What is Jake LaMotta's net worth?
Jake LaMotta was an American former professional boxer and stand-up comedian who had a net worth of $1 million at the time of his death. Known for being a bully in the ring, Jake LaMotta was a rough, aggressive fighter who dished out vicious beatings and took equally hard knocks from his opponents. In the ring Jake LaMotta was best-known for his six fight rivalry against Sugar Ray Robinson. Outside of the ring he was known for having his life portrayed in the 1980 Martin Scorsese movie "Raging Bull," in which he was portrayed by Robert De Niro in an Academy Award-winning portrayal.
Jake LaMotta had 106 total fights and finished with a record of 83 – 19 – 4 with 30 knockouts. He won the World Middleweight title in June 1949 by defeating Marcel Cerdan in Detroit, Michigan. After retiring he owned and managed various bars and became a stand-up comedian and actor. He appeared in several films including The Hustler, The Doctor and the Playgirl, The Runaways, Firepower, and New Jack City. Jake LaMotta died on September 19, 2017 at the age of 95.
Early Life
Jake LaMotta was born as Giacobbe LaMotta on July 10, 1922 in New York City to Italian parents Elizabeth and Joseph. He had a younger brother named Joey. Growing up, LaMotta was forced by his father to fight other neighborhood boys to entertain the adults. While in a reformatory upstate, where he was staying for an attempted robbery, he learned how to box. LaMotta went on to have an undefeated amateur boxing career before turning professional in 1941. He escaped the military draft due to a childhood mastoid operation on one of his ears that impacted his hearing ability.
Boxing Career, 1941-1950
LaMotta turned professional at the age of 19 in 1941. He fought as a middleweight, and won 14 of his first 15 bouts, with one draw. LaMotta suffered his first loss in a controversial split decision to Jimmy Reeves, a result that caused an uproar around the ring. The two had a rematch a month later that ended in a far less controversial win for Reeves. In a third match with Reeves in 1943, LaMotta finally emerged victorious. Before that, LaMotta fought Sugar Ray Robinson in the latter's middleweight debut, with Robinson winning via unanimous decision. The fighters went on to have several rematches; in the first, LaMotta handed Robinson the first defeat of his career. However, in another rematch just weeks later, Robinson was the victor. The duo's next fight took place two years later, with Robinson again winning. Their fifth bout ended in a controversial split decision in favor of Robinson.
In late 1947, LaMotta went up against Billy Fox, and was knocked out in the fourth round. Believing the fight was fixed, the New York State Athletic Commission withheld the purses for the fight and issued LaMotta a suspension. In a later testimony, LaMotta admitted to throwing the match to gain favor with the Mafia and earn a title bout. He went on to fight Frenchman Marcel Cerdan in 1949 for the world middleweight title, which he ultimately won. Although a rematch was scheduled, Cerdan was killed in a plane crash on his way back to the United States. LaMotta made the first successful defense of his title in 1950 against Tiberio Mitri, whom he defeated via unanimous decision. His next defense was against Laurent Dauthuille, whom he beat with a brutal comeback in the 15th round.
Final Boxing Years, 1951-1954
LaMotta had his sixth and final fight with Sugar Ray Robinson on Valentine's Day in 1951. The violent bout became known as the boxing world's Saint Valentine's Day Massacre due to the severe beating LaMotta took, forcing the fight to be stopped. After losing his world middleweight title, he moved up to light heavyweight. LaMotta initially struggled in that weight division, losing his debut against Bob Murphy and his next fight to Norman Hayes. However, he soon turned things around by defeating Murphy and Hayes in rematches. LaMotta was less successful in his 1952 New Year's Eve match against Danny Nardico, who knocked him down for the only time in his career. Following that defeat, he stepped away from the ring for a while before returning in early 1954. In his first two matches back in the ring, LaMotta defeated Johnny Pretzie and Al McCoy. He subsequently lost to Billy Kilgore via a controversial split decision, after which he retired from boxing.
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Post-Boxing Career
After his retirement, LaMotta owned and managed a bar in Miami Beach, Florida and began acting and doing stand-up comedy. In 1958, he was arrested and charged with introducing men to an underage girl at his club, and was issued a sentence of six months on a chain gang. Following his release, LaMotta appeared in the 1961 film "The Hustler" and in several episodes of the NBC television sitcom "Car 54 Where Are You?" In 1965, he acted in some performances of "Guys and Dolls" at the New York City Center.
Raging Bull
In 1970, LaMotta released his memoir "Raging Bull: My Story." The book was eventually adapted into the 1980 film "Raging Bull," written by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin and directed by Martin Scorsese. Starring Robert De Niro as LaMotta, the film earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture. For his portrayal, De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor. "Raging Bull" is widely considered to be among the greatest American films ever made.
Personal Life and Death
LaMotta had a highly turbulent life outside of the ring. He was involved in criminal activity with the Mafia, and was married a total of seven times. From his marriages, LaMotta had two sons named Jake Jr. and Joseph, both of whom died in 1998, and four daughters, including Christi and Stephanie. He admitted to beating his wives and raping another woman.
In 2016, a film about LaMotta's life and career called "The Bronx Bull" was released. William Forsythe portrays the boxer in the film. In September of 2017, LaMotta passed away from complications of pneumonia at a nursing home in Florida. He was 95 years of age.
