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Slim Pickens’ net worth at his death in 1983 is estimated at about $2.7 million in today’s money. He was the gravel-voiced Western actor born Louis Bert Lindley Jr. You know him even if you don’t know the name — he’s the cowboy who rode the bomb in Dr. Strangelove and played Taggart in Blazing Saddles.
That $2.7 million is an inflation-adjusted estimate, not an audited figure. Below, you’ll find how a rodeo clown became a 150-credit Hollywood fixture, where his money came from, and the honest way to read a net worth number for someone who died more than 40 years ago.
Editor’s note — Adam Reed
I built this from his documented filmography, his rodeo record and his Hall of Fame inductions. What surprised me most? He did his own horseback stunts — no stand-in — which is rare even among Western stars. On the money: “$2.7 million” is widely cited as an inflation-adjusted estimate of his wealth at death. I’ve kept it clearly dated to 1983 rather than pretending it’s a live figure.
What was Slim Pickens’ net worth at death?
Slim Pickens’ net worth is estimated at roughly $2.7 million at his death in 1983, adjusted for inflation. No official record of his finances was ever published. So treat it as a widely-repeated estimate, not a confirmed number. Still, it fits the picture: a working actor with 150-plus credits, but never a top-billed leading man.
Who was Slim Pickens?
Slim Pickens was an American character actor, born June 29, 1919, in Kingsburg, California. His real name was Louis Bert Lindley Jr. He got his first horse at age four. By 12, he was a rodeo clown. At 16, he dropped out of school to join a rodeo full-time.
The stage name has a great origin. As a young rodeo hand, someone told him: “Why don’t you call yourself Slim Pickens, ’cause that’s shore what yore prize money’ll be.” He kept it for life. His brother Samuel also acted, under the name Easy Pickens.
The rodeo years that built him
Before Hollywood, Pickens worked the rodeo circuit for nearly two decades. He specialized in wild horse racing, Brahma bull riding and bronc busting. It was brutal work. By his own account, he broke almost every bone in his body — “17 broken bones on that side alone,” he once said of a single X-ray.
That real cowboy skill became his edge on screen. During filming, he could drive a six-horse stagecoach or gallop his own Appaloosas across the desert. And he needed no stand-in for horseback scenes — a rarity that made him genuinely valuable to Western directors.
His movies and famous roles
Pickens made his film debut in 1950’s Rocky Mountain. From there, the credits piled up. Two roles made him a legend for good:
- Dr. Strangelove (1964): as Major Kong, he famously rode a nuclear bomb like a bucking bronco — one of cinema’s most unforgettable images
- Blazing Saddles (1974): Mel Brooks’s Western spoof, where his comic timing shone
- The Cowboys (1972), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), 1941 (1979): steady work with major directors like John Wayne’s teams and Steven Spielberg
- The Black Hole (1979): he voiced the robot B.O.B., showing his range beyond the saddle
Across his career, he logged over 150 film and TV credits. He also guest-starred on nearly every classic Western series — Maverick, The Virginian, Gunsmoke-era TV and dozens more. His husky Texas-style twang and big frame made him instantly recognizable.
How Slim Pickens built his wealth
His money came from volume, not superstardom. Here’s the honest breakdown:
- Steady acting work: 150-plus roles over three decades — a reliable, hard-working career
- Character-actor pay: good, consistent money, but not the fees a leading man commands
- Rodeo earnings: nearly 20 years in the arena before films, though rodeo pay was modest
He summed up his own view perfectly: “Acting is like a license to steal. I know of no occupation where, with less money invested, you can make so much.” He planned to work until the end — and nearly did.
Wife, children and honors
Slim Pickens was married to Margaret. Together they had two daughters, Maggie Lou and Daryle Ann. Margaret outlived him by decades, dying in 2011. His honors matched his cowboy roots. He entered the Hall of Great Western Performers in 1982, the ProRodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Happy Canyon Hall of Fame in 2006.
His death
Slim Pickens died on December 8, 1983, at a hospital in Modesto, California. He was 64. The cause was a brain tumor. His funeral was held at the Presbyterian Church of the Forty-Niners in Columbia, California. As one friend put it: “We will all miss Slim. He had a lot of friends here on Persimmon Hill.”
Fast facts about Slim Pickens
- Real name Louis Bert Lindley Jr.; born June 29, 1919, in Kingsburg, California
- Worked as a rodeo clown for nearly two decades before acting
- Rode the nuclear bomb as Major Kong in Dr. Strangelove (1964)
- Played Taggart in Mel Brooks’s Blazing Saddles (1974)
- Did his own horseback stunts and logged 150-plus screen credits
- Died December 8, 1983, at 64 from a brain tumor
- Net worth estimated near $2.7 million at death (inflation-adjusted)
Why his story still matters
Slim Pickens’ legacy isn’t the “$2.7 million” line. It’s a face and a voice that still show up in film history’s greatest scenes. A real cowboy who turned rodeo scars into a 150-credit career, capped by riding a bomb into movie legend. His wealth was the steady kind, earned by never stopping. You’ll find more documented profiles in our Biography and Net Worth sections.
Frequently asked questions
What was Slim Pickens’ net worth?
It’s estimated at around $2.7 million at his death in 1983, adjusted for inflation. The figure was never officially confirmed, so read it as a historical estimate rather than a precise number.
What was Slim Pickens famous for?
Riding the nuclear bomb as Major Kong in Dr. Strangelove (1964), and playing Taggart in Blazing Saddles (1974). He appeared in over 150 films and TV shows.
What was Slim Pickens’ real name?
Louis Bert Lindley Jr. He took the stage name “Slim Pickens” during his rodeo days, after someone joked that slim pickings was all his prize money would be.
How did Slim Pickens die?
He died on December 8, 1983, at age 64, from a brain tumor, at a hospital in Modesto, California.
Did Slim Pickens do his own stunts?
Yes. A former rodeo pro, he did his own horseback scenes and needed no stand-in — driving stagecoaches and galloping his own Appaloosa horses on screen.
How we researched this profile
- I anchored to the documented record: his filmography, his rodeo history, his Hall of Fame inductions and his birth and death dates
- I treated the $2.7M as an estimate — widely cited and inflation-adjusted, but never officially confirmed
- I couldn’t independently verify: the exact net worth figure or his private finances — labelled as an estimate throughout
- I kept his own quotes where they were on the record, because they capture the man better than any summary
Disclosure: research tools help us gather public records, but every fact above was checked against the listed sources and reviewed by the editor before publishing. FindNetworth has no financial relationship with anyone profiled — see our Editorial Policy.
Sources
- IMDb — Slim Pickens’ full film and television filmography
- National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum — his 1982 Hall of Great Western Performers induction
- ProRodeo Hall of Fame — his 2005 induction and rodeo career
- Classic-film and Western-cinema history coverage of Dr. Strangelove and Blazing Saddles