The Quick 10: The Insurance Policies on 10 Famous Body Parts
While most of us insure rather mundane things – lives, houses, cars – there’s a certain populace who make livings based on very specific body parts and need financial protection in case the ability to earn that living is ever taken away. Hey, you’d probably insure your hair too if you had the luscious locks of Troy Polamalu. Here’s what a few famous body parts will be (or would have been) worth if they were ever lost or incapacitated.
1. Ben Turpin’s eyes.
Turpin was one of the biggest silent film stars of his day, largely thanks to his crossed eyes. While most people would be happy to have this ocular oddity fixed, Turpin certainly didn’t want to correct his cash cow. He took out a $25,000 Lloyd’s of London policy against his eyes going back to normal and kicked off the celebrity insurance trend.
2. Betty Grable’s legs. Grable’s gams were outrageously insured at $1 million each at the insistence of her then-employer, Century Fox.
3. Michael Flatley’s legs. They may not be as shapely as Betty Grable’s, but it’s safe to say that Flatley wouldn’t have headlined Riverdance and Lord of the Dance without them. That's why he made the Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest insurance premium placed on a dancer's legs - $40,000,000. He also made the book for being the highest paid dancer with an income of $1,600,000 weekly.
4. Marlene Dietrich’s voice. It was one in a million, which is why she insured it for that amount - $1,000,000.
5. Gene Simmons' tongue.
Do you think his $1 million policy included a "no hot beverages" clause?
6. Bruce Springsteen’s voice. The Boss insured his talent to the tune of $6 million back in the ‘80s.
7. Troy Polamalu’s hair. Just last year, Head & Shoulders took out a $1 million insurance policy on the Steelers safety’s hair. It might be a good investment – on at least one occasion, Polamalu has been tackled because an opponent grabbed his three-foot-long mane.
8. Bette Davis’ svelte figure. Miss Davis took $28,000 out against weight gain. I suppose a chunk of change would offer a bit of solace after an ice cream binge.
9. Jimmy Durante’s nose. It was worth $50,000 – nothing to sniff at.
10. America Ferrera’s smile. She might be most famous for her Ugly role, but it’s her gorgeous grin that was insured for $10 million. Aquafresh made sure their investment was protected when she was the spokesperson for their White Trays product.
And here’s one that was flat out refused: Paul Oldfield, a “flatulist” who produces classics such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” with his farts asked for coverage in case his talent should ever escape him – permanently. Lloyd’s said no.