What is Michael Emerson's Net Worth and Salary?
Michael Emerson is an American actor who has a net worth of $6 million. Michael Emerson is best known for playing Benjamin Linus in the ABC television mystery series "Lost" and Harold Finch in the CBS crime drama series "Person of Interest." He has also had notable roles on such shows as "The Practice," "Arrow," and "Evil." Emerson's film credits include "The Laramie Project," "Saw," "The Legend of Zorro," and "Ready? OK!"
Person of Interest Salary
What was Michael Emerson's salary per episode of Person of Interest? $100,000 per episode.
Early Life and Education
Michael Emerson was born on September 7, 1954 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Carol and Ronald, and he was raised in Toledo, Iowa. For his higher education, he attended Drake University, graduating in 1976. Emerson later moved to New York City, where he took retail jobs and did work as an illustrator while unsuccessfully trying to find acting gigs. In 1986, he relocated to Florida, where he acted in local theater productions in Jacksonville and worked as a director and teacher at Flagler College. Emerson eventually went to graduate school, earning his MFA degree from the University of Alabama.
Television Career
Emerson had his first major role on television from 2000 to 2001, playing serial killer William Hinks in six episodes of the ABC series "The Practice." For his performance, he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Over the subsequent years, Emerson appeared in episodes of such shows as "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "The X-Files," "Without a Trace," "Whoopi," and "The Inside." He landed his biggest role yet in 2006 when he began playing the mysterious leader of the Others, Benjamin Linus, in the ABC mystery series "Lost." After appearing in a guest-starring capacity in the show's second season, he became a main caster member for the show's remaining four seasons. Emerson received four Emmy Award nominations for his work on "Lost," and won once, in 2009.
After "Lost," Emerson had his next main role in the CBS crime drama series "Person of Interest," which debuted in 2011. He played Harold Finch, a hermetic billionaire software genius who teams up with a vigilante CIA agent, played by Jim Caviezel, to fight crime in New York City. "Person of Interest" ran for five seasons through 2016. Following the end of that show, Emerson played the recurring role of Cayden James in the DC Comics superhero series "Arrow." He also appeared in episodes of "Claws" and "Mozart in the Jungle." In 2019, Emerson appeared in the Italian miniseries "The Name of the Rose" and began playing the main role of Dr. Leland Townsend in the CBS supernatural drama series "Evil." Among his other credits is a guest role in the post-apocalyptic drama series "Fallout," which premiered in 2024.
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Film Career
In the late 1990s, Emerson had roles in the films "The Journey," "The Impostors," "Playing by Heart," and "For Love of the Game." At the beginning of the 21st century, he had brief roles in "The Laramie Project" and "Unfaithful." In 2004, Emerson played Zep Hindle in the hit horror film "Saw," and played Victor in the gay comedy "Straight-Jacket." He appeared in another gay film, "29th and Gay," in 2005. Also that year, Emerson played the character Harrigan in the Western swashbuckler "The Legend of Zorro." Later in the decade, he starred in the comedy "Ready? OK!" Among Emerson's other film credits is the direct-to-video, two-part adult animated superhero film "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," in which he voices the Joker.
Stage Career
Beyond the screen, Emerson has been a prolific stage actor, starting with his time in local Jacksonville, Florida productions in the late 1980s. During that time, he starred in productions of "Othello," "Noises Off," and "Hamlet." In the 1990s, Emerson acted at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in productions of "The Tempest," "The Way of the World," "All's Well That Ends Well," and "The Crucible," among other plays. He had his breakthrough in 1997 when he portrayed Oscar Wilde in the original off-Broadway production of Moisés Kaufman's play "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde." After that, Emerson made his Broadway debut in a production of "The Iceman Cometh." He was subsequently in "Give Me Your Answer, Do!" off-Broadway. Emerson returned to Broadway in 2001 to appear in "Hedda Gabler." His other notable stage credits have included productions of "Tartuffe," "Measure for Measure," "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour," and "Wakey, Wakey."
Personal Life & Real Estate
In 1998, Emerson married actress Carrie Preston. She is his second wife. The two appeared together in the films "Straight-Jacket" and "Ready? OK!" and in the television series "Person of Interest."
In November 2008, Michael and Carrie paid $999,000 for a home in Los Angeles. They sold this home in May 2018 or $1.663 million. In October 2016 they paid $2.999 million for the penthouse duplex in NYC's Chelsea neighborhood.
