Cybill Lynne Shepherd was born on 18 February 1950, in Memphis, Tennessee USA, to homemaker Patty, and father William Shepherd, a small business owner, and is an actress, singer and former model, probably best known for her roles in the films “The Last Picture Show”, “The Heartbreak Kid” and “Taxi Driver”, and in the television series “Moonlighting”, “Cybill”, “The L Word” and “Psych”, during her working life now spanning over 45 years.
So just how wealthy is Cybill Shepherd? According to sources, Shepherd has earned a net worth of over $40 million, as of mid-2016. Her fortune has been established largely during her acting career.
Cybill Shepherd Net Worth $40 Million
Shepherd began modeling at an early age. In 1966 she was named Miss Teenage Memphis, and then Model of the Year in 1968, which enabled her to become a fashion icon during the late ’60s. She went on with modeling through her high-school days and after, gracing the covers of major fashion magazines. She attended New York University.
In 1970 Shepherd was spotted by film director Peter Bogdanovich, who offered her the role of Jacy in his 1971 film “The Last Picture Show”, which became a big hit and box office success, earning several Academy Awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe nomination for Shepherd as New Star of the Year. The following year she was cast as Kelly in the film “The Heartbreak Kid”, another hit and box office success, both ensuringa good basis to her net worth.
In 1976 Shepherd took the role of Betsy in the Robert de Niro film “Taxi Driver”, which became a huge hit, significantly contributing to Shepherd’s fame and to her wealth as well. After taking a less successful role in the 1979 film “The Lady Vanishes”, Shepherd returned to Memphis to work in a regional theatre. Coming back to New York three years later, she joined a theatre tour of Jean Kerr’s “Lunch Hour”.
In 1984 she was cast as Maddie Hayes in ABC’s television series “Moonlighting”, which lasted until 1989 and which defined Shepherd’s career, as it earned her two Golden Globe awards, and considerably added to her wealth. She went on to take several well-received film roles, including “Chances Are”, “Texasville”, “Alice” and “Once Upon a Time” and a number of television film roles. In 1995 she was cast in the leading role as Cybill Sheridan in the television sitcom “Cybill”, which lasted until 1998 and which earned the actress her third Golden Globe award.
During the 2000s Shepherd starred as Martha Stewart in two TV movies, “Martha, Inc.: The Story of Martha Stewart” and “Martha: Behind Bars”. In 2007 she joined the cast of the popular lesbian-themed television series “The L Word” as Phyllis Kroll, then the following year she appeared in several episodes of the television series “Psych” and guest-starred in an episode of the drama series “Criminal Minds”. Her net worth continued to rise steadily.
In 2010 Shepherd appeared in an episode of the television show “No Ordinary Family” as well as in an episode of the sitcom “$h*! My Dad Says”. The same year she was seen in the TV film “The Client List” and also in the 2012-13 series based on the film.
She made her Broadway debut in the revival of Gore Vidal’s play “The Best Man” in 2012. Her most recent film appearances have been in the 2015 “Do You Believe?” and “She’s Funny That Way”.
Aside from her acting career, Shepherd is also a talented singer. Back in 1974 she released the album “Cybill Does It…To Cole Porter” for MCA Records. In 2000 she published her autobiography “Cybill Disobedience: How I Survived Beauty Pageants, Elvis, Sex, Bruce Willis, Lies, Marriage, Motherhood, Hollywood, and the Irrepressible Urge to Say What I Think”, so singing and writing have both added somewhat to her net worth.
In her private life, Shepherd married David M. Ford in 1978 – the couple divorced in 1982 after having one child together. In 1987 she married Bruce Oppenheim, with whom she had two children, but they divorced in 1990. She has been engaged to Andrei Nikolajevic since 2012.
Shepherd has been a gay rights and abortion rights activist, as well as an advocate for same-sex marriage and parental rights, which earned her a National Ally for Equality award by the Human Rights Campaign in Atlanta in 2009.
