What Is Lee Majors' Net Worth?
Lee Majors is an American actor who has a net worth of $15 million. Lee Majors is best known for his roles as Heath Barkley in the 1960s television series "The Big Valley" and Colonel Steve Austin in the 1970s series "The Six Million Dollar Man." He also hit pay dirt in the '80s with his role as Colt Seavers in "The Fall Guy."
Early Years
Lee Majors was born Harvey Lee Yeary on April 23, 1939, in Wyandotte, Michigan. Majors' father was killed in a work-related accident before he was born, and his mother was killed in a car crash before Lee reached the age of two.
He was adopted by his aunt and uncle and moved to Kentucky, where he lived until he completed high school in 1957. While in school, he was an accomplished athlete, excelling in both track and football.
Athletics
Majors' talent in track and on the football field led to a scholarship to attend Indiana University. He transferred to Eastern Kentucky University in 1959. The following year, he suffered a serious back injury during a football game that left him paralyzed for two weeks and also ended his collegiate sports career.
With collegiate athletics in his rearview, Majors set his sights on becoming a football coach and continued his academics. He graduated from Eastern Kentucky with a degree in History and Physical Education in 1962.
Career
After graduation, Majors was offered the opportunity to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals football team but instead moved to Los Angeles to become a Recreation Director for North Hollywood Park.
While in Los Angeles, he met James Dean's agent, who suggested he take classes and give acting a try. Soon after, he changed his name from Harvey Lee Yeary to Lee Majors in honor of professional football player and collegiate coach Johnny Majors, who was his childhood hero.
Majors got his first big break when he was selected over hundreds of other auditioning actors for the role of Heath Barkley in the hit television western "The Big Valley" on the ABC network, a role that would last for almost four years.
While still on the payroll for "The Big Valley," Lee began starring in made-for-television films. He was also offered the lead in the big-screen production "Midnight Cowboy" with Dustin Hoffman. However, the filming of "Midnight Cowboy" conflicted with the production schedule for "The Big Valley," and he had to decline. The role was eventually given to Jon Voight and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
When "The Big Valley" was canceled in 1969, Majors appeared in a series of small television roles, but in 1973, he began work on the show that would become synonymous with his name, "The Six Million Dollar Man."
Lee played the role of former astronaut and U.S. Air Force Colonel Steve Austin, who was injured in a NASA test flight. In a life-saving operation, his character was outfitted with bionic limbs, which gave him superhuman strength and speed, and a robotic eye with infrared and zoom capabilities, which came in handy in his work as a secret agent.
The show was hugely popular and ran from 1973 to 1978. It was a merchandising monster, selling everything from action figures and t-shirts to children's lunchboxes.
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ABC decided to launch a spin-off of the show featuring Steve Austin's love interest Jaime Sommers. "The Bionic Woman" premiered in 1975, starring Lindsay Wagner, and successfully ran alongside "The Six Million Dollar Man" until they were both canceled in 1978.
Not content to fade into retirement after the massive success he experienced with "The Six Million Dollar Man," Majors scored another win with "The Fall Guy."
Lee played the lead role of Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stuntman who also doubles as a bounty hunter. The show proved to be immensely popular when it hit the air in 1981, and it ran until 1986, capping off a successful television career spanning over three decades.
Majors dusted off his acting cap again in 2006, taking the role of Coach Ross in The CW television series "The Game," which ran until 2009.
Personal Life
Lee Majors has been married four times and has four children.
He was married to Katy Robinson from 1961 to 1964, and they had one child together.
His most notable marriage was to Farrah Fawcett from 1973 to 1982. They were considered a Hollywood power couple throughout the 1970s with each having extraordinarily successful careers. While married, Fawcett went by Farrah Fawcett-Majors.
Lee married Playboy Playmate Karen Velez in 1988. The couple had a daughter and twin sons. The marriage ended in 1994.
Majors married actress Faith Cross in 2002
Honors
He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 5, 1984, in recognition of his contributions to the television and film industries.
