What Is Ed Helms' Net Worth and Salary?
Ed Helms is an American comedic actor who has a net worth of $25 million. Ed Helms first gained widespread recognition as a correspondent on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" from 2002 to 2006, where he showcased his comedic talents through field reports and satirical segments. Helms' career reached new heights when he joined the cast of the American adaptation of "The Office" in 2006. His portrayal of the eccentric salesman Andy Bernard became a fan favorite, and he remained with the show until its conclusion in 2013.
In film, Helms achieved significant success with "The Hangover" trilogy, where he played the uptight dentist Stu Price. These comedy blockbusters solidified his status as a leading man in Hollywood. He has since starred in various films, including "Cedar Rapids," "We're the Millers," and "Vacation." Beyond acting, Helms has ventured into production and voice work. He co-created and starred in the Comedy Central series "The Fake News with Ted Nelms" and has lent his voice to animated projects like "The Lorax" and "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie."
Early Life
Edward Parker Helms was born on January 24, 1974, in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 13, he was forced to undergo extensive surgery due to a congenital heart defect. After a nine-hour surgery and a one-week stint of hospital care, Helms made a full recovery.
As a youth, he spent time studying theater at various organizations, although he veered towards a major in geology when he graduated high school. After a while, he switched from a geology major to a film and technology major at Oberlin College. He graduated in 1996 before spending time at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York as an exchange student.
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Career
Helms emerged in the New York stand-up scene after graduating from college, and he also started writing and performing with various sketch groups. During this period, he studied film editing and recorded a voice reel. This led to the start of his career as a voice actor, and he landed paid work with an agent. Over the course of his career, Ed has booked commercial voiceover work for brands like Burger King, Doritos, Hotels.com, Sharp, and many others.
A massive breakthrough for Helms came in 2002 when he attended what he described as an "open audition" for "The Daily Show." He booked a role as a correspondent and spent the next four years performing various segments. Although he left the show in 2006, he makes brief reappearances every now and then.
In 2006, Ed took another major step forward when he booked a role in "The Office" alongside Steve Carell. Although he started off with a relatively minor role, he was made a series regular by 2007. Ever since he started appearing in "The Office," Helms has booked a number of roles in various television series. These include "The Mindy Project," "Wilfried," "NTSF:SD:SUV," "Tanner on Tanner," "Childrens Hospital," "Arrested Development," and "Cheap Seats."
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Prior to 2009, Helms landed relatively minor roles in films such as "Evan Almighty," "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," "Semi-Pro," and "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay." When 2009 rolled around, he appeared in the comedic hit film "The Hangover," playing a major role as Stuart Price. Two sequels followed, and collectively, the franchise has grossed over $1.4 billion at the box office.
In 2011, he booked another major role in the film "Cedar Rapids." He also appeared in the film "Vacation," which received mostly negative reviews. In addition, Helms has worked on several animated films as a voice actor, such as "The Lorax" and "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie."
"Hangover" Payday
The four primary actors in "The Hangover" – Ed, Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha – were relative unknowns before the movie was officially green-lit. The studio behind the project was so concerned about the lack of star power that it came very close to killing the movie altogether. Thankfully (for comedy fans), the movie's director, Todd Phillips, was so confident in his chosen actors that he went to the studio and offered to give back $6.5 million in salary in exchange for back-end points. He also reminded the studio that those four actors were set to earn less than $1 million collectively.
The studio relented, and the first "Hangover" movie went on to make $470 million at the box office and $75 million from DVD sales. It was the highest-grossest R-rated comedy up to that point.
Amazingly, the studio never thought to lock in the four actors or Phillips for potential sequels. The group was, therefore, able to negotiate generous salaries and backend shares. When the sequel earned nearly $600 million at the box office, Todd Phillips earned another $70 million, and the four actors each earned $30 million.
In total, Phillips earned $150 million from the three "Hangover" movies, and the four primary actors earned $40 million.
Music
Outside of acting, Ed Helms is an avid musician who plays the banjo, guitar, and piano. He is a member of the bluegrass band The Lonesome Trio, and they have released one self-titled album.
