Ernie Hudson Net Worth: Ernie Hudson is an American actor who has a net worth of $5 million. He has an extensive acting career spanning over forty years. He is best known for his roles as Winston Zeddemore in the “Ghostbusters” film franchise and as Warden Leo Glynn in the HBO series “Oz,” but has appeared in a number of other films, including the 1994 superhero film “The Crow”. the 1995 biographical drama “The Basketball Diaries,” the 2000 comedy “Miss Congeniality.” Interestingly, while Hudson auditioned to voice the character in the Ghostbusters animated series, he lost the role to Arsenio Hall.
First life:Ernie Hudson was born Earnest Lee Hudson on October 17, 1945 in Benton Harbor, Michigan. When he was only two months old, his mother died of tuberculosis. His father had no involvement in his life, Hudson never met him. He was raised by his maternal grandmother. After graduating high school, Hudson immediately enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, but was discharged just three months later due to an asthma diagnosis. He moved to Detroit and became resident playwright at Concept East, which is the oldest black theater company in the US. He also enrolled at Wayne State University to study writing and drama, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1973. While in college, he founded the Actors’ Ensemble Theater, which was a club for black writers and actors.
Early Career:While he was still attending Yale and performing at school, I asked him to be in Loni Elder III’s musical “Daddy Goodness.” During production, he met Gordon Parks, who helped him land a role in his first feature film, Leadbelly, which was released in 1976. The role did not lead to any other significant acting parts, so he returned to Minnesota . , where he participated. a theater doctoral program at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He didn’t finish his doctorate and went to appear in the Minneapolis theater in The Round’s production of “The Great White Hope.” His performance won him recognition and although they were small at first, he began to get more roles. From 1978 to 1879, he had guest roles in nine television shows and a recurring role in “Highcliffe Manor”. During the first half of the 1980s, Hudson continued to land guest star roles on television and roles in television and feature films, including Going Beserk, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, and Two of A Kind. His first leading film role was in the 1982 sports drama Penitentiary II. His next big break came as Winston Zeddemore in the 1984 classic “Ghostbusters.” When he first read the script, Zeddemore’s character had a more prominent role, and because Hudson was excited about the role, he would make the film for half his usual salary. The following year, in 1985, he had a recurring voice acting role in the TV series The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, and in 1986, he had a recurring role in the drama series The Last Precinct. Hudson went on to land guest star roles on television and roles in television and feature films, including “Going Beserk,” “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone,” and “Two of A Kind.” His first leading film role was in the 1982 sports drama Penitentiary II. His next big break came as Winston Zeddemore in the 1984 classic “Ghostbusters.” When he first read the script, Zeddemore’s character had a more prominent role, and because Hudson was excited about the role, he would make the film for half his usual salary. The following year, in 1985, he had a recurring voice acting role in the TV series The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, and in 1986, he had a recurring role in the drama series The Last Precinct. Hudson went on to land guest star roles on television and roles in television and feature films, including “Going Beserk,” “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone,” and “Two of A Kind.” His first leading film role was in the 1982 sports drama Penitentiary II. His next big break came as Winston Zeddemore in the 1984 classic “Ghostbusters.” When he first read the script, Zeddemore’s character had a more prominent role, and because Hudson was excited about the role, he would make the film for half his usual salary. The following year, in 1985, he had a recurring voice acting role in the TV series The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, and in 1986, he had a recurring role in the drama series The Last Precinct.
In 1992, he had a supporting role in the psychological thriller The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, which grossed over $140 million at the box office. He starred in the television mini-series “Broken Badges” in 1991, as well as the 1992 television mini-series “Wild Palms”. He made scattered appearances on television shows throughout the 90s, including “Tales from the Crypt,” “The Ben Stiller Show,” and “Grace Under Fire.” He continued to appear in major feature films throughout the decade. In 1994, he starred in the superhero film ‘The Crow’ and the crime drama ‘Sugar Hill’. The following year, he starred opposite a young Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Basketball Diaries” and had a leading role in the sci-fi film “The Congo.” He spent the next two years acting in television movies and returned to the big screen in 1997 with roles in “Fakin’ Da Funk” and “Mr. Magoo”. Also in 1997, he began his recurring role on the HBO series “Oz” and would continue in his role as director Leo Glyn until 2003. He finished the decade with a string of action films, including the 1998 films “Hijack,” ” October 22nd’ and ‘Butter’, followed by 1999 releases ‘Stealth Fighter’, ‘Interceptor Force’ and ‘Paper Bullets’.
Career after 2000s: His first major feature film release of the millennium was in the Sandra Bullock-led comedy Miss Congeniality, and he reprized the role for the 2005 sequel. From 2003 to 2004, he had a recurring role on the television show 10-8 : Officers on Duty” and had a recurring role on the ABC television show “Desperate Housewives” from 2006 to 2007. She also appeared in several episodes of “ER” and an episode. in “Crossing Jordan” as well as the science fiction series “Stargate SG-1” in 2006. In 2008, he began a recurring role in “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” ,” which she played until 2013. She filled the rest of the decade with a handful of feature film appearances, but mostly opted for television movies.
He began the 2010s with a recurring role on season 20 of “Law & Order” and the beginning of a recurring role on the award-winning animated television series “Transformers Prime.” He has made several guest appearances on the television shows “Modern Family”, “Grace and Frankie”, “LA’s Finest” and “The Family Business”. He reprized his role as Winston Zeddemore in the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters.
Personal life: Hudson married Jeannie Moore in 1963 and both were teenagers at the time. They had two sons together but divorced in 1976. He married former flight attendant Linda Kingsberg in 1985 and they went on to have two sons together. He declared that he was a practicing Christian.
