Michael Richards is an American actor who has a net worth of $30 million. He was born in Los Angeles, California. Known for his role as Cosmo Kramer on the classic 90’s sitcom “Seinfeld,” he is also a stand-up comedian and actor.
Michael Richards Early Life
Michael Anthony Richards was born on July 24, 1949, in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Culver City. He is the son of Phyllis Richards, a librarian, and her husband, William Richards, a mechanical engineer. Unfortunately, Michael’s father died in a vehicle accident when he was just two years old.
The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, awarded Richards a bachelor’s degree in drama in 1975 after he graduated from Thousand Oaks High School and attended the California Institute of Arts. During this time period, he also collaborated with Ed Begley Jr. on a short-lived improv performance.
He was drafted into the Army in 1970, during the Vietnam War, and served in the Army for two years until being honourably discharged.
Michael Richards Acting Career
In 1979, he received his first major television break when he appeared in Billy Crystal’s first cable television special. In 1980, Richards appeared as a guest star on ABC’s “Fridays,” on which Larry David served as a writer.
Throughout the 1980s, Richards appeared in modest television roles on shows such as “Miami Vice” and “Cheers,” and he made numerous guest appearances on Jay Leno’s show. Richards made his film debut in 1989 with Weird Al Yankovic’s comedic feature “UHF.”
NBC’s “Seinfeld,” developed by Michael’s former coworkers Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, cast Michael as Cosmo Kramer in the role of Cosmo Kramer in 1989. However, although the programme began slowly, by the mid-1990s it had grown to become one of the most popular sitcoms on television, and it eventually became one of the most successful shows in television history. Richards received more Emmy nominations than any other cast member, and he was named Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series three times, in 1993, 1994, and 1997, respectively.
In 1998, “Seinfeld” came to an end after nine seasons at the top of the Nielsen ratings. In 2004, Richards and his fellow cast members participated in interviews and audio commentaries for the DVD release of “Seinfeld,” which was released in 2007.
Richards was also the first actor to be considered for the lead role in the television series “Monk.” Beyond television, Michael made remarkable cameos on “The Larry Sanders Show,” in the films “Air Heads,” “Coneheads,” “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” and other films, including “The Larry Sanders Show.” In 2000, Richards began working on a new NBC series, “The Michael Richards Show,” which premiered in 2001. In addition to being a co-writer, Richards also served as a co-executive producer. The concept was reworked after the first pilot test was a failure with the audience. However, after only a few weeks of airing, the show was terminated due to low ratings and negative reviews from audiences.
Michael left stand-up comedy and hasn’t been seen much around Hollywood since a 2006 incident at Hollywood nightclub The Laugh Factory, during which he broke into a racist tirade directed at a small group of Black audience members. Michael hasn’t been seen much around Hollywood since then. In an appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” he issued a public apology, which was met with disapproval.
Michael Richards Personal Life
Richards was married to Cathleen Lyons, a former casting director, for 18 years before their divorce. Sophia, their daughter, was born to them as a couple (b. 1975). Their divorce was finalised in 1992. Richards proposed to actress Beth Skipp, whom he had been dating since 2002, in 2007. The couple were married in 2007. They have one son together. He currently resides in the California city of Glendale.
Michael Richards Salary
The show’s supporting cast members Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, and Jason Alexander were paid a pittance for their efforts during the show’s first four seasons. They were able to negotiate rises prior to season 5 in 1993, which resulted in each of them receiving $150,000 per episode, or around $3.8 million per season.
In May 1997, the supporting cast members went on strike in order to demand a significant pay hike, aiming for $1 million per episode. The network responded with $200,000, then $400,000 in retaliation. They ended up collecting $600,000 each episode for the show’s last season, which amounted to approximately $15 million in total compensation. That’s the equivalent of earning almost $24 million today.
Before inflation, the supporting cast members of Seinfeld earned a total of nearly $45 million in base compensation, according to the show.
Michael Richards Earnings
Julia, Michael, and Jason do not make a substantial amount of money from “Seinfeld” syndication arrangements, which have generated approximately $4 billion in revenue as of the time of this writing. This is contrary to popular assumption.
In order to profit from syndication sales, one must hold a significant amount of equity ownership in the show. On the episode, the supporting cast did not collect any backend points at any point. They do earn royalties from the show’s airings, but these payments amount to only a few hundred thousand dollars per year at the most, not the millions of dollars that many people believe.
On the other hand, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld each made $250 million in revenue from syndication sales alone in the year 1998. A decade later, Larry and Jerry were still raking in at least $50 million per year in syndication points from their show.
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