Eric Braeden Net Worth

Eric Braeden is a renowned German-American actor who has built an impressive career in television and film since the 1960s.

 He is best known for his iconic role as the ruthless business mogul Victor Newman on the popular soap opera The Young and the Restless. This part has earned him multiple Emmy nominations and a 1998 Daytime Emmy Award for Lead Actor.

With a career spanning over five decades in the entertainment industry, Braeden has an impressive net worth, which this article will delve into. 

Today, we discuss his wealth, career highlights, and legacy as one of daytime television’s most prominent stars.

Eric Braeden’s net worth and career

Braeden has built an impressive net worth of $20 million through his decades-long acting career. 

He is best known for his iconic role on the hit soap opera The Young and the Restless, on which he reportedly earned around $5,000 per episode or $4 million per year at the peak of his tenure. 

This long-running role supercharged his wealth and cemented his legacy on daytime television. Beyond Y & R, he accumulated over 120 acting credits in film and television during his early career, first working under his birth name, Hans Gudegast.

Notable early roles included wartime dramas like Combat!, Twelve O’Clock High, and The Rat Patrol, where he frequently played German soldiers. 

Eric Braeden in his original “Vote” mask (Source: Instagram)

He built a steady income working as a guest actor on major shows like Gunsmoke and The Mary Tyler Moore Show and blockbuster films like Titanic and Escape from the Planet of the Apes.

Outside of acting, he has earned $10,000 to $20,000 as a motivational speaker. He also profited from his bestselling memoir “I’ll Be Damned,” further boosting his wealth. 

His long-spanning, diverse entertainment career has afforded him an extravagant $4 million home in the mountains of LA and a happy marriage since 1966 to his wife, Dale Russell Gudegast, with whom he shares his only son, screenwriter Christian Gudegast. 

Now in his 80s, Braeden enjoys the fruits of his labors with an estimated net worth of $20 million.

Eric Braeden has received numerous awards and nominations

Throughout his over 50-year acting career, Braeden has received numerous prestigious awards and honors for his acclaimed performance as Victor Newman on Y & R.

He has been nominated for 15 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor, winning the award in 1998 for his complex portrayal of Victor. This remains a crowning achievement of his career. 

Additionally, he has won or been nominated for over 20 Soap Opera Digest Awards for categories ranging from Outstanding Actor to Hottest Male Star. 

Eric Braeden at the 18th People’s Choice Awards (Source: Getty Images)

Beyond daytime accolades, Braeden received a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007, cementing his place among television’s greats. He won the Radio & Television Industry Pacific Pioneers Gilmore Award that year. 

His legendary character of Victor Newman has resonated so deeply that Braeden won the first ever Soap Awards France prize for Best Villain in 2017 based on international fan votes. 

Other career honors include the Friend of German Award from the American Association of Teachers in 2009, a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in 1992, and being named 1990’s Distinguished German-American of the Year. 

Braeden’s sustained excellence has earned him over 30 major entertainment awards. 

Eric Braeden’s eminent role as ‘Victor Newman’

For over 43 years, Braeden has brought to life the formidable character of Victor Newman on the hit CBS soap opera. His complex portrayal has made Victor an icon of the genre, cementing his legacy as one of the most legendary leading men of the daytime. 

Though originally conceived as a short-term villain meant to last 8-12 weeks, Braeden’s magnetism led creator William J. Bell to quickly sign him to a long-term contract and redeem Victor into an antiheroic figure. 

Victor evolved from a ruthless business mogul to a deeply layered character capable of cruelty and warmth toward his family and loved ones. His tumultuous romance with Nikki Newman has remained central to the show for decades.

With his gravelly voice and presence, Braeden commands every scene as Victor. The character’s internal dichotomy between a cold corporate tyrant and the protective family man gives Braeden rich material to sink his teeth into. 

His emotional range allows Victor to oscillate from vindictive to vulnerable with ease. Critics have repeatedly praised Braeden’s performance as multi-faceted and “thrilling to watch.” 

Victor propels major storylines even today, thanks to Braeden’s enduring performance. The actor’s investment in Victor’s complexity lends him a gravitas unmatched by his costars. 

After over 30 Daytime Emmy nominations, Braeden’s work remains dynamic and fresh. Though a divisive figure, Victor is undeniably the cornerstone patriarch of the series. 

Eric Braeden is living life to the fullest after cancer recovery

In April 2023, beloved soap icon Braeden revealed a stage 1 bladder cancer diagnosis. After months of treatment, he announced in August that he was officially cancer-free based on test results. 

While not completely out of the woods, this marked a major positive milestone for the 80-year-old  Y & R star. Ever the fighter like his legendary character Victor Newman, Braeden has approached his cancer battle with a fierce determination to beat it. 

Now cancer-free for the time being, he is reveling in life with a joyous, youthful energy. This was evidenced recently when Braeden gleefully danced to the 90s song ‘Missing’ by Everything But the Girl in an Instagram video.

Beaming ear to ear and moving with grace and agility, belying his age, Braeden’s dance embodied a man grateful for his health and every new day. After staring down cancer, he cherishes his vitality perhaps more than ever. 

This infectious celebratory spirit uplifted his fans and costars, who loved seeing Braeden still thriving in his early 80s. He remains optimistic but aware that cancer can resurface. However, equipped with his signature grit and positive mindset, he tackles each moment to the fullest. 

Whether acting on Y&R’s set or dancing up a storm on Instagram, Eric Braeden proves that living purposefully and seizing joy breeds resilience – and that cancer doesn’t stand a chance against someone so fully embracing life.