Once upon a time, there was Jean Smart, a little girl who aspired to become a veterinarian. But then her interest in the arts was awakened in the final year of high school and she took professional training as an actress. After that, she made her professional debut in the theatre scene of the Pacific Northwest before she made her screen debut in the late 70s. Today, Smart is one of Hollywood’s most revered actresses and has appeared in several comedy blockbusters. Her undeniable talent has also earned her a number of prizes and awards, including three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Critics’ Choice Television Awards.
An Overview of Jean Smart’s Most Profitable Movies
Since its professional screen debut at the end of the 1970s, Smart has acquired an impressive filmography that includes numerous films and television series. On the big screen alone, the Seattle native has worked on no fewer than 35 films, most of which have been commercially quite successful. Let’s take a look at them.
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
One of the most famous is the 2002 film Sweet Home Alabama, in which Jean played the role of Stella Kay Perry, the disapproving mother-in-law of the main character Melanie Carmichael (played by Reese Witherspoon). The film was shot on a $30 million budget and received mixed reviews from critics. It proved to be a commercial success, however, as it brought in 180.6 million dollars at the box office.
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Bringing Down the House (2003)
On 7 March 2003, the comedy Bringing Down the House was released. Jean Smart portrayed the character of Kate Sanderson, and the film was a critical and commercial success. It has an 87% approval rate for Rotten Tomatoes and generated a gross profit of $164.7 million on a budget of $33 million.
Hope Springs (2012)
Another Jean Schmidt film that has been both a critical and commercial success is Hope Springs, a 2012 romantic drama about an old couple trying to rekindle the spark in their union. In the film, Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones played the part of Eileen, while Smart played the role of Eileen. Hope Springs was praised for its handling of mature relationships, achieving $114.3 million on a $30 million budget.
The Accountant (2016)
The Accountant is a 2016 action thriller about a savvy accountant who tries to uncover embezzlement at a robotics company. The film features Anna Kendrick and Ben Affleck, while Smart portrays an executive of the company named Rita Blackburn. The accountant reaped more than three times her budget and earned $155 million from a budget of $44 million. She also received praise for her action-packed plan.
Her Commercial Hits That Were Panned
Some of Jean Smart’s films have had a successful start in the cinemas despite a critical failure. A good example is the comedy-drama Life as we know it from 2010, which is about two young people, Eric and Holly, who are forced to care for their friends’ orphaned child in a very confined space. In the film, Smart played the role of Holly’s mother, Mrs. Berenson. Life As We Know It was panned because of the formulaic plot and poorly written script. However, it impressed the moviegoers as it brought in $105.7 million on a budget of $38 million.
Another profitable Jean Smart film that the critics didn’t like is Disney’s The Kids. It is a fantasy comedy-drama from 2000 about an abrading consultant who is forced to re-examine his life after meeting a boy who looks strikingly like him. Disney’s The Kids featured Bruce Willis and Spencer Breslin, while Smart played the character of Deirdre Lafever. The film received mixed reviews, with one critic describing its message as “annoyingly simplistic”. Still, on a budget of $65 million, it grossed $110.3 million.
How Much Is The Actress Worth?
Smart has an estimated net worth of $4 million, and she owes that largely to her career. The Seattle-born actress is lucky because she has enjoyed a longevity that is quite rare in Hollywood. While the careers of most people, especially women, decline with age, the case of Smart was the opposite, as she continued to attract a steady stream of work.
In 2019, for example, she got the role of detective Laurie Blake in the HBO series Watchmen. Watchmen is based on a DC comic, and in it Smart portrays a former vigilante who has turned into an FBI agent and is working to bring down white racists. Her performance has earned her several accolades, but she takes it all in stride. The actress says she is simply happy to entertain audiences to this day and counts herself as extraordinarily happy.
Facts to Know About The Family of Jean Smart
It is often said that opposites attract, but that is not the case with Jean Smart. The Watchmen star is happily married to a fellow actor named Richard Gilliland. Gilliland was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and began his career around the same time as his wife. Since then he has appeared in several movies and television series, including 24, Crossing Jordan, Designing Women, The White Buffalo, Operation Petticoat, Happy Hour, and The Practice.
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Back to the couple’s love story: Smart met her husband in 1987 on the set of the successful TV sitcom Designing Women. She was immediately attracted to him and recruited the help of her co-stars to get his attention. The two then began dating, and in June 1987 they formed a marriage bond. The couple has been together ever since, and their union has proven its worth in the meantime.
They have taken in two children: Connor Douglas and Bonnie Kathleen. The former was born in October 1989, and the latter adopted her in 2009. In a 2017 interview with Northwest Prime Time, Smart described her children as sweet, good people and stressed that she was grateful for them.