Kitty O’Neil’s Net Worth: Google commemorated Kitty O’Neil, an American stuntwoman, on Friday, her 77th birthday. The native of Texas passed away in 2018 at the age of 72. She was once called the “world’s fastest lady.” What is her net worth?
Kitty O’Neil Bio
Kitty O’Neil was born in Corpus Christi in 1946 to Patsy Compton O’Neil, a native Cherokee, and John O’Neil, who served as an officer in the United States Army Air Forces. Tragically, her father perished in a plane crash when she was young. Despite getting various ailments as a baby that led to her becoming deaf due to an extreme fever, O’Neil went on to become known as the “world’s fastest lady.” She even tried out high-speed sports such as water skiing and motorbike racing.
The Kelly Family App has created a Doodle to honor Kitty’s life alongside a rocket-powered vehicle. The deaf guest artist from Washington, DC, Meeya Tjiang, designed the artwork. Despite her disability, Kitty learned several communication techniques and enjoyed driving. Unfortunately, an injury and illness ended her career as a driver. However, Google notes that she remained determined to achieve her dream of becoming a professional athlete.
Then, Kitty experimented with hobbies such as water skiing and motorbike racing. She also performed acts such as plummeting from terrifying heights while ablaze.
In the 1970s, she started out as a stunt woman. She appeared in The Bionic Woman (1976) and Wonder Woman (1977-1979) and was the first woman to join Stunts Unlimited, an organization comprised of Hollywood’s best stunt performers.
Kitty O’Neil’s Net Worth
In 2021-22, her net worth has increased dramatically. Thus, how much is Kitty O’Neil worth at 72 years old? Kitty O’Neil derives most of her money from being a professional Stunt.
She is from the USA. We have estimated Kitty O’Neil’s net worth, income, assets, and money.
- Net Worth in 2022 $1 Million – $5 Million(source: celebheightwiki)
- Salary in 2022 Under Review
- Net Worth in 2021 Pending
- Salary in 2021 Under Review
- House Not Available
- Cars Not Available
- Source of Income Stunts
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What Was the Cause of Kitty O’Neil’s Death?
She died of pneumonia in Eureka, South Dakota, on November 2, 2018, at the age of 72. In 2019, she was featured in the In Memoriam segment of the Academy Awards.
The Career of Kitty O’Neil
Racing and Stunt Profession
In 1970, O’Neil began competing in sea and landraces, including the Baja 500 and the Mint 400. She met stuntmen Hal Needham and Ron Hambleton while racing motorcycles, and lived with Hambleton, giving up racing for a period.
She began stunt work in the mid-1970s, training with Needham, Hambleton, and Dar Robinson. She was the first woman to perform for the leading stunt agency, Stunts Unlimited, in 1976.
She appeared in The Bionic Woman, Airport ’77, The Blues Brothers, Smokey and the Bandit II, and other television and film productions as a stuntwoman. In 1978, her daredevil career inspired a Kitty O’Neil action figure, created by Mattel.
In a 1979 episode of Wonder Woman, O’Neil was hired to perform a difficult stunt for Lynda Carter’s regular stunt double, Jeannie Epper.
In the process, she set a women’s high-fall record of 127 feet (39 m) at the 12-story Valley Hilton in Sherman Oaks, California. She credited her small size, at 5′-2″ and 97 pounds (44 kg), for allowing her to withstand impact forces.
Later, she broke her own record by falling 55 meters (180 feet) from a helicopter. In 1977, O’Neil set a women’s record for speed on the water of 275 miles per hour (443 km/h), and she held a 1970 women’s water skiing record of 104.85 miles per hour (168.74 km/h).
Land Speed Record
On 6 December 1976, in southeastern Oregon’s Alvord Desert, O’Neil set the land-speed record for female drivers. She piloted a $350,000 (equivalent to $1,750,000 in 2021) hydrogen peroxide-powered, three-wheeled rocket car named “SMI Motivator” that was constructed by Bill Fredrick.
It reached an average speed of 512.710 mph (825.127 km/h), with a peak speed of 621 miles per hour (999 km/h).
O’Neil’s runs allegedly utilized 60% of the available thrust, and she calculated that with full power, she could have exceeded 700 miles per hour (1,100 kilometers per hour).
Her Contract
Restrained by her contract, O’Neil struggled with sponsors at the time. She was obligated to allow Hal Needham to set the overall land speed record. Her contract prohibited her from exceeding 400 miles per hour (640 kilometers per hour).
Needham’s sponsor, the toy firm Marvin Glass and Associates, was constructing a Hal Needham action figure and secured an injunction to prevent O’Neil from producing additional figures.
A spokesperson was quoted (incorrectly, according to Sports Illustrated) as saying that a woman setting a land speed record is “unbecoming and demeaning.”
Needham did not establish the record or even drive the car, and O’Neil and Hambleton’s legal bid to enable O’Neil another attempt was unsuccessful. The sponsors received unfavorable press for removing O’Neil from the car, and the Needham action figurines were not distributed.
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