Sarah Brightman Net Worth

What is Sarah Brightman's Net Worth?

Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress who has a net worth of $60 million. Sarah Brightman is known for starring in the original stage productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera," and for recording the international hit duet "Time to Say Goodbye" with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. She has released a plethora of albums, including the studio albums "Timeless," "Eden," "La Luna," "Harem," and "Symphony."

Early Life and Education

Sarah Brightman was born on August 14, 1960 in Berkhamsted, England as the eldest of six children of Paula and Grenville. She was raised in nearby Little Gaddesden. Brightman began taking dance and piano lessons when she was three years old, and later participated in local festivals and competitions. When she was 11, she successfully auditioned for Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. Brightman also attended Elmhurst Ballet School, Arts Educational Schools, and the Royal College of Music.

Stage Career

When she was just 13, in 1973, Brightman made her West End debut in the musical "I and Albert." She next appeared in the 1981 West End premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Cats," playing Jemima. The following year, Brightman played Kate in "The Pirates of Penzance," Tara Treetops in "Masquerade," and the titular character in "Nightingale." In 1984, Brightman married Lloyd Webber and starred in his musical "Song and Dance." She went on to star in his musical "The Phantom of the Opera" in 1986, originating the role of Christine Daaé. Brightman reprised the role on Broadway in 1988. She returned to Broadway in 1990 to star in Lloyd Webber's "Aspects of Love"; she then reprised her role in the musical's West End and Los Angeles premieres. Brightman also acted in some stage plays in the 1990s, including "Trelawny of the 'Wells'" on the West End in 1992 and "The Innocents" at Haymarket Theatre in 1995. Following a long break from stage acting, she returned in 2024 to star as Norma Desmond in Melbourne and Sydney productions of the musical "Sunset Boulevard."

Recording Career

Brightman began her recording career with the group Hot Gossip in 1974. The group performed regularly on "The Kenny Everett Video Show" and had a charting hit with the 1978 disco song "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper." As a solo recording artist, Brightman had her breakout with the song "Pie Jesu," from Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1985 mass, "Requiem." The cast recording of "Requiem" became the best-selling classical album of the year in the United Kingdom, and helped earn Brightman a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Classical Artist. An even bigger hit was the original cast album of Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera," which went on to become the best-selling cast album of all time. In 1988, Brightman released her debut solo album, "The Trees They Grow So High," featuring European folk songs set to piano. Her second solo album, "As I Came of Age," was released in 1990. Brightman followed that with the 1993 water-themed pop album "Dive." In 1995, she released "Surrender," featuring songs composed by Lloyd Webber, and "Fly," a pop rock album.

Brightman had the greatest commercial success of her career with "Time to Say Goodbye," a duet with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. First released in 1996, it topped the charts throughout Europe and went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide. The song was included on Brightman's 1997 album "Timeless," which charted in numerous countries. Brightman next released the live concert album "Sarah Brightman: In Concert" and the studio album "Eden," both in 1998. The latter peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Classical Crossover Albums chart. Brightman's next studio album, "La Luna" (2000), also topped that chart, and became one of the best-selling classical albums of the decade in the United States. She continued her success over the ensuing years with such hit albums as "Classics" (2001), "Harem" (2003), "Diva: The Singles Collection" (2006), and the gothic-tinged "Symphony" (2008). Brightman's albums in the 2010s include "Dreamchaser" (2013) and "Hymn" (2018).

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Film Career

Brightman made her feature-film acting debut in the 2008 rock musical film "Repo! The Genetic Opera," playing the character Blind Mag. Two years later, she starred opposite Richard E. Grant in the opera-themed comedy film "1st Night." Brightman also appeared as herself in the 2009 Italian-set Japanese film "Amalfi: Rewards of the Goddess."

Performances at Summer Olympics

Brightman twice performed Olympic theme songs at the Summer Olympics, becoming the first artist to do so. She first performed with Spanish tenor José Carreras at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, singing "Amigos Para Siempre," and later performed "You and Me" with Chinese singer Liu Huan at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Philanthropic Work

For her substantial philanthropic work, Brightman was named an UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2012. That year, she launched a STEM scholarship program to support young women pursuing STEM education in the United States. Brightman later launched a music scholarship program for postgraduate students at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Personal Life

Brightman married her first husband, Andrew Graham-Stewart, in 1979. They divorced in 1983. The year after that, Brightman married Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose musical "Cats" she had previously starred in. They soon became the subject of intense scrutiny in the media and had a highly publicized divorce in 1990. Brightman was later in a long-term relationship with her producer Frank Peterson.

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