Many The Young and the Restless fans want to know what Eric Braeden receives as his salary per episode, considering his veteran status on the soap opera and overall impressive net worth. Braeden began appearing on the long-running TV show in 1980 as Victor Newman. What some fans of The Young and the Restless may not know is that Victor was only supposed to be a guest character but Braeden’s performance was so effective, they decided to keep him around, a sign of his talents as an actor.
This talent is what earned Braeden plenty of non-soap opera opportunities, including starring in the TV show The Rat Patrol as Captain Hans Dietrich, playing multiple characters in Gunsmoke, and having a recurring part in Combat! His film credits include Titanic as John Jacob Astor IV and Escape from the Planet of the Apes as Dr. Otto Hasslein. He remains married to his college sweetheart, Dale Russell, whom he wed in 1966, and his life of performances in soaps and other productions has netted him a significant net worth.
It’s Unknown How Much Eric Braeden Makes Per Y&R Episode
Braeden Has A Net Worth Of $20 Million
While Eric Braeden’s salary per episode of The Young and the Restless has not been released to the public, it’s known that the actor has a net worth of $20 million (via Celebrity Net Worth). Braeden has appeared in over 4000 episodes of The Young and the Restless, as well as nearly 100 productions altogether. This is a significant amount of work and his large fortune begins to make more sense after looking at that filmography.
Braeden also renegotiated his The Young and Restless contract in 2012 and likely began earning significantly more per episode at that point.
Braeden also renegotiated his The Young and Restless contract in 2012 and likely began earning significantly more per episode at that point (via EW). Braeden’s $20 million fortune makes him one of the richest soap opera stars of all time (via Looper), only being surpassed by a handful of other actors.
Eric Braeden’s Age & Height
Braeden Is An Aries
Eric Braeden was born on April 3, 1941, in Bredenbek, Germany, as Hans-Jörg Gudegast, making him 83 in the summer of 2024. Braeden changed his name in the 1960s when Lew Wasserman of Universal Pictures told him no one would hire him with his German-sounding name (via University of Montana). Braeden is listed as 6′ 1″ on IMDb but 6′ 2″ on SoapCentral, so 6′ 1 1/2″ is likely an accurate assumption.
Braeden is an Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac, and a fire sign in the shape of a ram. According to Allure, Aries signs are bold and ambitious, and Braeden certainly displayed those traits when he decided he wanted to be a movie and TV star in America as a German, only a few years after WWII. Aries signs are upbeat and positive and enjoy living life to the fullest. With Braeden’s long career of roles, he’s clearly packed in as much as possible.
Eric Braeden Survived The Sinking Of The MV Wilhelm Gustloff During WWII
Braeden Then Went On To Appear In A Movie About A Sinking Ship
Braeden discusses in his autobiography, I’ll Be Damned, that he was on the civilian ship MV Wilhelm Gustloff when it was sunk in 1945. This ship was filled with German civilians and soldiers fleeing the approaching Russians towards the end of the war. However, the Russian navy was waiting in the Baltic Sea and sank the ship, claiming over 9000 lives (via Smithsonian Magazine).
It’s a tragedy that Eric Braeden thankfully managed to survive and one he paid homage to when he appeared in James Cameron’s Titanic as the real-life John Jacob Astor IV. Astor died on the luxury liner and the character can be last seen grabbing a pillar as the dome collapses and, in a deleted scene, shaking Benjamin Guggenheim’s (Michael Ensign) hand.
