Television and film are the two most influential media in the entire entertainment industry. Michael Richards made their career in both of them. He gained massive success in television as well as in films. Today, we will inform you about Michael Richards net worth and how he earns it through acting.
Who is Michael Richards?
Table of Contents
Michael Richards is an American actor. He is well-known as a comedian. His fame spread worldwide through playing Cosmo Kramer’s character in Seinfeld. He mainly began his career as a stand-up comedian. Michael also served in the American military. He is a Primetime Emmy Award winner. Besides these, Michael is also a writer and a producer.
Short Bio of Michael Richards
Full Name | Michael Anthony Richards |
Birthdate | July 24, 1949 (age 74) |
Birthplace | Culver City, California, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Height | 6’ 3” (1.91 m) |
Profession | Actor, writer, producer, comedian |
Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
Net Worth | $70 Million |
Michael Richards Net Worth
Michael Richards’s net worth in 2023 is estimated to be $70 million. His various career attempts are the main reason for his massive net worth. From stand-up to television and then films, everywhere he had a great success. These successes allowed him to establish a great financial state.
Early Life
Michael Richards’s birthplace is Culver City, California. His mother was a medical records librarian, and his father served as an electrical engineer. Michael’s father passed away in a vehicle accident when he was two. After that, his mother never remarried.
Michael started his high school at Thousand Oaks High School. After taking a theatrical class in seventh grade, he grew his interest in performing. He participated in an American game show, The Dating Game, in 1968. But he was eliminated after some episodes.
In 1970, Michael drafted into the United States Army. He trained there as a medic and was sent to West Germany. There, Michael became a member of The Training Road Show, a theatrical group in the US military. In 1972, he received an honorable discharge from the American Army.
In order to fulfill his dream of an acting career, he enrolled at the California Institute of the Arts to learn about acting. He later attended his college at The Evergreen State College. In 1975, He graduated BA in drama. During his college time, he appeared in a theater act with Ed Begley Jr. After this, he enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College. There, he started appearing in student productions.
Facts Behind Michael Richards Net Worth
Television
Michael started his acting career through television. He made his television debut in a comedy TV series, Fridays. He played a starring role in that series from 1980 to 1982. This series got so much recognition because of its incredible comedies. Michael completed a total of 54 episodes of that. His performance was so good that people started being fans of him. His fame rose to the top.
With this fame, he received many opportunities in television. As a result, he appeared in many television films. In 1983, he acted in his first TV film, Herndon. He played the role of Dr. Herndon P. Stool, a starring role in that film. His most significant TV films were The Ratings Game, At Your Service, London Suite, and David Copperfield. All of those were so popular at that time.
Michael also appeared in several episodes from different series and shows, such as Marblehead Manor (11 episodes), Curb Your Enthusiasm (3 episodes), Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (3 episodes), Kirstie (12 episodes), and so on. He got paid for his every appearance on those shows, which increased his net worth massively.
Seinfeld
Michael’s career-changing and most successful television series, Seinfeld, ran for ten years from 1989 to 1998. He played the starring role of Cosmo Kramer in that series. It became so prevalent then, and Nielsen ratings ranked Seinfeld at No. 1 for nine years.
Michael won many awards for his incredible cast. According to Forbes magazine, Seinfeld earned around $267 million. Michael completed a total of 178 episodes. He got paid for every episode he appeared in. This earning made a significant impact on his net worth.
Films
Michael made his film debut in Young Doctors in Love (1982) as a minor role. In 1984, he made his starting role debut in The Ratings Game. This film went viral. As a result, Michael got his fame in the film industry. With this fame, he acted in several successful hit films.
His film Transylvania 6-5000 earned a total of 7.1 million at the box office. His most successful film, Problem Child, was released in 1990. This hit the box office with $72.2 million and earned around $61.2 million as a profit.
Later, he acted in several famous hit films, such as Coneheads, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Unstrung Heroes, Trial and Error, and so on. Michael got a high payment for every film he acted in. This earning from films is one of the primary sources of his net worth.
Voice Over
Besides acting in films and television, Michael has also voiced many computer-animated films. His most successful voice-acting film was Bee Movie, released in 2007. He gives voice to the character of Bud Ditchwater. This film became so popular and earned a total of $293.5 million at the box office.
He also voice-over in Redux Riding Hood, a short film, and Dinosaurs, a cartoon series. Those projects paid Michael a good amount of payment for his voice acting, which eventually added to his net worth.
Producer and writer
Michael was the writer of his acting debut TV show, Fridays. He wrote the story of that comedy show for season three with 21 episodes.
Later, in 2000, he co-created and produced his own television sitcom, The Michael Richards Show. This show was aired on NBC for a total of seven episodes. This comedy sitcom became so popular. As a producer, Michael generated a vast amount of money from this series.
Awards
Michael Richards won two awards and was nominated for seven times. His inning awards are as follows.
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Personal Life
Michael Richards married Cathleen Lyons, who is a family therapist. Together, they have a daughter named Sophia. They continued their marriage for 18 years and got divorced in 1992.
After that, Michael started dating Beth Skipp in 2002. In 2010, they got married, and they now have a kid. Currently, the family lives in Culver City, California.
FAQs
What is Michael Richards net worth?
Michael Richards’s net worth in 2023 is estimated to be $70 million.
How much did Michael Richards get paid for Seinfeld?
Michael Richards got paid around $600,000 per episode from Seinfeld.
Is Michael Richards rich?
Yes, he is rich. Currently, he has $70 million as his net worth.
What is Michael Richards doing now?
Currently, he makes appearances on several TV talk shows and podcasts.
Final Thoughts
Michael Richards net worth is the reflection of his successful career. Appearing in numerous successful television series and hit films drives him to a significant financial state.