Willard Herman Scott Jr. was born on 7 March 1934, in Alexandria, Virginia USA, and is a television personality, actor, author, and weather presenter, best known for working on television’s “The Today Show”. Ronald McDonald was first portrayed by him too. All of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Willard Scott? As of mid-2016, sources inform us of a net worth that is at $10 million, mostly earned through a successful career on television. He’s won numerous awards, butd he’s also worked on radio. Aside from these, he’s published several fiction and non-fiction books. All of these activities have ensured the size of his wealth.
Willard Scott Net Worth $10 million
Willard attended George Washington High School, and by the age of 16 had become interested in broadcasting while working as an NBC page for WRC-AM. After matriculating, he attended American University, becoming a part of the school’s radio station. He graduated with a degree in philosophy and religion.
In 1955, Scott would team up with Ed Walker, becoming the hosts of the “Joy Boys” radio program on WRC-AM. He worked there until 1972, leaving for a few years to serve in the US Navy. They became very popular during the 1960s, and were often referenced by numerous publications. They would move with the show when it became a part of WWDC.
While he was becoming very popular because of radio, Willard also hosted children’s television programs, and played characters such as “Bozo the Clown” and “Commander Retro”. He also started working as a weatherman in 1970, and effectively created Ronald McDonald, a television role requested by McDonald’s. According to his book, Scott was the one who helped create the character. These all contributed to his net worth.
In 1980, Willard was called up by NBC to become the weatherman of “The Today Show”. As part of the show, he would do weather reports on the road and would interview locals during various events. He was also requested to wear a hairpiece, but didn’t comply when reporting outside which resulted in varying images of him. Aside from this show, he also worked as a spokesperson for True Value Hardware Stores, and even recorded a commercial for McDonald’s rival, Burger King. In the late 1990s, he appeared less on television, and was succeeded by Al Roker. He announced his retirement in 2015, and the show did a tribute on him.
Scott also did other television work aside from being a reporter and weatherman. He had a small role in “The Hogan Family” and also hosted the annual “Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade” for 10 years. He was given numerous awards throughout his life, including a “Washingtonian of the Year” by Washingtonian magazine, “National Partner in 4-H Citations”, and an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University.
He also released a number of non-fiction books that talked about various aspects of his life. These include “The Joy of Living”, “Down Home Stories”, and “America Is My Neighborhood”. He also co-authored two fiction books with Bill Crider, entitled “Murder Under Blue Skies” and “Murder in the Mist”. They also helped his net worth to rise.
For his personal life, Willard married Mary Dwyer Scott in 1959 and they remained together until her death in 2002; they had two children. The following year, he started dating Paris Keena and they would marry in 2014.
