Macaulay Culkin has come a long way from a child star in Home Alone movies he was almost 30 years ago. His life had many ups and downs and in the process, he managed to earn some serious money.
Macaulay Carson Culkin was born in 1980, in New York City. His father, Christopher Cornelius “Kit” Culkin, was also an actor, famous for his Broadway performances. His mother is Patricia Brentrup. Macaulay’s parents never officially married but had seven children together.
Macauley had four brothers and two sisters, Shane, Dakota, Kieran, Quinn, Christian, and Rory. Patricia worked as a telephone operator and Christopher as a sacristan at a local Catholic church, so they couldn’t afford a big house. The family lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment.
They raised their children as Roman Catholic and Macaulay attended St. Joseph’s School of Yorkville, before enrolling in Professional Children’s School.
Macaulay got into acting when he was just four years old. He appeared in New York Philharmonic’s stage production of Bach Babies. During the 1980s, he had several roles on stage and TV.
His first movie role was in Rocket Gibraltar in 1988, starring Burt Lancaster. Macaulay played the role of Cy Blue Black. Next year he got a role in See You in the Morning, alongside Jeff Bridges, Alice Krige, Farrah Fawcett and Drew Barrymore. In the same year, he starred in Uncle Buck with John Candy.
In 1990, Home Alone was released and propelled Macaulay to stardom. The movie was an instant success at the box offices and brought him Academy Award and Young Artist Award, as well as a nomination for Golden Globe. Roles continued to come his way.
He appeared in Michael Jackson’s video Black and White, hosted Saturday Night Live, starred in My Girl, for which he got a nomination for Best On-Screen Duo and won Best Kiss at MTV Movie Awards.
In 1992, he filmed Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (with a cameo by Donald Trump). 1994 was especially productive for him when he made three movies Getting Even with Dad, The Pagemaster, and Richie Rich. After that, he announced that he is taking a break from acting, having made 15 movies in just seven years.
Looking for a normal life, he enrolled in a private high school in New York. His next role was an appearance in Sonic Youth’s video Sunday in 1998 after he returns to secrecy.
Macaulay decided to start acting again in 2000. He had a role in Madame Melville, a play that was performed in London’s West End. In 2003, he made a guest appearance in Will and Grace and in the same year had a role in movie Party Monster.
In 2004, he was arrested for drug possession and received a suspended one-year prison sentence. He starred in Sex and Breakfast and in Saved.
Culkin married Rachel Miner in 1998. The couple didn’t have any children and divorced in 2002. He then dated Mia Kunis for four years before they split up.
During his career, Culkin made several highly controversial decisions. One of them was his involvement in Michael Jackson’s trial. Culkin and Jacksons were great friends ever since Macaulay appeared in Black and White video in 1992. He was even a godfather to Jackson’s children, Paris Prince, and Michael Jr.
Macaulay Culkin was a star when he was just ten. By 12, he became a millionaire. Although his first Home Alone movie brought him just $100,000, it opened all Hollywood doors for him.
His fees increased exponentially and for Home Alone 2 he got a cheque for $4,500,000. The movie grossed over $285 million and to this day, Culkin remains the best-paid child actor in history.
Macaulay Culkin’s net worth is estimated at $18 million, including a luxurious condo he has in Le Poisson Rouge. Most of his wealth came from his movie and TV appearances, but he also got a handsome fee for a book he published.
In 20018, he filmed a commercial for Google assistant, where he reprised his role in Home Alone as a parody. Although his life is a perfect example that money can’t buy happiness, hopefully, he can ditch his addiction and return to acting.
Cristina Alexander 
Jeon