Michael Nesmith was born on the 30th December 1942, in Houston, Texas USA. He is a musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, but he’s probably still best known as a member of the rock band “The Monkees”; Nesmith was also a co-star in the TV show “The Monkees” (1966-1968), and being part of a very popular band that sold millions of albums significantly increased his wealth. His career started in 1965.
Have you ever wondered how rich Michael Nesmith is, as of mid-2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Nesmith’s net worth is $50 million, most accumulated as a musician, but he also works as a producer, novelist, and businessman which also adds to his net worth.
Michael Nesmith Net Worth $50 Million
Robert Michael Nesmith was the only child of Warren Audrey Nesmith and Bette Nesmith Graham, but they divorced when he was just four. His mother invented a typewriter correction fluid when Nesmith was 13 and later sold the company to Gillette for $48 million which certainly eventually helped Michael in increasing his wealth.
Nesmith attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, where he participated in drama and choral activities, however, he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1960 without even graduating from the high school. Nesmith was trained to be an aircraft mechanic, and got his G.E.D., but discharged in 1962. He decided to continue with studying, so he enrolled in San Antonio community college, where he met John Kuehne, and the pair began a musical collaboration. Nesmith also met Phyllis Ann Barbour there, and they married in 1963, before moving to Los Angeles so Nesmith could pursue a musical career.
Nesmith was cast in the role of guitarist Mike in TV series “The Monkees” in 1965, and that role changed his life. The series aired from 1965 to 1968, but he continued to perform with the band afterwards. He subsequently formed the band called “First National Band” in 1969, along with his old friend Kuehne, Red Rhodes, and John Ware. A pioneer of the country-rock genre, “First National Band” had a hit single in 1970 titled “Joanne”, which reached No. 21 on the Billboard Top 40. In 1972, Nesmith co-founded the record label “Countryside Records” with Jac Holzman, the ownership of which significantly added to his net worth.
He was the member of “The Monkees” from 1965 to 1970, but he reunited with the rest of the band members several times, and participated on ten out of band’s twelve albums. Following his departure from “The Monkees”, Nesmith was involved in producing, having worked with Iain Matthews and Bert Jansch among others in the early ’70’s. A few years later, Nesmith collaborated with songwriter Linda Hargrove. He also produced some notable music videos such as Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” in 1983, and Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” in 1987. He won the Grammy for the Video of the Year “Elephant Parts” in 1981.
Nesmith had a concert tour in America to promote his album “Live at the Britt Festival” in 1992, and released both video and CD by the same name. Nesmith has recorded 13 solo studio albums, an instrumental album with his music, and a movie soundtrack. He has also appeared in several films, including Whoopi Goldbergs’ “Burglar” in 1987, and “Tapeheads” (1988), starring John Cusack and Tim Robbins. Nesmith has published two novels as well: “The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora” in 1998, and “The America Gene” in 2009. Most recently, Nesmith briefly reunited with the former members of “The Monkees” for the band’s 50th anniversary.
Regarding his personal life, Nesmith was married to Phyllis Ann Barbour from 1963 to 1972; they have two sons and a daughter. Nesmith has another son, Jason, born from his relationship with Nurit Wilde in 1968. He married Kathryn Bild in 1976, but they divorced on 1988. His third marriage was with Victoria Kennedy from 2000 to 2011.
