Ace Ventura director gives up fortune

Tom Shadyac, the director of hits including 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' and 'The Nutty Professor', has been talking about how he ditched the trappings of his wealth and moved into a mobile home.

The director has given up a mansion in Pasadena, instead opting for a 1000 square-foot home in a trailer park in Malibu.

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Over recent years, Shadyac has been giving away the wealth he earned by making films that have grossed over $1 billion in all, and has ditched a private jet in favour of a bicycle.

“The more I give away the wealthier I feel,” he told CBS. “For everything I 'gave up', so much more was returned. The trappings of fame and fortune are exactly that - a trapping. It's called the spoils of success for a reason.”

He has said that for his next film, a remake of the French hit 'The Intouchables', he will work for the union minimum for a director.

Though that is still a very big fee of $218,000 (£140,000), it's a far cry from the million dollar salaries that he previously commanded - and those of his peers.

“I believe I was my least successful when I 'had it all'. I was listening to the social notes of wealth, which is all these private jets mansions, a lot of stuff.

“I didn't need a private jet. It costs $44,000 to fly for an hour and a half, someone doesn't even make that in a year.”

Shadyac decided to change his life after a bicycle accident in 2007 left him hypersensitive to noise and light, and over the years has opened up a homeless shelter in Virginia and funded charities that fight poverty and help the environment.

He is also making a living as a screenwriting teacher at Pepperdine University in Malibu.

“No-one is ever looking to have a more robust individual retirement account when they are on their deathbed. They are saying, 'I am so happy that I had the opportunity to love this family, to be a part of something',” he added.