Billy Ray Cyrus has a net worth of $20 million as a country music singer, songwriter, and actor in the United States. He is best known for being Miley Cyrus’ father, but he has had a successful musical career of his own.
Early Years
On August 25, 1961, in Flatwoods, Kentucky, Billy Ray Cyrus was born to Ron Cyrus, a politician and former steelworker, and Ruth Ann Casto. By the age of four, Cyrus had already demonstrated his vocal prowess. In 1966, his parents split. His grandfather was a Pentecostal minister, and he grew up listening to gospel and bluegrass music. He received a baseball scholarship to Georgetown College, but dropped out in his junior year to pursue music.
A Career in Music
While hoping to land a record deal, Cyrus was a member of the band Sly Dog and lived in his neighbor’s car. When he landed a contract with Mercury Nashville Records and opened for Reba McEntire, his luck changed. In 1992, Cyrus released his first album, “Some Gave All.” It was an immediate hit and a commercial triumph.
On the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, it debuted at No. 1. Four of the album’s songs charted in the top 40. “Achy Breaky Heart” was the most popular single. In the United States, the album was certified 9x multi-platinum, and it was the first debut album to reach #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. “It Won’t Be the Last,” his second studio album, was released in 1993.
It debuted at No. 1 on the rankings as well. In 1994, he released “Storm in the Heartland,” his third album for Mercury Records. The album failed to chart in the top ten, and neither of the singles did as well.
In 1996, Cyrus released “Trail of Tears,” his most highly lauded album, yet the singles’ commercial performance was hit or miss. “Shot Full of Love,” Cyrus’ final album with Mercury, was released in 1998. It was Cyrus’s lowest-charting album, and he departed Mercury in 1999 to work for Monument Records.
In 2000, he released his first album with them, which was met with different degrees of chart and commercial success. He later moved on to Christian music, recording two albums in the genre.
Cyrus returned to music in 2008 after a brief absence to pursue acting, and went on to release six more albums. He was in a remix of artist Lil Nas X’s rap song “Old Town Road,” which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts. Many Grammy Awards were also given to the song.
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Cyrus has recorded 16 studio albums and 53 singles in his musical career. “Achy Breaky Heart” is his most well-known hit. In Australia, the single was the first to achieve triple platinum status. The song has been translated into over 100 languages and is credited with popularizing line dancing. Billy Ray Cyrus’ singles “Could’ve Been Me” and “In the Heart of a Woman” both hit #1 on the charts.
Career as an actor
From 2001 through 2004, Cyrus appeared in the TV sitcom “Doc.” In 2001, Cyrus had a brief role in David Lynch’s film “Mulholland Drive.” He made his stage debut in a Toronto production of “Annie Get Your Gun” in 2005. He has appeared in a number of television shows, including “The Nanny” and “The Love Boat.” For the film “Hannah Montana: The Movie” in 2009, Cyrus “won” a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor. He appeared in Jackie Chan’s film “The Spy Next Door” in 2010. He and his son Trace Cyrus appeared in the Syfy series “UFO: Unbelievably Freakin’ Obvious” later that year.
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From 2005 to 2011, he co-starred with his daughter Miley Cyrus in the Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana.” In 2009, he produced “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” and in 2011, he produced eight episodes of “Surprise Homecoming.”
He began acting in and producing the TV series “Still the King” in 2016. He also appears in “Sharknado 2: The Second One,” a 2014 film. He and his daughter also appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” season four. Many documentaries about Cyrus’ career and rise to prominence have been produced. He is a member of the Parents Television Council’s advisory board.
Personal Life
Cyrus has been married twice and has six children, including Miley Cyrus (born Destiny Hope in 1992), Trace Cyrus, and Noah Cyrus, all of whom are artists.
From 1986 to 1991, he was married to Cindy Smith. The tracks “Wherm I Gunna Live?” and “Some Gave All” were co-written by them. Cyrus included the tracks in her debut album.
In a private wedding in 1993, Billy married actress and producer Leticia Jean Finley. His record label had prevented him from doing so. He adopted two small children from Finley’s prior marriages as part of the marriage.
Until they moved to Los Angeles for the filming of “Hannah Montana,” the family resided on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee. Tish filed for divorce in 2013, after Cyrus had filed for divorce in 2010. The couple went to treatment and decided to end their divorce, which was finalized in 2017. Trish filed for divorce in April 2022, after 28 years of marriage.
Despite claiming to be a longtime Democrat, George W. Bush included his song “We the People” in his 2000 presidential campaign.