Grammy Award for Video of the Year (1981), Ernie Kovacs Awar (2016)
Record Labels
First National Band
Albums
"Headquarters" (1967), "Pretty Much Your Standard Stash" (1973), "Live at the Palais" (1978), "Tropical Campfires" (1992), "Justus" (1996), "Good Times!" (2016)
Music Groups
The Monkees (Since 1966), Michael Nesmith & The 1st National Band (1969)
Nominations
Hollywood Walk of Fame Star (1989)
Movies
"Repo Man" (1984), "Burglar" (1987), "Head" (1968), "Tapeheads" (1988), "Timerider: The Adventures of Lyle Swann" (1982)
TV Shows
The Monkees (1966–1968), "Popclips" (1977), "Elephant Parts" (1981), "Television Parts" (1985), "Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees" (1997), "Portlandia" (2014), "Live at the Britt Festival" (1991)
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Trademark
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During the early days of The Monkees was never seen without his woolhat
I'm clearly in my endgame. I mean, we're not talking about deciding to do something else. We're talking about dying. [Laughs] So I don't know. Who knows where that is? That's somewhere . . . that door is coming up. I can't make it out on the horizon just yet. But at a certain point it's going to be time for me to say, "Eh, I think I'll lay down."
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[on the death of fellow Monkee Davy Jones] David's spirit and soul live well in my heart, among all the lovely people, who remember with me the good times, and the healing times, that were created for so many, including us. I have fond memories. I wish him safe travels.
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[about his famous wool hat] "It had a life of its own. I used to take it off and put it in a little house, feed it . . . "
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[describing his financial slump, after paying a huge default to leave The Monkees in 1969] "I had to start telling little tales to the tax man while they were putting tags on the furniture."
He has started a small video game development company in Monterey called Zoomo Productions. [April 2005]
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He is finishing his latest album called "Rays", and is deciding whether to distribute it as mp3 files through his online store or as CD singles. [January 2004]
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He is currently living on the Monterey Peninsula in California. He just finished his second novel, "The America Gene". [April 2005]
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Directing movie "Fried Pies," and working on second novel. [November 2000]
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Working on a book "The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora" [1998]
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The Monkees have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6675 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
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His first professional recording (under the pseudonym "Michael Blessing") was a folk music single entitled "What Seems To Be the Problem, Officer?"
Continues to be active in all media including video games, on line delivery of media, and is an avid golfer.
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He has an on line store called videoranch.com that allows customers to buy his works straight from him. Products include CDs, DVDs, and music downloads.
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Was often referred to by The Monkees staff as "Wool Hat".
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He was was invited to the famous orchestral session for "A Day In The Life" by John Lennon.
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Was the only Monkee who'd actually seen the initial trades ad for the show's casting.
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Arrived for his first interview for The Monkees wearing a wool cap, to keep the hair out of his eyes while driving his motorcycle around town (Nesmith also carried a bag of laundry, to be done at a nearby laundromat on his way home). Producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider remembered him as "Wool Hat"; they wanted to name his Monkees character that, but Nesmith refused.
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Had actually been "labelmates" with Davy Jones earlier, as both were signed to the Colpix Records label (Nesmith recorded as "Michael Blessing"), though they'd apparently never met. While Jones had released a modestly successful LP and single by 1965, Nesmith's two singles hadn't gotten far past the promotional stage. The Colpix label (belonging to Columbia Pictures, and controlled by Screen Gems) was dissolved in 1966, to make way for the new Colgems label--with The Monkees as its centerpiece.
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Had published several songs through different companies before signing his contracts for The Monkees; Nesmith's "Mary, Mary" had already been a hit for the Butterfield Blues Band. With Nesmith signed to Screen Gems as a songwriter, the company next bought up Nesmith's earlier publishing, so his songs could be used for the Monkees.
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Inherited half his mother's $50 million estate from the sale of Liquid Paper; the rest finances a private think tank.
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During the 1980s he built up the largest non-theatrical home video catalog in the world called Pacific Arts Corporation. It owned rights to everything from Koyaanisqatsi (1982) to The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau (1968) to Ken BurnsThe Civil War (1990). Pacific Arts licensed the right to use the PBS logo on the titles in its catalog which had been aired on PBS, and developed the PBS Home Video label. The venture ended in a lawsuit with PBS that resulted in a six-week trial in federal court. A jury unanimously found PBS liable for intentional misrepresentation, intentional concealment, negligent misrepresentation, intentional interference with Pac Arts' contractual relations with the program producers and in breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. They awarded Pacific Arts and Nesmith real and punitive damages totaling more than $47,000,000. PBS and Nesmith subsequently settled for an undisclosed sum.
