What Is Jonathan Goldsmith's Net Worth and Salary?
Jonathan Goldsmith is an American actor and author who has a net worth of $8 million. Known as "The Most Interesting Man in the World," thanks to his Dos Equis beer commercials, Goldsmith's acting career began in Westerns. Jonathan appeared in 14 episode of "Gunsmoke" from 1966 to 1974, and he had recurring roles as Frank Elliot on "Knots Landing" (1985), Dr. Jergens on "Days of Our Lives" (1987), and Ray Jones on "Dangerous Women" (1991). He also played Bruce Harvey on "Dallas" (1982–1989).
Goldsmith has more than 100 acting credits to his name, including the films "Hang 'Em High" (1968), "Ice Station Zebra" (1968), "One Is a Lonely Number" (1972), "The Shootist" (1976), and "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" (2018), the miniseries "Helter Skelter" (1976), and the television series "The F.B.I." (1965–1972), "Mannix" (1969–1973), "The Streets of San Francisco" (1973–1976), "Barnaby Jones" (1973–1979), "Dynasty" (1984), and "Trapper John, M.D." (1984–1986). In 2017, Jonathan began starring in ads for Astral Tequila and published his memoir "Stay Interesting: I Don't Always Tell Stories About My Life, But When I Do They're True and Amazing."
Dos Equis Salary
In 2007, Goldsmith began appearing in what became his signature role, that of "The Most Interesting Man in the World," in a series of Dos Equis beer commercials. He held the role until 2015 when Dos Equis replaced him with French actor Augustin Legrand.
At his peak, Jonathan was paid $2 million per year to be the company's spokesman on-camera and off-camera at public events.
Early Life
Jonathan Goldsmith was born Jonathan Peter Goldsmith on September 26, 1938, in the Bronx, New York City. His mother worked as a model, and his father was a gym teacher, and they were both Jewish. Goldsmith's parents divorced when he was a child, and he took his stepfather's surname, Lippe. He later returned to using Goldsmith after his son was born so his father "could enjoy his son's success and have a grandson to carry his name as well." Jonathan attended Boston University, and after graduating in 1958, he began pursuing a career in acting. He moved to California when he was 28, and he told "Cigar Aficionado" in 2010, "I worked anything I could to survive job wise," including construction work and driving a garbage truck.
Career
Goldsmith made both his film and television debut in 1963, guest-starring on "Naked City" and appearing in "Act One" alongside George Hamilton, Jason Robards, and George Segal. He then guest-starred on shows such as "Perry Mason" (1964), "Dr. Kildare" (1965), "My Three Sons" (1966), and "The Fugitive" (1967). In 1968, Jonathan co-starred with Clint Eastwood in the Western "Hang 'Em High" and with Rock Hudson and Ernest Borgnine in the thriller "Ice Station Zebra." In the '70s, he guest-starred on "Bonanza" (1970), "Mission: Impossible" (1970), "Love, American Style" (1972–1973), "The New Perry Mason" (1973), "Hawaii Five-O" (1977), "Eight Is Enough" (1977), and "The Rockford Files" (1975; 1978), and from 1966 to 1974, he played several characters on "Gunsmoke," including Roper, Kyle Stoner, and Billy Judd. In 1972, Goldsmith appeared in the film "One Is a Lonely Number," followed by "The Shootist" (John Wayne's final film) and "Blood Voyage" in 1976 and "Go Tell the Spartans" in 1978. In "The Shootist," his character was shot between the eyes by John Wayne's character, and Wayne fired blood capsules at pointblank range from a pellet gun. The scene took seven takes, and Jonathan said of the experience, "Each time, it raised a welt."
Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images for Skinny Water
In the '70s, Goldsmith also appeared in the miniseries "Helter Skelter" (1976), which is about the Manson Family murders, and the TV movies "Thunderguys" (1971), "The New Healers" (1972), "A Case of Rape" (1974), "The Disappearance of Flight 412" (1974), "Murder in Peyton Place" (1977), and "Bunco" (1977). He guest-starred on "Charlie's Angels" (1980), "CHiPs" (1981), "Manimal" (1983), "The Fall Guy" (1983), "Dynasty" (1984), "St. Elsewhere" (1983; 1985), "General Hospital" (1985), "T.J. Hooker" (1982; 1985), "The A-Team" (1986), "Knight Rider" (1986), "Magnum, P.I." (1986), and "MacGyver" (1987), and from 1982 to 1989, he played Bruce Harvey in 19 episodes of "Dallas." Jonathan had an uncredited role in the 1982 film "Some Kind of Hero," then he appeared in the 1989 horror movie "Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge" and the TV movies "Memorial Day" (1983), "Obsessive Love" (1984), "Final Jeopardy" (1985), and "Man Against the Mob: The Chinatown Murders" (1989). He played Ray Jones on "Dangerous Women" in 1991, and he guest-starred on "Reasonable Doubts" (1991–1992) and "Murder, She Wrote" (1993). In the 2000s, Goldsmith has appeared in the TV movie "Another Pretty Face" (2002), guest-starred on "Dragnet" (2003), and had a cameo in the hit film "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" (2018), which grossed $402.3 million at the box office.
Personal Life
Jonathan has been married to Barbara Jacobson Buky since 2006, and he was previously married to Betty Miller, who he wed in 1970. He has a son named David, who has worked as an actor, director, writer, producer, and video assist operator. Goldsmith has supported charitable organizations such as the Morris Animal Foundation, the S.A.B.R.E Foundation, Free Arts for Abused Children, and the Stella Link Foundation. In a 2010 interview with "Cigar Aficionado," he said that he lived on a boat called Siempre (Spanish for "always") near downtown Los Angeles, stating, "I'm basically very simple. I don't need much. There's very little room on the boat for a wardrobe, and our whole room is smaller than most people's walk-in closets. That's the beauty of living on a boat. You prioritize. You practice triage on those things in your life, what is significant, what has emotional attachment." Jonathan has owned homes in the Sierra Mountains and Manchester, Vermont. From 1999 to 2004, he taught theater at New York's Adelphi University.
