Emma Andersson Karlsson
$300 thousand
Ellen Barkin has an estimated net worth of $80 million. Born Ellen Rona Barkin, she is an American actress and producer with a career spanning more than four decades in Hollywood. Barkin broke through with her role in Barry Levinson’s Diner (1982) and built a reputation as one of the most compelling screen presences of the 1980s and 1990s. A significant portion of her net worth derives from a $40 million-plus divorce settlement from billionaire financier Ronald O. Perelman in 2006, as well as a $20 million jewelry auction that same year.
Updated March 2026: According to the New York Post, the West Village townhouse at 153 West 12th Street that Barkin sold in 2023 for $11 million was relisted by its new owners in October 2025 at $23 million — more than double Barkin’s exit price. Her net worth is estimated at $80 million, driven by decades of film and television work and the substantial Perelman settlement.
Ellen Rona Barkin was born on April 16, 1954, in the Bronx, New York. She grew up in Flushing, Queens, and attended Kingsborough Community College before transferring to Hunter College, where she studied acting. She went on to train at the Actors Studio in New York City — one of the most prestigious acting programs in the world — under the same institution that trained Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro. Barkin began her career in off-Broadway productions before transitioning to film.
Barkin’s feature film debut came in 1982 with Barry Levinson’s Diner, where she established her distinct screen presence alongside a cast that included Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, and Jeff Bridges. She followed that with leading roles in The Big Easy (1986) opposite Dennis Quaid and Sea of Love (1989) opposite Al Pacino — both of which were box office successes that cemented her status as a leading dramatic actress. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the television film Before Women Had Wings (1997). On Broadway, Barkin won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Normal Heart (2011), starring alongside Joe Mantello and Jim Parsons. Her television career peaked with the critically acclaimed cable drama Animal Kingdom (TNT, 2016–2019), where she played Smurf, the matriarch of a criminal family, appearing in 49 episodes. Her performance earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, per IMDb.
Ellen Barkin was married to Irish actor Gabriel Byrne from 1988 to 1999. The couple have two children together: Jack Daniel Byrne (born 1989) and Romy Marion Byrne (born 1992). In 2000, she married cosmetics and media mogul Ronald O. Perelman; they divorced in 2006 after six years. The divorce generated extensive media coverage due to the scale of the settlement, including the record-breaking jewelry auction at Christie’s. Barkin has been publicly active on social media, known for outspoken political commentary. She sold her longtime West Village, Manhattan townhouse in 2023 for $11 million; that property was subsequently listed by its new owners at $23 million in October 2025, per the New York Post.
Ellen Barkin’s net worth is estimated at $80 million. Her wealth derives from four decades of film and television acting, a divorce settlement from billionaire Ronald O. Perelman estimated at over $40 million, and a 2006 jewelry auction at Christie’s that generated over $20 million. Her Emmy- and Tony Award-winning career also produced significant acting income over the decades.
Ellen Barkin was married twice. Her first marriage was to Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, from 1988 to 1999; they have two children together, Jack Daniel Byrne and Romy Marion Byrne. Her second marriage was to cosmetics billionaire Ronald O. Perelman, from 2000 to 2006. Her divorce from Perelman produced a settlement estimated at over $40 million and a record-breaking jewelry auction at Christie’s.
Ellen Barkin was born on April 16, 1954, in the Bronx, New York. She is 71 years old as of March 2026. She trained at the Actors Studio in New York City and began her film career with Diner in 1982, going on to become one of the most recognized dramatic actresses of her generation.
Ellen Barkin stands 5 feet 6 inches tall (1.68 m). Her height, combined with her distinctive features, made her one of the most physically compelling leading ladies of 1980s and 1990s Hollywood cinema.
Ellen Barkin has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for Before Women Had Wings (1997) and a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Normal Heart on Broadway (2011), per IMDb. She received additional Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her work in the cable drama Animal Kingdom (2016–2019), where she played the family matriarch Smurf across 49 episodes.
Ellen Barkin has two children with her first husband, actor Gabriel Byrne: a son, Jack Daniel Byrne (born 1989), and a daughter, Romy Marion Byrne (born 1992). Both children have maintained relatively private lives. Barkin was married to Byrne from 1988 to 1999 before her subsequent marriage to Ronald O. Perelman.