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Gave up taking the "A" side of the first single actually performed by The Monkees, instead choosing friend Bill Martin's song "All Of Your Toys", which Nesmith believed would be a bigger hit. A publishing snag kept "Toys" from being released (until the late 1980s), but Nesmith's "B" side, "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", backed their next single - Neil Diamond's "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You".
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Penned the Stone Poneys' hit "Different Drum." Linda Ronstadt sang the lead.
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Invented the idea for what became MTV. Sold the idea to Time-Warner and created a proof of concept for 24 hour music television in the form of 6 half hour shows called "Pop Clips". Time-Warner aired Popclips on Nickelodeon Channel for testing and it was an instant hit. Nesmith moved on to other projects after the testing phase as he did not wish to be involved in managing a television network.
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Michael spent fourteen months in the U.S. Air Force where he tipped over a general's airplane while cleaning it.
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Michael's mother, Bette Nesmith, was a legal secretary in Houston, Texas. Due to her hobby of painting, she came up with the idea and invented Liquid Paper typing correction fluid and made an enormous fortune overnight.
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"Elephant Parts" won the first Grammy for a video record.
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He has four kids: Christian, Jonathan, Jason, and Jessica.
The 2014 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2014
TV Movie "Different Drum" , "Different Drum", uncredited
Seven Psychopaths
2012
writer: "Different Drum"
Breaking Bad
2012
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Straw Dogs
2011
writer: "Goin' Down"
Poppies
2011
Video performer: "Joanne" / writer: "Joanne"
The Wrecking Crew!
2008
Documentary writer: "Mary Mary"
The Heartbreak Kid
2007
writer: "Different Drum"
It's All Gone Pete Tong
2004
writer: "Different Dream" - as Nesmith
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
2004
writer: "Different Drum"
The Monkees: Live Summer Tour
2002
Video writer: "The Girl I Knew Somewhere", "Mary Mary", "Goin' Down"
Things Behind the Sun
2001
writer: "The Girl I Knew Somewhere"
Daydream Believer
1998
Short writer: "Papa Gene's Blues" - as Mike Nesmith
Mystery Science Theater 3000
1997
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees
1997
TV Movie lyrics: "Circle Sky" / music: "Circle Sky"
Hey, Hey We're the Monkees
1997
TV Movie documentary performer: "Until it's time for you to go" - as Michael Blessing / producer: "Listen to the band", "Mary, Mary", "Circle Sky" / writer: "Listen to the band", "Mary, Mary", "No Time", "Circle Sky"
Nesmith Live
1992
Video producer: "Yellow Butterfly", "Laugh Kills Lonesome", "Moon Over The Rio Grande", "Papa Gene's Blues", "Two Different Roads", "Joanne", "Tomorrow And Me", "The Upside Of Good-bye", "Juliana", "Some Of Shelly's Blues", "I Am Not That", "Propinquity", "Harmony Constant", "Silver Moon", "Rising In Love", "Rio", "Different Drum", "I Am Not That Reprise" / writer: "Yellow Butterfly", "Laugh Kills Lonesome", "Moon Over The Rio Grande", "Papa Gene's Blues", "Two Different Roads", "Joanne", "Tomor
Peter's Friends
1992
performer: "Rio" / writer: "Rio"
Television Parts Home Companion
1985
Video short arranger: "Eldorado to the Moon" / performer: "Eldorado to the Moon", "Chow Mein & Bowling", "I'll Remember You" / producer: "Eldorado to the Moon" / writer: "I'll Remember You"
TV Movie performer: "Naked Persimmon The Only Thing I Believe Is True" / writer: "Naked Persimmon The Only Thing I Believe Is True", "Listen To The Band"
$50 Million
