What Was Jim Nabors' Net Worth?
Jim Nabors was an American actor, singer, and comedian who had a net worth of $40 million at the time of his death in 2017. Jim Nabors was best known for his signature character Gomer Pyle, which he played on "The Andy Griffith Show" and eventually his own spin-off show "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." Nabors would go on to appear on multiple television shows and record a series of successful albums that showed off his impressive baritone voice. He continued to tour and perform late into life.
Jim Nabors died on November 30, 2017, at the age of 87.
In August 2018, Jim's heirs listed his Hawaiian estate for $15 million. He bought the nearly 6,000-square-foot home in the 1970s when he was trying to get away from Hollywood. Located in Honolulu, the home has 170 feet of direct, unobstructed ocean-front views. More on Jim's vast Hawaiian real estate at the end of this article.
Early Life
Jim Nabors was born James Thurston Nabors on June 12, 1930, in Sylacauga, Alabama. He was the son of Mavis Pearl Newman and police officer Fred Nabors. Jim had two older sisters, Freddie and Annie Ruth.
Nabors began performing in college at the University of Alabama, where he acted in skits and was an active member of the Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. After graduating, he worked as a typist for the United Nations in New York and later moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he worked as a film cutter at NBC affiliate WRGP-TV.
"The Andy Griffith Show"
Jim moved to Los Angeles only a few years later due to his asthma and continued his work as a film cutter for NBC. While performing in cabaret theater at The Horn in Santa Monica, he caught the attention of Andy Griffith, who invited him to guest star in an episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" as Gomer Pyle, which was based on a character that Nabors used in his stand-up routine at The Horn. The character was hugely popular with audiences, and Jim was invited to become a regular. His character was eventually given a series of its own, "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," which ran for five seasons until Nabors decided to move on to something else.
Other Acting Work
During the 1970s, Jim appeared in the children's television programs "The Krofft Supershow" and "Buford and the Galloping Ghost." Nabors also appeared in every season premiere of "The Carol Burnett Show," as Burnett considered him a "good-luck charm."
In 1973, Nabors sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Game One of the Major League Baseball World Series and starred in an episode of "The Rookies."
In 1976, after moving from Bel Air, California, to Hawaii, Jim launched and hosted "The Jim Nabors Polynesian Extravaganza" at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The show ran for two years.
Jim hosted his second variety show, "The Jim Nabors Show" from 1977-1978. The show was canceled after one season; however, it did earn a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety Series.
Nabors moved on to performing in a touring production of "Man of La Mancha" and the Saturday morning children's television show "The Lost Saucer," where he sang in a few of the episodes.
Jim also appeared on episode six of season one of "The Muppet Show."
In 1984, Jim Nabors starred in the "Moulin Rouge" show at the Las Vegas Hilton and continued to perform in other shows throughout Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Nabors acted in three feature-length films: "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1982), "Stroker Ace" (1983) and "Cannonball Run II" (1984). He then starred in "A Merry Christmas with Friends and Nabors," produced by Burton White, from 1997 to 2006. The show was a live performance that featured local and national artists and ran until director Thom Hansen's death in 2006.
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Music Career
Nabors first revealed his vocal talent on the "The Song Festers" episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" in February 1964. He performed again in April 1964 on "The Danny Kaye Show," and thus began his singing career with multiple successful recordings and live performances. While Jim's recordings were mostly romantic ballads, he also sang country, gospel, and pop.
On November 3, 1967, Jim Nabors performed as Gomer Pyle on the "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." episode titled "The Show Must Go On," in which he sang "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" in Washington, D.C., at a U.S. Navy relief show, accompanied by the Marine Corps Band. A clip from the show appears on the Pink Floyd album "The Wall" in the song "Nobody Home."
Nabors also hosted a variety show, "The Jim Nabors Hour (1969–1971)," which earned an Emmy nomination. After the cancellation of the show, Jim embarked on a nationwide roadshow.
Awards and Honors
In 1978, a section of U.S. Route 280 in Talladega County, Alabama, was renamed "Jim Nabors Highway."
In 1991, Jim received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2008, Hawaii Pacific University honored him with the Fellow of the Pacific Award due to his "outstanding leadership, service, and dedication to the community."
In 2006, Jim was inducted into the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame.
In 2007, Nabors was honored at "A Night of American Heroes," an annual benefit dinner for the Battleship Missouri Memorial at Pearl Harbor.
In 2013, Jim Gen. James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, made Jim an honorary Sergeant during the Marine Corps birthday ball.
(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Personal Life
Jim was an avid vacationer throughout his life and owned a macadamia plantation on Maui for 25 years. Nabors sold the plantation to the National Tropical Botanical Garden in the late 1990s, although he continued to own a second home on the property and retained farming rights to the land.
Jim married Stan Cadwallader, his partner of nearly four decades, on January 15, 2013, at Seattle's Fairmont Olympic Hotel. The wedding took place a month after the legalization of same-sex marriage in Washington. Because homosexuality was taboo when the couple began dating, Jim's sexuality was mostly secret until his marriage, although the pair were spotted together throughout their relationship.
On November 30, 2017, Jim passed away at his Honolulu home at the age of 87.
Hawaiian Real Estate
Jim moved to Hawaii full-time in 1976. Two years after his passing, his primary home in Hawaii was put on the market for just under $15 million. The 6,000-square-foot Honolulu home sat on over a half acre with 170 feet of ocean frontage. It took three months to sell. The buyer paid $12 million.
Over on Maui, Jim also owned an incredible 170-acre property in Hana. He bought the property in 2014 for $2.7 million. In August 2020, the property came to market for $4.5 million.
For over 30 years, he owned a 340-acre macadamia nut farm in Maui. In 2002, he sold this property to the National Botanical Garden for $4.7 million, to be conserved.
