What was Dennis Weaver's Net Worth?
Dennis Weaver was an American actor who had a net worth of $16 million at the time of his death. Dennis Weaver was best known for his roles in the television series "Gunsmoke" and "McCloud." He also starred in the short-lived series "Kentucky Jones," "Stone," and "Buck James," and in Steven Spielberg's television film "Duel." Weaver's other notable credits include the films "Touch of Evil," "The Gallant Hours," and "Gentle Giant," and the miniseries "Pearl" and "Centennial."
Weaver served as President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1973 to 1975. Dennis Weaver died on February 24, 2006, at 81 years old. A year before his death, Dennis sold a property in Colorado for $4.5 million and a property in Malibu for $5 million.
Early Life and Education
William Dennis Weaver was born on June 4, 1924 in Joplin, Missouri to Lenna and Walter. For his higher education, he went to Joplin Junior College and then the University of Oklahoma, where he ran track and studied drama. During World War II, Weaver served as a pilot in the US Navy. After the war, he tried out for the decathlon for the 1948 Summer Olympics, but failed to qualify. Consequently, he chose to pursue acting as his profession. Weaver later enrolled in the Actors Studio in New York.
Career Beginnings
Weaver began his acting career on Broadway, serving as an understudy to Lonny Chapman in the 1950 play "Come Back, Little Sheba." He would eventually take over the role in the national touring company. During the early years of his acting career, Weaver supported himself and his family by taking odd jobs, including as a salesman of vacuum cleaners and tricycles.
Film and Television Career
Weaver made his film debut in the 1952 Western "Horizons West." He appeared in several films the following year, including "The Redhead from Wyoming," "The Lawless Breed," and "Column South." In 1954, Weaver had roles in such films as "War Arrow" and "Dangerous Mission." He went on to have his career breakthrough in 1955 when he began playing Chester Goode in the new CBS Western television series "Gunsmoke." The show was a massive success, becoming the highest-rated and longest-running live-action series in US television history at the time. Weaver left "Gunsmoke" in 1964; for his work, he won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series. The same year that the show debuted, he appeared in the films "Seven Angry Men," "Chief Crazy Horse," and "Storm Fear." Weaver's later credits in the 1950s included the films "Navy Wife" and "Touch of Evil." In the early 1960s, he appeared in the film "The Gallant Hours" and in episodes of the television anthology series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Twilight Zone." From 1964 to 1965, Weaver starred as the titular character in the short-lived NBC series "Kentucky Jones." After that, he appeared in the films "Duel at Diablo," "Way…Way Out," and "Gentle Giant." Weaver reprised his role from "Gentle Giant" in the television series adaptation "Gentle Ben," which ran from 1967 to 1969.
(Photo by David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images)
In 1970, Weaver began starring as the titular Western deputy marshal-turned-NYPD special investigator in the NBC police drama series "McCloud." A big hit, the show ran until 1977. Weaver made many other acting appearances during his time on the show, including in the theatrical films "A Man Called Sledge" and "What's the Matter with Helen?" and in the television films "Duel," "The Great Man's Whiskers," and "Rolling Man." In the latter half of the 1970s, he starred in the television films "Intimate Strangers" and "Ishi: The Last of His Tribe" and the miniseries "Pearl" and "Centennial." Kicking off the 1980s, Weaver starred in the films "Amber Waves" and "The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd," and in the short-lived ABC police drama "Stone." In 1983, he starred in the television film "Cocaine: One Man's Seduction" and began starring in another short-lived series, the soap opera "Emerald Point N.A.S." Later in the decade, Weaver starred as the titular surgeon and rancher in the short-lived ABC medical drama "Buck James." He subsequently appeared in the ABC television film "Disaster at Silo 7." Weaver didn't act as much in the 1990s or 2000s. One of his most notable late-career credits was as the voice of Buck McCoy in a 2002 episode of "The Simpsons." He also voiced a character in the 2004 Disney animated film "Home on the Range." Weaver's final role was as Henry Ritter in the ABC Family series "Wildfire" in 2005.
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Activism
Weaver was substantially involved in activism related to environmentalist causes. In 1993, he established the Institute of Ecolonomics, a non-profit organization through which he advocated for the use of alternative energy. Weaver also founded the Los Angeles hunger-relief organization L.I.F.E. (Love is Feeding Everyone). Elsewhere, he was involved with John Denver's WindStar Foundation and with the Humane Society of the United States's annual Genesis Awards.
Personal Life and Death
In 1945, Weaver married his childhood sweetheart Gerry Stowell. They had three sons together: Richard, Robert, and Rustin. From the late 1980s to 2004, the Weavers resided in a sustainably-built home in Ridgway, Colorado dubbed "Earthship."
On February 24, 2006, Weaver passed away from prostate cancer. He was 81 years of age.
