What Is Bernadette Peters' Net Worth?
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer, and author who has a net worth of $20 million. A large portion of her net worth actually comes from her marriage to Michael Wittenberg, an investment advisor who died in a helicopter crash in 2005. They married in 1996. Bernadette Peters is also known for her four-year relationship with Steve Martin. They dated from roughly 1977 to 1981. During their relationship, they co-starred in Steve's classic movie "The Jerk."
Bernadette Peters began acting before she started kindergarten, appearing on various television shows and variety hours. She began her professional theater career when she was nine and then went on to appear in various television movies, such as "A Boy Called Ciske" and "The Christmas Tree." She then returned her focus to the theater, appearing in the National Tour of "Gypsy" and various regional productions. In the late 60s, she made her Broadway debut, and by the early 70s, she had received multiple Tony nominations.
Bernadette launched a film career in 1973, and since then, she has gone back and forth between film, television, and theater projects successfully. She has been nominated for seven Tony Awards and has won two. She has also been nominated for three Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes (winning one).
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Early Life
Bernadette Peters was born Bernadette Lazzara on February 28, 1948, in the Queens borough of New York City. She is the daughter of Marguerite and Peter Lazzara. Her father drove a bread delivery truck. Bernadette grew up with her two older siblings, Donna and Joseph. Her mother was intent on getting Peters involved in show business from a young age. She put Bernadette on the television show "Juvenile Jury" when she was three and a half, beginning her career as a child actor.
Career
At the age of nine, Peters obtained her Actors Equity Card. She made her professional stage debut in "This is Goggle." She then appeared on the television show "A Boy Called Ciske." Over the next few years, she had a successful career as a child actor, both onscreen and on-stage. She was able to transition her success into a career as an adult actor as well. In 1968, her performance in the Off-Broadway production of "Dames at Sea" brought her critical acclaim and her first Drama Desk Award. Bernadette then starred in "La Strada" in 1969 and "On the Town" in 1971. For the latter play, she received her first Tony Award nomination. She received another nomination in 1974 when she appeared in "Mack and Mabel." Around this time, she decided to move from New York to Los Angeles to focus her career more on television and film.
Beginning in 1973, Peters has appeared in over 40 films and television films. In 1976, she appeared in the Mel Brooks film "Silent Movie" and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture. She also co-starred in her own television series, "All's Fair," with Richard Crenna from 1976 to 1977. In 1979, she appeared in the film "The Jerk" with Steve Martin. She again acted alongside him in "Pennies from Heaven" in 1981. For that role, she won the Golden Globe Award in the Best Motion Picture Actress in a Comedy or Musical category.
In 1982, Bernadette returned to the New York stage after an eight-year absence to appear in "Sally and Marsha." She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance. She then appeared in "Sunday in the Park with George" in 1984, for which she received her third Tony Award nomination. In 1985, she appeared in "Song and Dance" by Andrew Lloyd Webber and won her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
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Throughout the 1990s, Peters appeared in many films, including Woody Allen's "Alice" in 1990 and the period drama film "Impromptu" in 1991. She voiced the character of Sophie in the animated film "Anastasia" in 1997. She also appeared in "The Last Best Year" and "Cinderella." Onstage, she appeared in "The Goodbye Girl" and "Annie Get Your Gun," for which she received multiple rave reviews.
In the 2000s, Bernadette appeared in the Fox series "Ally McBeal" and received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. She also appeared in the film "It Runs in the Family" in 2003 and on Broadway in the revival of "Gypsy," for which she earned another Tony nomination. She made multiple appearances on television series like "Will & Grace," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," among others.
In 2010, Peters starred in the Broadway revival of "A Little Night Music" and then in "Follies" in 2011. From 2014 to 2018, she appeared in "Mozart in the Jungle," a web video series by Amazon Studios. She continued making guest-starring appearances on television throughout the end of the decade.
In addition to her acting career, Peters has recorded six solo albums. Three of her albums have been nominated for a Grammy Award. She has performed live in concert many times throughout the United States and Canada. She made her solo concert debut at Carnegie Hall in 1996. Since 2013, she has been touring intermittently with her cabaret act "An Evening with Bernadette Peters."
Peters has written three children's books in support of her animal adoption charity, Broadway Barks. Her first book, "Broadway Barks," reached the fifth spot on "The New York Times" chart of best-selling picture books. Her second book, "Stella is a Star," was released in 2010, followed by a third book, "Stella and Charlie Friends Forever" in 2015.
Personal Life
In 1977, Peters began a romantic relationship with Steve Martin. Their relationship lasted for around four years. She later dated and then married investment adviser Michael Wittenberg in July 1996. They got married at the home of her long-time friend, Mary Tyler Moore. Wittenberg died at the age of 43 in a helicopter crash in Montenegro while on a business trip. Since then, she has been very private about her personal life and has not been publicly connected to anyone else.
Bernadette is very active in charity work. With Mary Tyler Moore, she founded Broadway Barks, an annual animal adopt-a-thon. To support the event, she has organized benefit concerts to raise money. In 2018, she received the Brooke Aster Award from the Animal Medical Center for her lifelong commitment to animal welfare. She also serves on the board of trustees of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
