Barry Williams Net Worth

What is Barry Williams' Net Worth and Salary?

Barry Williams is an American actor who has a net worth of $6 million. Barry Williams rose to fame portraying Greg Brady, the oldest brother on the iconic family sitcom "The Brady Bunch" (1969-1974). As the charismatic teenage heartthrob of the series, Williams' character became known for memorable catchphrases like "far out" and "groovy," embodying the quintessential American teenager of the early 1970s.

Following the original series, Williams appeared in various Brady reunions including "The Brady Bunch Hour," "The Brady Girls Get Married," and "A Very Brady Christmas." His 1992 autobiography "Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg" became a New York Times bestseller and was later adapted into a television movie, offering behind-the-scenes insights including his crush on co-star Maureen McCormick and brief romance with on-screen mom Florence Henderson.

Beyond Brady, Williams has built a substantial theater career, starring in Broadway and touring productions including "Pippin," "The Sound of Music," "West Side Story," and "Romance/Romance." He has embraced his Brady legacy while establishing himself in musical theater, hosting game shows, and appearing in reality television.

Williams later hosted the satellite radio trivia program "The Real Greg Brady's Totally '70s Pop Quiz" and starred in the musical revue "The Real Live Brady Bunch." In recent years, he participated in HGTV's "A Very Brady Renovation" and various documentaries celebrating the enduring cultural impact of the series that made him famous.

Early Life

Williams was born on September 30, 1954, in Santa Monica, California. William is actually his middle name. His last name is Blenkhorn. He is the youngest of three sons born to Doris May Moore and Frank Millar Blenkhorn. He is of English, Scottish, and German heritage. The family lives in Pacific Palisades, California, and some of the actors are neighbors. As a child, Williams decided that he wanted to pursue a career in acting. In 1967, when he was 13, he made his television debut in a Christmas episode of "Dragnet 1967."

Career

Williams continued to audition actively and landed a number of guest roles on television shows while in his mid-teens. He appeared in "Adam-12," "The Invaders," "That Girl," Here Come the Brides," "Gomer Pyle USMC," "Highway to Heaven," and Bartleby, the Scrivener," among other shows. He caught his big break in 1969 when he was cast as Greg Brady on "The Brady Bunch."

"The Brady Bunch" tells the story of a blended family of six children and is considered one of the last old-style family sitcoms. The show was on-air for five seasons between 1969 and 1974, airing a total of 117 episodes. While the show did moderately well while it was on-air, it was never considered a hit, nor did it place in the Top 30 rankings. However, it became a syndicated series following its cancellation and has grown more popular over time. It has been shown on ABC Daytime, Nick at Night, TV Land, and the Hallmark Channel. The show also inspired a number of spin-offs, reunion specials, and television films, all of which Williams appeared in. The show helped Williams become more popular and endeared him to audiences.

After "The Brady Bunch" ended, Williams continued appearing on television, booking a number of guest-starring roles but struggled with being typecast as Greg Brady. However, he was able to depart from this character by appearing in the very popular show, "General Hospital," as an English con man named Hannibal in 1984.

Williams also became involved in musical theater and toured with productions of "Grease," "The Sound of Music," "Pippin," and "West Side Story." In 1988, he appeared on Broadway in the musical, "Romance/Romance," alongside Tony Award-nominee Alison Fraser. Williams played the lead male role in the production following the departure of Scott Bakula. In 1988, he also appeared in one of numerous Brady Bunch reunions called "A Very Brady Christmas." The following year, he was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star  Lifetime Achievement Award for his role as Greg Brady.

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He released an autobiography in 1992 called, "Growing Up Brady: I Was A Teenage Greg," which was co-written by Chris Keski. The book became a New York Times bestseller and was later adapted into a television movie starring Adam Brody in 2000 called, "Growing Up Brady." Williams did not do much acting work throughout the late 1990s, only appearing in a few television shows. In 2000, he reappeared by releasing a parody of the Eminem song "The Real Slim Shady" called "The Real Greg Brady." The song received some radio play.

From 2001 to 2002, Williams played the role of Manager Dean "The Machine" Strickland in the sitcom, "Hollywood 7," appearing in 13 episodes. In the show, he manages the British teen pop group "S Club 7." The next year, in 2003, he played himself in the film, "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," starring David Spade. In 2004, he joined the cast of the Brady Bunch for "The Brady Bunch 35^th Anniversary Reunion Special." Over the next decade, he appeared in a few television series, sometimes as himself, including "According to Jim," "That '70s Show," and "Scrubs." He played a parody of the Greg Brady character in the 2010 television film, "Mega Piranha" named Bob Grady.

Williams has spent the later years of his career developing a cabaret act that pays tribute to his past. He tours with his musical group, Barry Williams and the Traveliers, and often performs in his home of Branson, Missouri. Additionally, he hosts a satellite radio trivia show called "The Real Greg Brady's Totally '70s Pop Quiz," which is broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio. In 2019, he joined the television series "A Very Brady Renovation" on HGTV, which features the other cast members of "The Brady Bunch." In 2021, he appeared in the Lifetime Christmas movie, "Blending Christmas," alongside former Brady Bunch co-stars Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, Susan Olsen, and Robbie Rist.

Brady Bunch Salary

At the peak of the show's run, each child actor received a salary of $1,100 per week—a respectable sum for a young performer in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but far from the kind of payday associated with modern television stars. Adjusted for inflation, $1,100 in 1970 would be equivalent to roughly $8,500 per week in today's dollars.

Brady Bunch Residuals

Despite the enduring popularity of "The Brady Bunch" in syndication, the child actors from the series do not receive residual payments for these reruns. During the show's original run from 1969 to 1974, standard contracts for actors included residuals only for the first 10 reruns of each episode. Susan Olsen, who portrayed Cindy Brady, explained that this arrangement was typical for that era, and the initial residuals were exhausted by around 1979. Consequently, the child actors have not earned residuals from the show's numerous airings since then. In contrast, adult cast members like Florence Henderson and Robert Reed negotiated contracts that provided ongoing residuals, highlighting the disparities in compensation agreements at the time.

Branson Show

For the last decade, Barry has made his home in Branson, Missouri, where he performs in a local theater for nightly audiences. He also hosts a show on Sirius/XM's 70s on 7 channel.

Personal Life

Williams has been married three times. He was married to his first wife, Diane Martin, from 1990 until their divorce in 1992. His second marriage to Ella Mary Matt lasted from 1999 until 2005. While married, they had a son named Eric together. Following his divorce, Williams began dating Elizabeth Williams in 2006, and they had a daughter together in 2012 before splitting up in 2013.  He married his third wife, Tina Mahina, in 2017. The two had been in a relationship for several years prior to getting married.

Real Estate

In 1974, Barry's mother built a 2,800-square-foot beachfront home in Malibu. Barry and his family enjoyed the home for decades while periodically listing it for rent for as much as $25,000 per month. In 2016, Barry listed the home for sale at $7.15 million. He finally found a buyer in November 2019 for $5.82 million.

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