What is Mary Murphy's Net Worth?
Mary Murphy is a ballroom dancer, choreographer, and dance judge who has a net worth of $10 million. Mary Murphy is best known for serving as a judge and choreographer on the Fox reality television competition show "So You Think You Can Dance." She also appeared in the Broadway ballroom dance show "Burn the Floor" from 2009 to 2010. Among her other endeavors, Murphy runs her own dance studio and organizes the Hollywood Dancesport Championships in Los Angeles.
Early Life and Education
Mary Murphy was born on March 9, 1958 in Lancaster, Ohio to an Irish family. As a teenager, she attended Northwest High School. For her higher education, Murphy went to Ohio University, from which she graduated with a degree in physical education.
Ballroom Dancing
After graduating from college, Murphy moved to Washington, D.C. to begin her career. There, she answered a newspaper ad for studio instructor trainees and became an instructor in just one week. The owner of the studio invited Murphy to attend the United States Ballroom Championships in New York City, which she did. It was because of that event that she decided to pursue a full-time career in ballroom dancing. Murphy subsequently moved to California and worked as an instructor there while trying to find a dance partner. While attending the U.K. Open Championships in England, she met fellow dancer Manfred Stiglitz and a partnership was born. The duo started competing, and in both 1990 and 1991 won the Austrian National Championship. Also in 1990, Murphy founded the Champion Ballroom Academy dance studio in San Diego, which specializes in ballroom dance and social dance.
Murphy continued her success as a ballroom dancer throughout the 1990s with various dance partners based in California. She won titles at the Southwest Regional Dance Tournament, the Saint Louis Star Ball, and the International Grand Ball. Meanwhile, with partner Bill Milner, Murphy made the final of the U.S. Open Standard in an unprecedented six months. In 1996, she and partner Jim Desmond made the final of the U.S. Open American Smooth and won the U.S. Open American Nine Dance. Murphy retired from competition in the latter half of the decade and shifted her focus to her dance studio. She later opened a studio in Los Angeles, and began organizing the Hollywood Dancesport Championships. Murphy has also served as a judge for various competitions, including the U.S. National Ballroom Championships.
So You Think You Can Dance
Murphy became widely known to mainstream audiences in 2005 when she served as a guest judge and choreographer on the newly created reality television competition program "So You Think You Can Dance." Broadcast on Fox, the show features dancers trained in a variety of dance genres as they compete for the votes of the viewing audience. Murphy continued making guest appearances as a judge and choreographer in the show's second season, and in the third season became a permanent judge alongside Nigel Lythgoe.
In 2008, she made guest appearances on various international versions of "So You Think You Can Dance," including ones in Canada, Australia, and Scandinavia. Murphy also returned as a permanent judge for the fourth season of the American version. She continued in that role for seasons five and six. For season seven, Murphy was replaced by Mia Michaels, but appeared as a guest judge later in the season. She then replaced Michaels in season eight. Murphy remained a permanent judge through season eleven in 2014; she later returned for season fourteen in 2017, remaining on the show through season sixteen in 2019.
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Burn the Floor
From late 2009 to early 2010, Murphy headlined the Broadway ballroom dance show "Burn the Floor" with partner Vaidas Skimelis. The show, which has been performed around the world, features many alumni from the various international versions of "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Strictly Come Dancing." Murphy returned to the cast of "Burn the Floor" during the latter half of 2010, partnering with Skimelis for performances in San Diego and San Jose.
Personal Life
Murphy has been married multiple times. Her first marriage, which ended in divorce after nine years, was allegedly marked by domestic abuse. Murphy's second and third marriages also ended in divorce. Her third husband, Phillip Gott, remains an employee at her ballroom dance academy.
In 2011, it was revealed that Murphy had undergone treatment for thyroid cancer. She survived with her vocal cords intact, and is cancer-free.
