Charlene Tilton Net Worth

What Is Charlene Tilton's Net Worth?

Charlene Tilton is an American actress and producer who has a net worth of $2 million. Charlene Tilton began her professional career with guest-starring roles on multiple '70s sitcoms, including "Happy Days" and "Eight is Enough." Tilton became a household name when she was cast as Lucy Ewing on the CBS primetime soap opera "Dallas," which she starred on from 1978 to 1985 and 1988 to 1990. From 2012 to 2014, she reprised her role in six episodes of the TNT revival of "Dallas." Charlene has more than 70 acting credits to her name, including the films "Freaky Friday" (1976), "Problem Child 2" (1991), "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" (2003), and "Superhero Movie" (2008), the TV movies "Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker" (1979), "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1979), "Favorite Deadly Sins" (1995), "Reading, Writing & Romance" (2013), and "Second Chance Christmas" (2017), and the television series "The Love Boat" (1980–1987). She also served as an executive producer on the 1980 short film "Pale Horse Pale Rider" and a co-executive producer on the 2004 special "Dallas Reunion: Return to Southfork."

Early Life

Charlene Tilton was born Charlene Lynn Tilton on December 1, 1958, in San Diego, California. She was raised by a single mother, Katherine, who worked as a secretary. Charlene attended Hollywood High School, where she was the President of the Thespians' Club and a member of the cheerleading squad.

Charlene Tilton circa 1980 in New York. (Photo by Robin Platzer/Images/Getty Images)

Career

Tilton made her TV debut in a 1976 episode of "Happy Days," then she guest-starred on "Eight Is Enough" (1977), "Fernwood Tonight" (1977), "James at 16" (1978), and "Police Woman" (1978). Her first film was 1976's "Freaky Friday," then she appeared in the 1978 film "Sweater Girls" and "Big Wednesday" and the 1979 TV movies "Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker" and "The Fall of the House of Usher." In 1978, Charlene began starring as Lucy Ewing Cooper on the CBS primetime soap opera "Dallas." She remained on the show until 1985, then she returned from 1988 to 1990. While starring on "Dallas," Tilton earned $50,000 per episode and graced hundreds of magazine covers. She is also a singer, and she performed the song "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" in a 1978 episode of "Dallas." Charlene later released the single "C'est la Vie," which was a hit in Europe. She hosted "Saturday Night Live" in 1981, and she guest-starred on "The Love Boat" (1980–1987), "Knots Landing" (1980), "Laverne & Shirley" (1980), "Fantasy Island" (1980), "Hotel" (1983), and "Murder, She Wrote" (1987).

In the '90s, Tilton appeared in the films "Law at Randado" (1990), "Problem Child 2" (1991), "Ragin' Cajun" (1991), "For Parents Only" (1991), "Deadly Bet" (1992), "Center of the Web" (1992), "The Silence of the Hams" (1994), and "Detonator" (1996) and the TV movies "Favorite Deadly Sins" (1995), "Star Witness" (1995), and "Safety Patrol" (1998). She guest-starred on "Married… with Children" (1993), then she starred in the TV movies "The Theory of Everything" (2000), "Bar Hopping" (2000), "Point of Entry" (2007), "Reading, Writing & Romance" (2013), "The Michaels" (2014), "Second Chance Christmas" (2017), and "A Welcome Home Christmas" (2020). Charlene appeared in the films "Totally Blonde" (2001), "Tell Veronica" (2008), "Superhero Movie" (2008), "Sarah's Choice" (2009), "Paranormal Calamity" (2010), "Edge of Salvation" (2012), "Hemingway" (2012), "Not Another Celebrity Movie" (2014), "Vengeance: A Love Story" (2017), "A Unicorn for Christmas" (2022), "Ladybug" (2024), "God's Not Dead: In God We Trust" (2024), and "Final Recovery" (2025), and she played herself in 2003's "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star." From 2012 to 2014, she reprised the role of Lucy Ewing in the TNT revival of "Dallas," and around this time, she guest-starred on the web series "DeVanity" (2013) and the ABC sitcom "The Middle" (2015).

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Personal Life

Charlene married country singer Johnny Lee on February 14, 1982. They welcomed a daughter, Cherish Lee, that year, and they divorced in 1984. Tilton was then married to Domenick Allen from 1985 to 1992. In 2001, Charlene began a relationship with cinematographer Cheddy Hart. In 2009, Hart died of heart failure at the age of 54. Tilton is an advocate for autism awareness, and she has served as the ambassador for Actors for Autism. According to their official website, "Actors for Autism is a 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit Organization dedicated to opening doors of opportunity for people on the autistic spectrum. We fulfill this mission by providing new and innovative programs."

Charlene's "Dallas" co-star was a surrogate father to her, and they remained close after the show ended. When Hagman died in 2012, Tilton released a statement about the sad news, saying, "At seventeen years old, my life took a turn that one could only dream of. I was cast as Lucy Ewing in the iconic show 'Dallas.' 'Dallas' was so much more than a television phenomenon to me. It was my family. I grew up with a mentally ill single mother raising me and no father figure in my life. I lived on my own in an apartment from the age of 15. I remember the day I met the force of nature that is Larry Hagman like it was yesterday. My Uncle Larry became the father figure that I so needed and longed for. He taught me how to be professional, work hard, but have fun at the same time, and how to respect the opportunities I was blessed to have been given. He was very protective because I was so young, but also expected the best from me on the set of 'Dallas.' He was one of the best actors the world has ever known. To me, he will always be my Uncle Larry. I am so so very sad, but cherish the lifetime of memories I have with him."

Awards and Nominations

In 1980, Tilton won a Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile Actress in a TV Series or Special for "Dallas," and in 2001, she received the Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1981, she earned a Bravo Otto nomination for Best Female TV Star, and at the 1987 Bambi Awards, she shared a Jubilee award (representing the 1980s) with her "Dallas" co-star Patrick Duffy. The "Dallas" cast won a Pop Culture Award at the 2006 TV Land Awards. In 2014, Charlene was named Best Guest Star – Drama for "DeVanity" at the Indie Series Awards.

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