Eriq La Salle was born in Hartford, Connecticut, USA on 23 July 1962 of African-American ancestry. He is best known as surgeon Peter Benton from the popular ‘90s drama “ER”, and also Darryl from the Eddie Murphy comedy film “Coming to America”.
A recognizable actor, director, and producer, how rich is Eriq La Salle? Sources estimate that Eriq’s net worth is around $25 million, as of early 2017. Among his assets is T-ranch shaped house in Bel-Air, which he bought for $3.03 million late in 2016.
Eriq La Salle Net Worth $25 million
Eriq La Salle grew up in Harford, where he went to Weaver High School. He was raised solely by a foster mother, Ada Haynes, who worked many different jobs in order to support their family. Eriq grew up as a minority in an area where the majority consisted of white people. His foster mother instilled in him the virtue of hard work and excellence; that he would have to work harder than whites just to be considered equal. He discovered acting after joining a local youth acting group when he was 14 years old, which sparked his passion and he decided that he would make acting his career. Fast forward a few years later, to when he was accepted into the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City where he developed his acting skills until graduation.
Eriq appeared in several on and off-Broadway shows in the 80’s, but also found the time to finish his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Graduate Program of New York University. However, his Hollywood career started only in 1985 when he landed a role in the daytime soap opera, “One Life to Live”. After a slew of minor projects, he landed a minor role as Darryl in the blockbuster comedy “Coming to America” in which he acted alongside comedian Eddie Murphy. He moved on towards other projects, including “The Human Factor” and “D.R.O.P. Squad” among others, before finally landing his big break with the 1994 hit TV drama “ER – this has been his most successful role and he acted in almost 200 episodes spanning 15 years, making a big impact on his net worth.
Although his ER role was his most popular, Eriq’s net worth can also be credited to many other sources. He is an aspiring director, and he has directed numerous TV series such as “CSI”, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” among others.
Outside Hollywood, he is also a fiction writer, having written thrillers “Laws of Depravity” and “Laws of Wrath.” Currently, Eriq is hard at work writing the third novel of his trilogy.
Not much is known about Eriq’s personal life. He was previously engaged to Angela Johnson back in 1998, but the wedding was called off, and he’s still single. Eriq attends various fund raisers such as the Places With No Name benefit auction, which supports the relief effort in Afghanistan, and conflicts on the African continent. Also, he is active in giving back to his former alma mater Weaver High School, where he gives inspirational talks and speeches to graduates.
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special, NAACP Image Award for ...
Movies
ER, Logan, Coming to America, Crazy as Hell, The Salton Sea, Relative Stranger, Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault, One Hour Photo, Jacob's Ladder, Johnny Was, Color of Night, Drop Squad
TV Shows
ER, The Human Factor, Retrosexual: The '80s, Under Suspicion
So It's not like I go from being this disciplined person who has to get up and go to work to now I just lay around all day in my underwear eating Cheerios. I have this structure. I still have to do this and the difference is I'm doing this for me and my company.
2
So that, to me, is important that audiences are treated with an amount of respect toward their intelligence. Most Hollywood films don't respect their intelligence.
3
The films that have influenced me and the films that have motivated me and inspired me were films that resonated, films that made me think after I saw them.
4
Ever since I've left, I've been doing nothing but this film and traveling, promoting and doing festivals. So the good thing is that I'm not sitting around pining over whether I made the right choice in leaving. I'm moving and grooving.
5
I don't see me doing $100 million films because $100 million films, the very nature of them, you need to offend as few people as possible just to make your money back.
6
Just trying to get a film made which is always difficult no matter what kind of a budget you have. Not having a budget makes it even more difficult. Having nineteen days and no budget makes it extremely difficult.
7
Maybe It's not the biggest blockbuster film, but there will be some people that will see it, that will be debating it, that will be questioning their own sense of spirituality. If the film resonates, then I have succeeded in what I set out to do.
8
Regardless of what people ultimately think about Crazy As Hell, It's not the type of film that, ten minutes after seeing it, you're only focused on what you want to eat.
9
Well that's the point: People don't normally take away things from films anymore. You go and see a $100 million film, half an hour later, your biggest concern is what are you going to be eating.
10
You can't do psychological thrillers. There's no audience. I've heard this. I've heard this from studios.
11
But I try not to become preoccupied with that because with whatever direction I follow, with whatever advice I've followed or not followed, It's landed me in New York, in a very beautiful hotel, talking to people about something that I love. So I ain't that far off.
12
I think that you make the best choice with the information that you have before you at that given time.
13
But I did on projects that I produced, that I directed, that I acted in because it was important. I want to be a filmmaker. I don't want to be an actor who directs, I want to be a director. I want to be a filmmaker. So that's a big difference.
14
Normally, we see characters that have God complexes. How interesting, I thought, it would be to capitalize on that. And say, OK, well fine, you have a God complex, well this person has a Satan complex. And the doctor chooses to treat him scientifically.
