American comedian, actor, voice actor, writer and television producer Michael Anthony Richards, was born on 24 July 1949, in Culver City, California. Despite the many roles that Richard has portrayed during his acting career, he is perhaps still best known as Cosmo Kramer, a fictional character in the popular television series created by Jerry Seinfeld called “Seinfeld”. The show starring Jerry, Michael and Julia Louis-Dreyfus is considered to be one of the greatest television shows, while several of its episodes are regarded as the top episodes of any series.
So just how rich is Michael Richards? Authoritative sources estimate that Michael Richards’ net worth is over $50 million, earned mostly from his acting career, and stand-up performances which began in the late 1970s.
Michael Richards Net Worth $50 Million
Richards matriculated from Thousand Oaks High School in California, and then served in the US Army for two years, mostly in West Germany. He subsequently studied drama at Evergreen State College, from which he received a bachelor’s degree in the field. Richards’ career began with various stand-up performances, which eventually gained him an opportunity to appear in Billy Crystal’s cable special. Before his big breakthrough with “Seinfeld”, Richards had several minor roles, in “UHF” – a comedy film written by Weird Al Yankovic – the long-running sitcom “Cheers”, as well as “Miami Vice”. In 1989, Richards was cast to play Cosmo Kramer and was a part of the show from the first season. “Seinfeld” not only brought Richards commercial success and public recognition, but also saw him win several Emmy Awards.
“Seinfeld” inspired a creation of consumer products related to the show such as candies, a flash game and many others. The lead actors enjoyed constant attention from advertisers, as well as media. For Richards, “Seinfeld” was an opportunity to present himself to a large viewership and leave a mark in the entertainment industry. When “Seinfeld” aired its last episode in 1998, Michael Richards went on to create his own sitcom entitled “The Michael Richards Show”. Even though the show only aired eight episodes, it was a major step for Richards, both as a producer and actor.
Michael briefly returned to perform stand-up comedy, but his controversial performance at the Laugh Factory, where he used racial slurs to refer to black hecklers in the audience, caused him a lot of trouble. Even though Richards publicly apologized for his words, the incident was not so easily forgotten, since such shows as “Family Guy”, “South Parks” and others parodied and satirized it. After this controversy, Michael Richards continued on with his acting career, and made several appearances on television screens. In 2007, he voiced a character in “Bee Movie”, and later starred in an improvised comedy television series called “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, with Larry David, Jeff Garlin and Cheryl Hines. Richards’ most recent project is a television show entitled “Kirstie”, in which he appears alongside Kirstie Alley, however, the show ran for just one season before it was cancelled in 2014.
In his personal life, Michael was married to Cathleen Lyons from 1974 until 1993; they have a daughter. He has been partnered with Beth Skipp since 2002, and they have been married since 2010.
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Screen Actors Guild Award
Nominations
American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (1996), American Comedy Awards, Satellite Award for Best Actor, Screen Actors Guild Awards
“Seinfeld” (1989-1998), “Cheers” (1985), “Miami Vice” (1986), “Family Guy”, “South Parks”, “The Michael Richards Show” (2000), “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2009), “Kirstie” (2013-2014)
#
Trademark
1
Curly bouffant hairstyle
2
Towering height
3
Physical comedy
#
Quote
1
[observation, 2013, on the trouble he brought on himself seven years earlier] That'll never happen again. I know how to behave - to consciously behave. When something like that comes up,I don't let the heat of anger burn me up as I did. When you're under the helm of anger, watch out,'cause it'll take you down. It's like being possessed by a demon.
2
[on why he returned to television] Well, I'm an artist. You do it because you love to do it. It's what you are. It's the color of your fur. It's the same after all these years.
3
[on signing on to appear in 'Kirstie'] When I was doing 'Seinfeld' I was very intense. Physical comedy takes more time to set up - rehearsing how to come through the door, that slide I did. So I was always in development, and that made me feel like I wasn't able to sit back and enjoy the ride. So this time, I want to be more like a child out on the street, just playing and having fun, and not taking it all so seriously.
4
My job is to stay out of his way. - in an interview with Oprah explaining how he prepared for the character of Kramer
His big dream when he started acting was to play a detective. This led him to later create The Michael Richards Show (2000), a sitcom about a private detective agency. The show flopped. Later, he was considered for the lead role in another comical detective show, Monk (2002), which ultimately went to Tony Shalhoub.
Is a Vietnam-era Army Veteran. He was drafted and served for two years in West Germany.
15
Is a 33-degree Scottish Rite Freemason.
16
Cosmo Kramer, his character in Seinfeld (1989), always wore clothes one size too big to make him appear to be laid back and loose.
17
His character in Seinfeld (1989) was named Kessler in the original pilot. The original name wasn't revealed until late in the series in the episode "The Betrayal" where Jerry mistakes Kramer's name.
18
Most renowned for his role as Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld (1989).
19
Attended the California Institute of the Arts.
20
Attended Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington, USA.
$50 Million
