Kate Del Castillo Net Worth

What is Kate del Castillo's net worth?

Kate del Castillo is a Mexican actress who has a net worth of $12 million. Kate del Castillo is a Mexican-American actress who became famous for her lead role on the telenovela "Muchachitas." In 2011, she gained global recognition for starring on the popular Telemundo series "La reina del sur." Del Castillo has appeared in many other telenovelas, as well as in films including "American Visa," "Bordertown," "Under the Same Moon," and "Bad Boys for Life." She is also known for starring in the film, "Under the Same Moon", which was for a time the highest grossing Spanish-language film in the US.

Kate is somewhat notorious for her association with the drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. In 2012, Kate Tweeted that she trusted El Chapo more than the Mexican government. After sending out the Tweet, a representative of El Chapo sent her flowers and a thank you note. That interaction apparently kicked off a friendship.

In January 2016, it was revealed that Kate helped arrange a meeting between Sean Penn and the escaped billionaire drug lord that took place in October 2015. When she arranged the meeting with Penn, it was to discuss the possibility of creating a biographical film about the drug lord. The meeting ultimately helped authorities capture and extradite El Chapo to the United States where in 2019 he was found guilty of charges relating to his leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel and eventually sentenced to life in prison.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Kate del Castillo was born in 1972 in Mexico City, Mexico. Her father, Eric del Castillo, is famous soap opera actor and star of Mexican cinema. Del Castillo has a sister, Verónica, as well as a half-brother, Ponciano, from her father's side of the family.

In 1978, del Castillo made her acting debut in "Los de abajo." However, her breakthrough role came in 1991 when, at the age of 19, she was cast in the telenovela "Muchachitas." The actress played the role of Leticia, one of a group of four girls who enroll in an arts academy to pursue singing and acting careers. The next year, del Castillo starred in "Mágica juventud," and appeared on "Imperio de cristal" in 1994.

Telenovelas and American TV

Del Castillo continued to find success on telenovelas throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. In 1996 she starred in "Azul" as a young woman who cares for dolphins at an amusement park in Mexico City. The following year, she was cast in the lead role of Ana Hernández López on the long-running "Alguna vez tendremos alas." In 1998, she starred opposite Guy Ecker as the female protagonist of "La Mentira." More telenovela leading roles came with 2000's "Ramona," 2001's "El derecho de nacer," and "Bajo la misma piel," which ran from 2003 to 2004.

Del Castillo made her debut on American television in 2003, when she was cast in a recurring role on the PBS series "American Family." Starring Edward James Olmos and Sônia Braga, the program was the first broadcast television drama series to feature a predominantly Latinx cast. Del Castillo landed another recurring role in 2009 on the Showtime series "Weeds," playing a powerful Mexican politician. She later appeared on episodes of such American programs as "CSI: Miami," "Grimm," "Killer Women," and "Jane the Virgin."

La reina del sur

In 2011, del Castillo found her greatest success yet as the lead of the Telemundo telenovela "La reina del sur," which is based on the novel of the same name. The show, among the most expensive telenovelas ever produced by Telemundo, stars del Castillo as Teresa Mendoza, a Mexican woman who rises the ranks of the international drug trafficking world. The show shot del Castillo to international superstardom, and in 2020 was renewed for a third season.

Continuing her partnership with Telemundo, del Castillo starred in 2015's "Dueños del paraíso," which also focused on the drug trade. In 2017, the actress was cast as the fictional First Lady of Mexico in the Netflix political drama series "Ingobernable."

Film Career

After starring in the Bolivian/Mexican film "American Visa," del Castillo made her Hollywood screen debut in Gregory Nava's "Bordertown." Inspired by true events around the murders of several women in Ciudad Juárez, the film starred Jennifer Lopez, Martin Sheen, and Antonio Banderas. Del Castillo went on to appear in the Swedish drama "The Black Pimpernel," the crime drama "Julia," starring Tilda Swinton, and the prison drama "K-11." In 2007, the actress had one of her biggest movie roles as the lead of the Mexican-American drama "Under the Same Moon," about a single mother who crosses undocumented from Mexico to California.

Del Castillo has appeared in a number of other American films, including the thriller "No Good Deed," with Idris Elba; the survival drama "The 33," based on the 2010 mining disaster in Chile; and "El Chicano," a Latino superhero film. In 2020, del Castillo played the ex-lover of Will Smith's character in the blockbuster action sequel "Bad Boys for Life."

Personal Life and El Chapo Controversy

Early on in her career, del Castillo dated Emilio Azcarraga Jean, who is now the CEO of the biggest mass media company in Latin America. Later, in 2001, she married football player Luis García; they divorced in 2004. In 2009, del Castillo wed actor Aarón Díaz, and then divorced him in 2012. Residing in Los Angeles, she became a US citizen in 2015.

In 2012, del Castillo posted a message on Twitter directed to drug lord Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as El Chapo, that expressed how del Castillo had more faith in Guzmán than in the Mexican government. Although she was unaware, Guzmán was a longtime fan of the actress, even harboring romantic feelings for her. After Guzmán's capture, his lawyer contacted del Castillo about making a biographical film about the man, conferring on her the rights to his life. Because of this, del Castillo was unwittingly placed under surveillance. She subsequently brokered an interview between Guzmán and actor Sean Penn, shortly before Guzmán was recaptured by authorities.

The actions of del Castillo and Penn remain under investigation. After being subpoenaed in January of 2016, the actress filed a petition for an injunction against arrest related to the investigation. The Attorney General of Mexico issued a detain-and-interrogate order that would become effective if del Castillo entered Mexico; since then, the actress has not stepped foot into the country.

Real Estate

In May 2010, Kate paid $2.29 million for a home in LA's Brentwood neighborhood. She sold this home in January 2023 for $4.7 million.

In March 2023, Kate paid $5.375 million for a 5,500 square foot gated home in Encino, California.