Paula Prentiss Net Worth, Husband Richard Benjamin and Films

Paula Prentiss net worth is a frequent search for fans of 1960s Hollywood comedies. She has never shared a figure, and no trustworthy outlet has published one.

What is clear is a long career. She went from a Northwestern drama student to an MGM contract player, then to Catch-22, The Parallax View and The Stepford Wives.

Below is the verified story of her work, money and marriage, without the made-up numbers.

Paula Prentiss net worth: what we can confirm

Her salaries from MGM and later films were never made public, and there is no reliable estimate of her wealth [1]. Treat any number online as a guess.

Her income came from studio contracts in the early 1960s, film and TV roles through the 1980s, stage work, and residuals from classic films that still air today.

From San Antonio to MGM

She was born Paula Ragusa in San Antonio, the elder daughter of a social sciences professor. Her younger sister, Ann Prentiss, also became an actress.

She was 5 ft 10 in and often the tallest girl in class. After starting as a pre-med student, she switched to drama at Northwestern University, where MGM discovered her. She graduated in 1959.

Her breakout came as Tuggle in Where the Boys Are in 1960. MGM paired her with the equally tall Jim Hutton in three more comedies and sold them as a new screen couple.

Hits, a breakdown and a comeback

Howard Hawks cast her opposite Rock Hudson in Man’s Favorite Sport? in 1964. She then worked with Peter Sellers in What’s New Pussycat? in 1965.

During that shoot she suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized for nine months, as she later told People [2]. She spoke about it openly, which was rare for a star of that time.

She came back strong as Nurse Duckett in Catch-22 in 1970 and as the second lead in The Stepford Wives in 1975. She also appeared in Billy Wilder’s last film, Buddy Buddy, in 1981.

Paula Prentiss husband Richard Benjamin

She met actor and director Richard Benjamin at Northwestern in 1958, and they married in 1961 [1]. That makes their marriage more than 60 years long, one of the longest in Hollywood.

They starred together in the CBS sitcom He & She from 1967 to 1968, which earned her an Emmy nomination. They later shared the stage in The Norman Conquests on Broadway in 1976.

The couple have two adult children, a son and a daughter. For more lasting Hollywood marriages, read about Jonathan Frakes and Genie Francis.

A street, a legacy and a cult film

San Antonio has a street named after her. Critics still praise her comic timing, and Filmink called her a true heir to Carole Lombard.

After more than 30 years away from feature films, she returned in Oz Perkins’s horror film I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2016.

See also Helen Reddy and Jerry Mathers for more classic stars.

Paula Prentiss movies: a career timeline

Prentiss worked steadily for more than five decades, moving between studio comedies, serious drama and television. These are the credits that defined each stage of her career.

MGM first paired her with Jim Hutton four times and sold them as a new William Powell and Myrna Loy team. Later she often worked with her husband, on He & She, on Broadway in The Norman Conquests in 1976 and in films such as Saturday the 14th.

Film magazine Filmink later called her the heir to Carole Lombard and Kay Kendall, able to play eccentric comedy and sensitive drama.

Checked facts

Sources

1. Paula Prentiss (Wikipedia)
2. Dick Benjamin and Paula Prentiss (People, 1976)
3. The Stepford Wives review (RogerEbert.com)