15
Art should offend people because art should challenge people.
16
I think American cinema, particularly, has become so disposable. It's not even cinema, It's just moviemaking.
17
It's my company and I believe in the company that's why I started it.
18
The Sixth Sense is not a good white film. Insomnia is not a good white film. They're just good films. So why we can't we have good films that happen to have black people, or Asian, or Latino, or any other minority group in them?
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Fact
1
He was nominated for a 1993 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play for "Two Trains Running" at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
2
BFA in Drama - New York University, Tisch School of the Arts (1984)
performer: "Two of a Kind", "Snack Attack", "Courtroom" / writer: "Courtroom"
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Twilight Zone
2003
TV Series written by - 1 episode
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Tricks of the Trade
2015/II
Short additional thanks
Bloomers
2011
TV Series special thanks
Sworn to Justice
1996
very special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The View
2015
TV Series
Himself
The Real
2015
TV Series
Himself
Today
2014
TV Series
Himself
Pioneers of Television
2014
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself
Home & Family
2013
TV Series
Himself - Guest
The John Kerwin Show
2012
TV Series
Himself - Guest
Can We Take Off the Blindfold?
2011
Documentary
Himself (Active Footage)
10 Minutes
2010
Short
Himself
For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots
2010
TV Movie documentary voice
Previously On: E.R.
2009
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Séries express
2009
TV Series
Himself
ER
2008
TV Series
Himself - Memorial Episode Introducer
Entertainment Tonight
2008
TV Series
Himself
The World Awaits: De La Hoya vs. Mayweather
2007
TV Movie
Himself - Audience Member (uncredited)
King: Man of Peace in a Time of War
2007
Video documentary
Himself
A Concert for Hurricane Relief
2005
TV Special
Himself
Nova
2005
TV Series documentary
Voice
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004
Video documentary
Himself
The Making of 'One Hour Photo'
2002
Video documentary short
Himself
Ultimate Jordan
2001
Video documentary
Narrator
The 58th Annual Golden Globe Awards
2001
TV Special
Himself - Presenter: Best TV-Series Drama
31st NAACP Image Awards
2000
TV Special
Himself
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1999
TV Series
Himself
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996-1999
TV Series
Himself
Late Show with David Letterman
1996-1999
TV Series
Himself
The 50th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
1998
TV Special
Himself - Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Essence Awards
1998
TV Special
Himself - Co-Host
The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards
1998
TV Special
Himself - Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV
The 49th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
1997
TV Special
Himself - Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and Presenter
The 23rd Annual People's Choice Awards
1997
TV Special
Himself - Accepting Award for Favourite Television Dramatic Series
50 Years of Television: A Celebration of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Golden Anniversary
1997
TV Movie documentary
Himself
The 18th Annual CableACE Awards
1996
TV Special
Himself - Presenter
Michael Jordan, Above and Beyond
1996
Video documentary
Narrator
The 22nd Annual People's Choice Awards
1996
TV Special
Himself - Accepting Award for Favourite Dramatic Television Series
The 53rd Annual Golden Globe Awards
1996
TV Special
Himself - Presenter: Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV and Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV
The 21st Annual People's Choice Awards
1995
TV Special
Himself - Accepting Award for Favorite Television Dramatic Series / New Dramatic Television Series
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1995
TV Series
Himself
The 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
1995
TV Special
Himself - Nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series & Presenter: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
The More You Know
1989
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Reinventando Hollywood
2008
TV Movie documentary
Himself
ER
2005
TV Series
Peter Benton
Retrosexual: The 80's
2004
TV Mini-Series documentary
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2003
Black Reel
Black Reel Awards
Theatrical - Best Independent Actor
Crazy as Hell (2002)
2002
Image Award
Image Awards
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
2000
Image Award
Image Awards
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1999
Image Award
Image Awards
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1999
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1998
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1997
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1996
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1996
Magnolia Award
Shanghai International TV Festival
Best Supporting Actor
ER (1994)
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2010
Image Award
Image Awards
Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Relative Stranger (2009)
2009
Image Award
Image Awards
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
2003
Black Reel
Black Reel Awards
Best Independent Film
Crazy as Hell (2002)
2001
Image Award
Image Awards
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
2001
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
2000
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1999
OFTA Television Award
Online Film & Television Association
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1998
Image Award
Image Awards
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1998
OFTA Television Award
Online Film & Television Association
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1998
Golden Globe
Golden Globes, USA
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
ER (1994)
1998
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1997
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1997
Image Award
Image Awards
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1997
OFTA Television Award
Online Film & Television Association
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1997
Q Award
Viewers for Quality Television Awards
Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series
ER (1994)
1996
Image Award
Image Awards
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1995
Primetime Emmy
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
1995
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
ER (1994)
Known for movies
ER (1994-2009) as Peter Benton / Himself - Memorial Episode Introduc
$25 Million
