What Is Will Ferrell's Net Worth?
Will Ferrell is an American comedian, actor, and writer who has a net worth of $160 million. Will Ferrell first gained prominence as a cast member on the popular sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" from 1995 to 2002, where he created memorable characters and impressions. Ferrell's transition to film began with supporting roles in movies like "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" (1997) and "A Night at the Roxbury" (1998). His breakout role came with the 2003 Christmas comedy "Elf," which showcased his unique brand of humor and became a holiday classic.
Ferrell has starred in numerous successful comedies, including "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (2004), "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" (2006), "Blades of Glory" (2007), and "Step Brothers" (2008). At times, he has been one of the highest-paid actors in the world, commanding $20+ million for a single film. In addition to his comedic roles, Ferrell has also taken on more dramatic parts in films such as "Stranger than Fiction" (2006) and "Everything Must Go" (2010), showcasing his versatility as an actor.
Beyond acting, Ferrell has also ventured into producing, co-founding the successful production company Gary Sanchez Productions with Adam McKay. The company has produced numerous films and television shows, including the acclaimed "Succession" series. He, McKay and two others also co-founded the comedy video website Funny or Die. Unfortunately, Will and Adam have since had a very public falling out over McKay's decision to cast John C. Riley instead of Will in the role of Jerry Buss on the Max series "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty."
Early Life
Will Ferrell was born John William Ferrell on July 16, 1967, in Irvine, California. He is the son of Betty Kay (a teacher) and Roy Lee Ferrell Jr. (keyboardist for the band The Righteous Brothers.) Will's parents divorced when he was eight, mainly due to his father's traveling and inability to produce a steady paycheck at times. This turned Will off from show business, and his intention in his early years growing up was that he wanted to have a steady job and a normal life. He went to Culverdale Elementary and later attended University High School, where he was a kicker for the school football team. He was also captain of the basketball team and participated in soccer. He has claimed that growing up in "dull" suburban California contributed to his creative sense of humor.
Ferrell became interested in acting during his high school years, creating comic voices for the school's daily morning announcements with a friend. He would perform comic skits in the school's talent shows, and he was voted "best personality" in the senior superlatives amongst his classmates.
Ferrell attended the University of Southern California, studying Sports Broadcasting and graduating with a degree in Sports Information. He was known around campus for his pranks, such as dressing as a janitor and walking into his friends' classes. He was also known for streaking on campus with his fraternity (Delta Tau Delta). Will graduated in 1990, tried a brief but unsuccessful stint as a stand-up comedian, and ultimately joined the Los Angeles comedy/improvisation group The Groundlings in 1994 to develop his improvisation skills.
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Saturday Night Live
From 1994 to 1995, "Saturday Night Live's" ratings and popularity began to decline. An "SNL" producer saw The Groundlings and asked Ferrell (along with future "SNL" players/fellow Groundlings members Chris Kattan and Cheri Oteri) to audition for Lorne Michaels, "SNL's" main producer. Ferrell became a main cast member on "SNL in 1995" and enjoyed a seven-year tenure.
Ferrell became an incredibly popular cast member almost overnight, mainly due to his spot-on and hilarious impersonations. Notably, he impersonated George W. Bush, Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray, Robert Goulet, James Lipton, Janet Reno, and Alex Trebek, among others. He also became well-known for his original characters, such as Blue Oyster Cult member Gene Frenkle, cheerleader Craig Buchanan, and night clubber Steve Butabi, whose sketches were turned into a feature film in 1998, "A Night at the Roxbury."
He's guest-hosted the show five times since his 2002 departure, thus making him a member of the show's coveted "Five-Timers" club. In a 2014 poll put out by "SNL," Ferrell was voted the best cast member of all time.
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Film Career
Ferrell appeared in several movies during his "Saturday Night Live" career, including "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," "Superstar" and The Ladies Man (which were both based on "SNL" sketches), "Dick" "Drowning Mona," and "Zoolander." After Will left "SNL," his first starring role was in 2003's "Old School" as Frank "The Tank" Ricard. The role was met with critical acclaim, and the film was a huge commercial success. Ferrell was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance for his role as Frank. Later that year, he was cast in the title role in "Elf" and continued to land major roles in films such as "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Starsky and Hutch." In 2005 alone, Ferrell earned a cool $40 million.
He continued on his path of critical and box office successes in 2006 when he starred in "Stranger Than Fiction" (in which he successfully showed off his aptitude for dramatic acting) and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," which was his highest-grossing opening yet at $47 million. In 2008, another box office smash came in the form of "Step Brothers," in which he co-starred with John C. Reilly. It earned $128 million worldwide.
The era of Ferrell began to cool slightly in 2009 when "Land of the Lost" was released. It was a commercial and critical flop, earning only about $19 million on opening weekend. Will continued to make movies into the 2010s, mostly in the form of sequels to past blockbusters. He co-starred once again with John C. Reilly in 2018's "Holmes & Watson." He took on lead roles in 2020's "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" and 2022's "Spirited." Ferrell continues to be one of the most recognizable faces in comedy with his wacky and unique style of humor.
Salary Highlights
In 2001, Ferrell became the highest-paid "SNL" cast member, with a then record-breaking $17,500 per episode, or $367,500 per season.
At the peak of his career in the early to late 2000s, Will was one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. He consistently earned $20 million per movie. Today, he can still earn very high film salaries, but his earnings recently are a mix of lower base salary and backend profit participation points.
After earning $7 million for "Anchorman" in 2004, Will's salary bumped to $20 million minimum. A sample of his movies for which he was paid $20 million includes "Kicking & Screaming," "Bewitched," "Talladega Nights," "Semi-Pro," and "Land of the Lost."
In November 2021, Will revealed that he was once offered $29 million to do an "Elf" sequel. He turned the paycheck down because his heart wasn't into making a second iteration. As he explained in 2021:
"I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would've been, like, 'Oh no, it's not good. I just couldn't turn down that much money. And I thought, 'Can I actually say those words? I don't think I can, so I guess I can't do the movie.'"
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Other Ventures
In April 2007, Ferrell and his comedy partner Adam McKay founded Funny or Die, a streaming video website featuring user-generated comedy films that are voted on by website visitors. In January 2009, Ferrell made his Broadway debut with his one-man show featuring his impression of President Bush called "You're Welcome America – A Final Night with George W. Bush." He has worked as a voice actor for several animated films and TV shows, including "Curious George" and "Family Guy."
He is part-owner of the Los Angeles FC soccer team. In 2022, the team won the MLS Cup.
For HBO, Will and McKay have co-produced a number of television shows, including "Eastbound & Down" (starring Danny McBride, whom Will helped discover) and "Succession."
Personal Life
Ferrell married Viveca Paulin in August 2000. They had met in 1995 at an acting class. They have three sons: Magnus Paulin Ferrell (b. 2004), Mattias Paulin Ferrell (b. 2006), and Axel Paul Ferrell (b. 2010). The family splits their time between New York City and Orange County.
Ferrell has participated in the Boston and New York Marathons. He raises money for the charity Scholarships for Cancer Survivors.
Real Estate
Since 2007, Will's primary home in Los Angeles has been a $9.9 million mansion in the Hollywood Hills that he bought from Ellen DeGeneres. The property stretches 2.3 acres over three parcels of land with multiple structures over massive rolling lawns and gardens. Today the property would easily fetch $20 million on the open market.
