What is Jennifer Coolidge's Net Worth?
Jennifer Coolidge is an American actress who has a net worth of $6 million. Jennifer Coolidge is well known for roles in comedy films like "American Pie," "Legally Blonde," and "Best in Show," among many others. In the late 1990s and 2000s, she was best known – for better or worse – as "Stifler's mom," a reference to her character in the American Pie franchise. In 2021, she earned critical acclaim for her role in the HBO series "The White Lotus," including a Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe.
Early Life
Coolidge was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 28, 1961, to parents Gretchen and Paul Coolidge. Her father worked as a plastics manufacturer. The couple had four children, three daughters and a son, and is of English, Scottish, German, and Irish descent. As a child, Coolidge played the clarinet and attended orchestra summer camps. She also developed an interest in the dramatic arts. Coolidge attended Norwell High School and the Cambridge School of Weston before enrolling at Emerson College in Boston. She then attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City to pursue acting. While she was initially interested in becoming a dramatic actress, citing Meryl Streep as her inspiration, she then switched to becoming a comedic character actress.
Career
Coolidge first appeared on television in an episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Masseuse" in the mid-1990s. She then landed a number of minor roles in films like "A Bucket of Blood," "Plumb Fiction," and "A Night at the Roxbury." She also landed a voice role in the animated comedy series "King of the Hill."
She got her big break in 1999 when she got the role of "Stifler's mom" in the film "American Pie." The film became a box-office success, grossed over $235,000,000 worldwide, and launched Coolidge into the spotlight. Her fame continued to grow when she reprised the role in 2001 in "American Pie 2" and again in 2003 in "American Wedding." She also played a supporting role in "Legally Blonde," which was released in 2001 and became a very successful film. She reprised the role in "Legally Blond 2: Red, White & Blonde," though the film was not nearly as successful.
In 2003, she played a supporting role in the film "Testosterone," and then in 2004, she played the character of the self-absorbed stepmother in "A Cinderella Story," starring Hillary Duff. She almost earned a role in "Desperate Housewives," which undoubtedly would have been a boon for her career, but the role ultimately went to Felicity Huffman. However, she did land the role of the agent on the comedy series "Joey," a spin-off of "Friends," which ran on NBC from 2004 to 2006. She also appeared in an episode of "Friends" in its final season.
Coolidge further developed her comedy skills on the short-lived sketch comedy show "She TV." She continued landing guest roles on popular series like "According to Jim," "Sex and the City," and "Frasier." She lent her voice to the animated feature "Robots" as well as "Aunt Fanny's Tour of Booty."
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Coolidge hit a career milestone in 2005 when she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She continued taking roles throughout the second half of the 2000s, including roles in the Adam Sandler film "Click," "Date Movie," and "Epic Movie." "Epic Movie" was Coolidge's first lead role. The film was satirical and received mixed critical reviews.
She also played a number of parts in mockumentary films directed by Christopher Guest, including "Best in Show," "A Mighty Wind," and "For Your Consideration."
In 2007, Coolidge had roles in "Thank God You're Here" and "The Closer." She also played a call girl in "The Secret Life of an American Teenager," ultimately earning a recurring role during the show's second season. The following year, she starred in the Lifetime Television original film "Living Proof" and also appeared in the film "Soul Men."
In 2009, Coolidge changed lanes by taking a dramatic role in the film "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. She starred with Amber Heard and Heather Graham the same year in "ExTerminators," a black comedy film. In 2010, she appeared alongside Hillary Duff in "Beauty & the Briefcase" based on the novel "Diary of a Working Girl."
Coolidge reprised her role as Stifler's Mom in "American Reunion" in 2012. She also began a recurring role on the sitcom "2 Broke Girls" and remained on the show until 2017. In 2020, Coolidge played a supporting role in "Promising Young Woman," which received critical praise upon release.
She also played one of the central characters in "The White Lotus," released in 2021 to critical acclaim. Since then, Coolidge has appeared in Netflix's "Single All the Way" (2021) and "The Watcher" (2022). In 2023, she portrayed Carol Fowler in the action-comedy "Shotgun Wedding."
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Personal Life
In general, Coolidge keeps her personal life quite private. She has been romantically linked to comedian Chris Kattan, but other than a few photographs in which they were pictured together, she has not revealed any more details or ever confirmed the two were in a relationship. In interviews, she divulged that her role in the "American Pie" film series introduced her to the world of dating younger men but provided no further comment.
Coolidge has donated to several charitable causes, including those related to AIDS assistance research and animal rights. She is a lover of animals and has a pet dog named Chuy.
Coolidge visited New Orleans up to 10 times a year over 10 years, which led her to purchase a home in the area in 2005. The interior scenes from 2017's "The Beguiled" were filmed in her New Orleans mansion.
