What Is Michael McKean's Net Worth?
Michael McKean is an American actor, writer, comedian, director, producer, and musician who has a net worth of $12 million. McKean is probably best known for starring as Leonard "Lenny" Kosnowski on "Laverne and Shirley" (1976–1983) and Chuck McGill on "Better Call Saul" (2015–2018). Michael was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" from 1994 to 1995, and he co-wrote and starred in the films "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984) and "The Big Picture" (1989).
McKean has more than 240 acting credits to his name, including the films "Coneheads" (1993), "The Brady Bunch Movie" (1995), "Best in Show" (2000), "A Mighty Wind" (2003), and "For Your Consideration" (2006) and the television series "Grand" (1990), "Dream On" (1991–1996), "Tracey Takes On…" (1996–1999), "The X-Files" (1998–2002), and "Primetime Glick" (2001–2003).
Michael has directed episodes of "Laverne & Shirley," "Dream On," and "Tracey Takes On…," and he wrote and produced "A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out" (1992). He has lent his voice to several projects, such as "Small Soldiers" (1998), "Dr. Dolittle 2" (2001), "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" (2012), "Jungle Cubs" (1996–1998), "101 Dalmatians: The Series" (1997–1998), and "Rugrats" (2021). McKean has also appeared in Broadway productions of "Hairspray" (2004), "The Pajama Game" (2006), "The Homecoming" (2007–2008), "Superior Donuts" (2009–2010), "The Best Man" (2012), "All the Way" (2014), and "The Little Foxes" (2017).
Early Life
Michael McKean was born Michael John McKean on October 17, 1947, in New York City. His mother, Ruth, was a librarian, and his father, Gilbert, co-founded Decca Records. Michael grew up on Long Island with an older sister and a younger brother, and he attended North Shore High School. After graduating in 1965, he enrolled at Carnegie Mellon University, where he developed the characters Lenny and Squiggy with fellow student David Lander. After earning his BFA from Carnegie Mellon, McKean graduated with an MFA from New York University. In 1967, he was a member of The Left Banke, a "baroque pop" band," and performed on the group's "Ivy, Ivy"/"And Suddenly" single.
Career
Michael made his TV debut in 1976 when he was cast as Lenny on the ABC sitcom "Laverne & Shirley." He appeared in more than 140 episodes of the series, and he directed one episode, wrote the episodes "Hi, Neighbor" and "Hi Neighbor, Book 2," and released a Lenny and the Squigtones album. During his time on the show, he also appeared in the films "1941" (1979), "Used Cars" (1980), and "Young Doctors in Love" (1982). In 1984, McKean starred as David St. Hubbins in "This Is Spinal Tap," which he co-wrote with Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Rob Reiner. He also performed on the albums "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984), "Break Like the Wind" (1992), and "Back from the Dead" (2009). Michael appeared in the films "Clue" (1985), "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (1987), "Short Circuit 2" (1988), and "Earth Girls Are Easy" (1989), and he starred in the 1989 comedy "The Big Picture," which he co-wrote with Guest and Michael Varhol. In the 1990s, he appeared in more than 25 films, including "True Identity" (1991), "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" (1992), "Airheads" (1994), "No Strings Attached" (1997), "That Darn Cat" (1997), "True Crime" (1999), "Teaching Mrs. Tingle" (1999), and "Mystery, Alaska" (1999). In 1994, 46-year-old Michael became the oldest person to join the cast of "Saturday Night Live" (he was surpassed by 47-year-old Leslie Jones in 2014); he spent one season on the show and appeared in 25 episodes. From 1991 to 1996, he played Gibby Fiske on HBO's "Dream On," and he had a recurring role as Morris Fletcher on Fox's "The X-Files" from 1998 to 2002; he reprised the role in an episode of the spin-off "The Lone Gunmen" in 2001.
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McKean teamed back up with Christopher Guest for 2000's "Best in Show," in which he played Stefan Vanderhoof, and he starred as Jerry Palter in 2003's "A Mighty Wind" and Lane Iverson in 2006's "For Your Consideration." Around this time, he also appeared in the films "Beautiful" (2000), "Little Nicky" (2000), "My First Mister" (2001), "The Guru" (2002), "Auto Focus" (2002), "The Producers" (2005), "The Grand" (2007), and "Whatever Works" (2009). Michael played Adrien Van Voorhees on Martin Short's Comedy Central series "Primetime Glick" from 2001 to 2003, and he portrayed silent film actor/writer/director William Christy Cabanne in the 2003 HBO movie "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself." In 2010, he competed against Cheech Marin and fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum Jane Curtin on "Celebrity Jeopardy!," winning $1 million for the International Myeloma Foundation. He then appeared in the films "The Words" (2012) and "The Meddler" (2015), and he played Chuck McGill on the critically-acclaimed "Breaking Bad" spin-off "Better Call Saul" from 2015 to 2018. In 2015, McKean also began hosting "Food: Fact or Fiction?" on the Cooking Channel, and in 2019, he played Witchfinder Sgt. Shadwell in the Amazon Prime Video/BBC Studios miniseries "Good Omens." In recent years, he has appeared in the films "Pink Skies Ahead" (2020) and "Playing God" (2021) and had recurring roles on Netflix's "Grace and Frankie" (2020) and the FX/Sky One series "Breeders" (2020).
Personal Life
Michael married Susan Russell on October 10, 1970, and they welcomed sons Fletcher and Colin before divorcing in 1993. Sadly, Colin passed away in 2012 of a suspected drug overdose. McKean wed actress Annette O'Toole on March 20, 1999, and he is stepfather to Anna and Nell, O'Toole's daughters from her marriage to Bill Geisslinger. Michael and Annette co-wrote three songs for "A Mighty Wind," and they have appeared together in projects such as "Smallville" (2003; 2010), "Law & Order" (2000), "Boy Meets World" (1999), and "Final Justice" (1998). In May 2012, McKean was hit by a car while walking on a New York City sidewalk. He suffered a broken leg and spent a week at St. Luke's Hospital before being transferred to Roosevelt Hospital for rehabilitation.
Awards and Nominations
In 2004, McKean earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Music, Original Song for "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from "A Mighty Wind" (shared with Annette O'Toole); the song also won a Gold Derby Award and received nominations from the Online Film & Television Association and Satellite Awards. He received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for "Better Call Saul" in 2019, and the series also earned him a Saturn Award (from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films), Online Film & Television Association Award, and a Satellite Award as well as nominations from the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Critics Choice Television Awards, Gold Derby Awards, and International Online Cinema Awards. Michael, Christopher Guest, and Eugene Levy won a Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for "A Mighty Wind" in 2004, and Spinal Tap received a Best Comedy Album nomination for "Back From the Dead" in 2010. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2005 Newport International Film Festival, and "A Mighty Wind" won a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song (for the title track), a Seattle Film Critics Award for Best Music, and a Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble Cast.
In 2001, McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer won a DVD Exclusive Award for Best DVD Audio Commentary for "This Is Spinal Tap," and in 2007, Michael was nominated for the "Who Knew They Could Sing?" Award at the TV Land Awards. He has earned three CableACE Award nominations for Actor in a Comedy Series, two for "Dream On" (1994 and 1996) and one for "Sessions" (1993). McKean and his "For Your Consideration" castmates received a Gotham Independent Film Award nomination for Best Ensemble Performance in 2006, and "A Mighty Wind" earned a Best Music nomination at the 2004 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. Michael has earned Behind the Voice Actors Award nominations for Best Vocal Ensemble in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short for "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1" (2013) and "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2″ (2014) and Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series – Action/Drama for Thundercats" (2013).
