Harvey Forbes Fierstein was born on the 6th June 1954, in Brooklyn, New York City USA, and is an actor and playwright, probably still best recognized for starring in the role of Arnold Beckoff in his own play “Torch Song Trilogy” (1983), and portraying Edna Turnblad in the musical “Hairspray” (2003) among others. He is also known as the author of several books. His career has been active since the early 1970s.
So, have you ever wondered how rich Harvey Fierstein is, as of early 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the total size of Harvey’s net worth is over $2 million, accumulated through his successful involvement in the entertainment industry.
Harvey Fierstein Net Worth $2 Million
Harvey Fierstein hails from a Jewish family; he is the younger son of Irving Fierstein, who worked as a handkerchief manufacturer, and Jacqueline Harriet, who was a school librarian; his brother is film producer Ronald K. Fierstein. While in high school, he was very interested in writing, so he attended creative writing classes. Beside that, he also wanted to become an actor, so he performed at a number of small clubs. Upon matriculation, he enrolled at Pratt University, graduating with a BFA degree in 1973.
Harvey’s career began when he made his debut in the play “Pork” (1971) at New York’s La Mama Experimental Theater Club. Subsequently, he started to write his own plays, and the first one was performed at La Mama in the following year, entitled “International Stud”, which marked the beginning of an increase of his net worth. By the end of the decade, Harvey had written such plays as “Fugue In A Nursery” and “Widows And Children First” among others.
In 1982, Harvey decided to form a new play called “Torch Song Trilogy”, from three previous plays – “International Stud”, “Furgue In A Nursery”, and “Widows And Children First”. In the play he starred as Arnold Beckoff and it had enormous success as he won Tony Awards for Best Play and for Best Actor in a Play, also two Drama Desk Awards and the Theatre World Award. The play was later adapted into the film, which added a considerable amount to his net worth. During the same decade, he won another Tony Award for his book for “La Cage Aux Folles” (1983), in the category for Best Book of a Musical. Parallel with his activity in theater, Harvey also appeared on screens in such TV series and film titles as “Garbo Talks” (1984), portraying Bernie Whitlock, “Miami Vice” (1986), and “Tidy Endings” (1988).
In the 1990s, Harvey continued to line up success after success, starring in a number of titles, including in the role of Bob Lakin in “The Harvest” (1992), playing Frank in “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993), as Dennis Sinclair in the TV series “Daddy’s Girls” (1994), and portraying Marty Gilbert in “Independence Day” (1996), alongside Will Smith and Bill Pullman. All of these roles increased his net worth by a large margin.
The new millennium didn’t change too much for Harvey, as he became active again in the theater, playing Edna Turnblad in the musical “Hairspray” in 2002, for which he won another Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Two years later, he was cast in the role of Tevye in the musical “Fiddler On The Roof”. In 2007, he published the book for the musical “A Catered Affair”, in which he starred, winning the Drama League Award for Distinguished Production of a Musical. At the same time, he was cast in such TV series and film titles as “Death To Smoochy” (2002), “The Year Without A Santa Claus” (2006), and guest-starred in “How I Met Your Mother” in 2009. All of these appearances contributed to his wealth.
To speak further about his career, Harvey wrote the book for the musical “Newsies” in 2012, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Book of a Musical, and in the following year, the book for “Kinky Boots”, which earned him 13 nominations for Tony Awards, winning six. Most recently, he appeared in the film “Hairspray Live!” (2016), and his net worth is certainly rising.
Regarding his personal life, Harvey Fierstein is openly gay; his current residence is in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
