Ted Turner Net Worth

How much is Ted Turner worth?

$2 Billion

Ted Turner is a media giant and businessman from Ohio with an estimated net worth of $2.0 billion dollars. Ted Turner created CNN, TNT, TBS, and was the former owner of the Atlanta Braves. He also owns the Ted's Montana Grill chain and is the largest landowner in the US. He is also a philanthropist and the largest single donor to the UN. His current wife is actress Jane Fonda.

Ted Turner has earned his net worth as founder of CNN, WTBS, MGM, TNT, and Cartoon Network. He is also the creator of the animated television show, Captain Planet and the Planeteers. He is the former owner of the WCW and co-founder of Ted's Montana Grill, which now has expanded to 46 restaurants, located in 16 states, across the country. Turner and George McKerrow Jr. (a restaurateur) opened their first Ted's Montana Grill in Columubus, Ohio, in 2010.

Ted Turner Net Worth

Ted Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1938. While a young boy, he and his family moved to Savannah, Georgia. Turner was a student at The McCallie School, a private school for boys, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He attended Brown University, where he was the captain of the sailing team, as well as, vice president of the Brown Debating Union. His major was Classics, which was quite a disappointment to his father. So, later on, he decided to change his major to economics. He never graduated from Brown University, because he was caught with a girl in his dorm, which resulted in expelltion. In 1989, he returned to campus to deliver a speech for the National Association of College Broadcasters, and received an honorary B.A. from the University. After he was expelled from Brown University, Turner took over his fathers thriving Billboard business, in Macon, Georgia, and became the president and chief executive of Turner Adverising Company. The business became quite a success and Turner used the profits to purchase many Southern radio stations. He then sold the radio stations and bought a UHF television station, WTCG. He was sure it would be a money maker, and it was. He would pick up shows that VHF would let go, like I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, Star Trek and others. Later he bought UHF station WRET, channel 36. In 1980, he created CNN, and bought the Atlanta Hawks from Tom Cousins. In 1986, Turner purchased MGM/UA for $1.5 billion, but later sold it back to Kirk Kerkorian, but kept some of the pre-merger films and television library. He then started up TNT and began showing some of the old reruns and new programs, drawing in a larger audience. He also launched Turner Classic Movies, which aired old films.

In 1986, Turner Entertainment Company was born, and in 1988, Turner purchased Jim Crockett Promotions which he changed to World Championship Wrestling. In 1989 he developed Turner Tomorrow Fellowship. In 1990 he created the Turner Foundation, and came up with the idea of the environmental superhero, Captain Planet. In 1993, he co-founded The Moscow Independent Broadcasting Corporation, with Eduard Sagalejev, a russian jounalist. When Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner, Turner became the vice chairman and head of the cable networks division for Time Warner.

Ted Turner has been married three times. The first was Judy Nye (1960), Jane Shirley Smith (1965), and actress, Jane Fonda (1991). All ended in divorce. Between the three marriages, Turner is the father of five children. Turner's battle with manic depression can be read about in the book, "It Ain't as Easy as it Looks", written by author, Porter Bibb. Turner has written "Call Me Ted", in which he tells about his personal life and career.

Ted Turner Articles

Brian Warner

Prior to launching Celebrity Net Worth, Brian spent seven years as the Managing Editor of one of the largest entertainment portals on the internet. Before that, Brian attended Georgetown University where he double majored in finance and marketing. A native of Northern California, Brian currently resides in Los Angeles. Follow him on Google+.

More Information