Category:
Net Worth:
$10 Million
Birthdate:
Mar 15, 1959 (65 years old)
Birthplace:
Riihimki
Gender:
Male
Height:
6 ft 3 in (1.93 m)
Profession:
Film director, Actor, Film Producer, Television Director, Screenwriter, Cinematographer
Nationality:
Finland
Renny Harlin is a Finnish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor who has a net worth of $10 million. Renny Harlin has directed more than 20 films, including “Born American” (1986), “Prison” (1987), “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” (1988), “Die Hard 2” (1990), “Cliffhanger” (1993), “The Covenant” (2006), and “The Legend of Hercules” (2014). Renny has appeared in several of his films, and he wrote “Born American” and “The Legend of Hercules.” Harlin has produced seven of his films as well as “Rambling Rose” (1991), “Speechless” (1994), and “Blast from the Past” (1999). His films have grossed more than $1 billion, and 1993’s “Cliffhanger” made it into the “Guinness Book of World Records” for “Most expensive film stunt performed in the air” ($1 million). Renny was formerly married to Geena Davis, who starred in his films “Cutthroat Island” (1995) and “The Long Kiss Goodnight” (1996).
Renny Harlin was born Renny Lauri Mauritz Harjola on March 15, 1959, in Riihimki, Finland. Harlin is the son of Oiva Harjola, who was a chief physician at Riihimki Hospital, and nurse Liisa Koskiluoma. His father’s original surname was Harlin, and Renny adopted it in 1987. Harlin’s half-brother, Veli-Pekka Harjola, is a sprint canoeist who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics. Renny studied film at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, but he dropped out before earning his degree.
After leaving the University of Art and Design Helsinki, Harlin began directing company films and commercials. He also made a few short films, writing and directing 1980’s “Huostaanotto” and directing and producing 1981’s “Kohtauspaikka 33.” Renny later took a job as a buyer for a Finnish film distributor, and after he met Markus Selin, a fellow Finn, in 1982 in Los Angeles, the two co-wrote a screenplay called “Arctic Heat.” The movie eventually became known as “Born American,” and after the duo secured financing from the United States, it was released in 1986, becoming the most expensive movie filmed in Finland at the time. That year Harlin and Selin launched the production company Larmark Productions. After directing “Born American,” Renny helmed the 1987 film “Prison,” followed by 1988’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master,” which grossed $49.4 million against a $6.5 million budget. The slasher earned three Saturn Award nominations from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, including Best Director and Best Horror Film. In 1990, Harlin directed “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane” as well as the blockbuster “Die Hard 2,” which brought in $240 million at the box office. Next, he produced the 1991 Independent Spirit Award-winning drama “Rambling Rose.”
In 1992, Harlin, Selin, and several businessmen founded Planet FunFun, an indoor amusement park in Kerava, Finland. The park closed in 1995. Renny directed Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow in the 1993 action thriller “Cliffhanger,” which grossed $255 million at the box office. He produced 1994’s “Speechless,” then he directed and produced “Cutthroat Island” (1995) and “The Long Kiss Goodnight” (1996) and produced “Mistrial” (1996) and “Blast from the Past” (1999).
“Cutthroat Island” is considered one of the biggest flops in movie history. The movie cost $115 million to make and ended up only earning $11 million globally. The failure is also generally considered to have stalled his then-wife Geena Davis’ career.
Harlin finished out the decade by directing the 1999 sci-fi action film “Deep Blue Sea,” which earned $164.6 million. In the ’90s, he was also a writer, director, and producer on the Finnish TV competition “Gladiaattorit” (19931994). Renny reunited with Sylvester Stallone on 2001’s “Driven,” which the two co-produced; Stallone wrote the film’s screenplay. Harlin directed the 2004 films “Mindhunters” and “Exorcist: The Beginning,” and he also produced “Mindhunters.” He then directed the 2006 supernatural horror film “The Covenant,” the 2007 Samuel L. Jackson thriller “Cleaner,” and the 2009 action film “12 Rounds.”
From 2011 to 2013, Renny directed episodes of the USA Network shows “Burn Notice,” (4), “White Collar” (1), “Covert Affairs” (1), and “Graceland” (3). He produced the 2011 film “The Resident,” then he directed and produced “5 Days of War” (2011) and “Devil’s Pass” (2013). Harlin co-wrote, directed, and produced the 2014 fantasy film “The Legend of Hercules,” and he directed 2016’s “Skiptrace,” 2018’s “Legend of the Ancient Sword,” 2019’s “Bodies at Rest,” and 2021’s “The Misfits” and “Reunion 3: Singles Cruise.” In September 2022, it was reported that Renny would direct a remake of the 2008 horror movie “The Strangers” with “Riverdale” star Madelaine Petsch in the lead role and that it would be the first film in a new trilogy.
Renny married actress Geena Davis on September 18, 1993. Davis filed for divorce after Tiffany Bowne, her personal secretary, gave birth to Harlin’s son, Luukas (better known as Luke), in August 1997, and the divorce was finalized in June 1998. Renny wed schoolteacher/fitness athlete Johanna Kokkila in September 2021, and they welcomed daughter Coco on July 19, 2022.
In 1991, Harlin was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Jussi at the Jussi Awards, and the following year, “Rambling Rose” won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature. At the 2013 Neuchtel International Fantastic Film Festival, “Devil’s Pass” received the Titra Film Award and earned a Narcisse Award nomination for Best Feature Film. For “Prison,” Renny received a Grand Prize nomination at the 1988 Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival and an International Fantasy Film Award nomination for Best Film at the 1990 Fantasporto festival. “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” earned him a Saturn Award nomination for Best Director, a Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Award nomination for Best Film, and a Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival nomination for Best Film.
In 2004, Harlin paid $1.7 million for a 2,756 square foot home in Venice, California. He put the three-level home on the market for $1.999 million in April 2012, and it sold for $1.83 million at the end of the year. The home includes three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and an office.
