What Was Norman Fell's Net Worth?
Norman Fell was an American actor who had a net worth of $1 million at the time of his death. Norman Fell was best known for starring as Stanley Roper on the television series "Three's Company" from 1976 to 1981. He also starred on "The Ropers" from 1979 to 1980. Fell had more than 160 acting credits to his name.
From 1961 to 1962, Norman starred as Det. Meyer Meyer on the series "87th Precinct." He played Sgt. Charlie Wilentz on the television series "Dan August" from 1970 to 1971. Fell starred as Nathan Davison on the TV series "Needles and Pins" from 1973 to 1974. From 1982 to 1983, he played Ben Cooper on the series "Teachers Only". He also starred in several movies, including "Ocean's 11," "PT 109," "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "Catch-22," "Bullitt," and "The Killers." In 1979, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Television series for "Three's Company." Norman Fell passed away on December 14, 1998, at 74 years old.
Early Life
Norman Fell was born Norman Noah Feld on March 24, 1924, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Samuel and Edna Feld. His father was an Austrian Jewish immigrant, and his maternal grandparents were Russian Jews. Norman attended Central High School of Philadelphia. After graduating, he served as a tail gunner on a B-25 Mitchell in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After he completed his service in the military, he enrolled at Temple University, where he studied drama. He later further honed his acting craft at The Actors Studio and then at Black Hills Players.
Career
Early in his acting career, Fell was billed as Norman Feld, his original name. He booked his first television roles in 1954 when he appeared in episodes of "The Elgin Hour," "Westinghouse Studio One," "The Philco Television Playhouse," and "Goodyear Television Playhouse." Over the next few years, he appeared in episodes of "Joe and Mabel," "The Alcoa Hour," "Star Tonight," "Playwrights '56," "The United States Steel Hour," and "Hallmark Hall of Fame." He also booked his first film roles during this time, appearing in "The Violators" in 1957 and "Pork Chop Hill" in 1959.
He continued working steadily in television throughout the 1960s. He appeared in "Johnny Staccato," "Perry Mason," "The Untouchables," "The Tom Ewell Show," "The Law and Mr. Jones," "The Tab Hunter Show," "Cain's Hundred," "Checkmate," "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillies," and "Sam's Benedict." From 1961 to 1962, he appeared as Detective Meyer Meyer in "87th Precinct." This was his most prominent role to date, as he was part of the regular cast and appeared in 30 episodes in total.
Throughout the rest of the 1960s, Norman appeared in shows like "The Fugitive," "Ben Casey," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Bewitched," "Twelve O'Clock High," "I Spy," "That Girl," "Judd, for the Defense," "The Name of the Game," "The Invaders," and "Mannix," among many others. From 1965 to 1969 he appeared on several episodes of "The F.B.I." as different characters. Films he appeared in during the 1960s include "PT 109," "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "Quick, Before it Melts," "The Young Warriors," "The Graduate," "Bullitt," and "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium."
In 1970, Fell appeared in two films – "The Boatniks" and "Catch-22." He also was cast in the show "Dan August" as Sergeant Charles Wilentz. In the early 1970s, he appeared in shows like "The Heist," "McCloud," Love, American Style," "Needles and Pins," and Starsky & Hutch." Other shows he appeared in include "Medical Center," "Lucas Tanner," "Rhoda," "Police Story," and "Roots: The Next Generation." He also appeared in films like "Airport 1975," "Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold," "Guardian of the Wilderness," "The End," and "Rabbit Test."
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Norman Fell landed what would become one of his most well-remembered roles in 1976 when he was cast as Stanley Roper in "Three's Company." He remained on the popular show until 1981 and won a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Actor in a Supporting Role in 1979 for his work on the series. He also played the same character in the spin-off series "The Ropers" from 1979 to 1980. Fell was cast in the mini-series "Rich Man, Poor Man" as Smitty in 1976 and was nominated at the Emmy Awards for his performance.
Fell remained busy during his later career. Films he appeared in during the 1980s and 1990s include "Transylvania 6-5000," "Stripped to Kill," C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D.," "With Friends Like These…," "The Boneyard," "For the Boys," "The Naked Truth," "Hexed," "The Destiny of Marty Fine," and "Beach House." From 1985 to 1986, he appeared in various episodes of "Crazy Like a Fox." Norman also appeared in episodes of "Simon & Simon," "Magnum, P.I.," "Matlock," "Out of This World," "Sledge Hammer!," "Murder, She Wrote," "Hooperman," and "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!" Throughout the 1990s, he appeared in television projects like "Good Grief," "Flying Blind," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare," and "The Naked Truth." His last onscreen appearance came in 1997 when he appeared as Mr. Roper in an episode of "Ellen."
Personal Life and Death
On May 21, 1950, Fell married Dolores Pikoos in Philadelphia. They divorced four years later. He then married and divorced two subsequent times. He married his second wife, Diane Weiss, in 1961. With his second wife, Norman had two daughters named Tracy and Mara before the couple divorced in 1973. With his third wife, Karen Weingard, he adopted a son. They married in 1975 and divorced in 1995.
On November 26, 1998, Fell became too weak to get out of bed at his Marina del Rey home. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer. He was moved to the Motion Picture and Television's retirement home in Woodland Hills, California, and passed away on December 14, 1998, at the age of 74.
