Party.
Charles’ fascination with acting began during his time in prison. During his second prison term, Dutton refused to clean the toilets and was sentenced to six days in solitary confinement. He was allowed to take a book with him and he took the first book he found without looking at the cover. Coincidentally, the book was an anthology of plays written by black playwrights. Immediately, Charles fell in love with acting and started his own theater group with other inmates after he was released from solitary confinement. The guards allowed him to do so on the condition that he get his GED, which he did. He later completed a two-year college program while in prison.
By 1976, Dutton had been released again. Because of this, he headed straight for university instead of falling back into a life of crime. He enrolled as a doctorate in theater at Towson State University and graduated two years later with a bachelor of arts degree in 1978. He then transferred to the Yale School of Drama, eventually earning his master’s degree in acting by 1983 . .
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Career
After leaving university, Dutton began his acting career in the theater world. His Broadway debut came with “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” This performance earned Charles a Theater World Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. By 1988, he made the transition to film, portraying the character Leroy Brown in “Crocodile Dundee II”. He also booked an early television role in the miniseries “The Murder of Mary Phagan,” joining such established actors as Jack Lemmon and Kevin Spacey. However, Dutton continued to be heavily involved in theater work, appearing in “The Piano Lesson” and earning another Tony Award nomination for Best Actor.
Charles then booked a central role in David Fincher’s Alien 3. The 1992 film was plagued by problems during production, and at certain points the actors were forced to shoot without a script. Fincher only got the chance to direct after other directors failed to impress 20th Century Fox. It generated nearly $160 million at the box office on a budget of approximately $50 million, “Alien 3” was a moderate commercial success and the highest-grossing “Alien” film at the time. However, it was not viewed kindly by critics, who felt that it was not as good as the previous two “Alien” installments. Ultimately, Fincher disavowed the film entirely.
That said, “Alien 3” proved to be a valuable stepping stone for Dutton, who went on to book several roles throughout the 90s, including “Get on the Bus,” “A Time to Kill” , “Cookie’s Fortune” “Cry”, “The Loved Country”, “Surviving the Game”, Menace II Society” and “A Low Down Dirty Shame”. In the 1990s, Charles also gained widespread acclaim for his role in the series Roc”.
In the 2000s, Sutton turned her attention to television work, winning Emmy Awards for her roles in series such as “The Practice” and “Without a Trace.” He also appeared in shows such as ‘Oz’. In 2000, Dutton directed the HBO miniseries The Corner. In 2013, he played the role of Detective Margolis in the horror film “The Monkey’s Paw”.
