Beloved 70s TV star left behind 8-figure fortune despite becoming recluse

A Hollywood icon who became a recluse before his death in 1998 left behind a staggering fortune. Hawaii 5-0 star Jack Lord was best known for his film roles, including in James Bond's Dr. No and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., as well as his recurring role as Steve McGarrett on the cop show. Early on in his career, however, he turned down a huge opportunity - to play James T Kirk in Star Trek, a job that eventually went to William Shatner.

Jack was incredibly financially savvy, requesting a third ownership of Hawaii 5-0 before he agreed to star in it. After creator Leonard Freeman died in 1974, he took over 100% creative control of the series - and the rest was history.

Jack was a well known negotiator when it came to his contracts, going on to get 25% of the short-lived Stoney Burke, which ran for just one season. He explained in 1969: "Stoney was the most successful flop in TV history.

"As soon as it went off the network it went into syndication. Only 163 network stations carried it for ABC, but 210 stations carried it in syndication. It was very popular for most of them. I'm still getting money from Stoney Burke. I own 25% of it."

Jack tied the knot with his second wife Marie in 1949, and the pair remained together until his death in 1998. A decade before he died, the pair set up a charitable fund together with the Hawaii Community Foundation, paying in $50,000 to start with and choosing 12 separate charities to support.

In the next ten years, they gave $750,000 to the foundation. Marie, who lived to be 100, left their entire estate to the foundation - worth $40million in 2005. That's the equivalent of around $65million now (approximately £47million).

Now the fund continues to generate between $1.6million and $2million a year to provide funding for the couple's 12 chosen charities. According to Celebrity Net Worth, each charity receives between $32,000 and $340,000 each year.