Who else is missing Kramer’s crazy entrances, animated facial expressions, and out-there ideas? Yeah, us too.
The character (Cosmo Kramer), his real name: is Michael Anthony Richards. He is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedy star best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld.
Richard was born to Phyllis, a medical records librarian of Italian descent, and Williams Richards, an electrical engineer of Scottish and England descent.
In this article, you will find out about Michael Richards' net worth and how, even after facing a difficult early life, rose to the limelight in the movie industry, increasing his net worth to millions of dollars.
| Net Worth | $30 Million - $ 50 million |
| Age | 73 years old |
| Born | 24 July 1949 |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 6.26 feet (1.91 m) |
| Country of Origin | United States of America |
| Source of income | Professional actor/comedian |
What is Michael Richards' net worth?
Michael Richards's net worth in 2022 is worth estimated at over $30 million. There are two significant figures you'll see on the internet concerning his net worth. But it's credible to state the range of $30 million to $50 million.
He married Cathleen Lyons in 1974, divorced in 1993, and is now married to Beth Skipp (since 2010) with 2 children.
Also, Richards graduated from Thousand Oaks High School. In 1968, he appeared as a contestant on The Dating Game, although was not chosen for the date before being chosen to serve in the army for two years.
What are the sources of his income?
- Acting
- Appearance in TV shows
- Writing
- Endorsements
- Investments
- Business ventures
- Real estate
- Royalties
How did he become famous and how much has he earned from Seinfeld?
In 1989, Michael Richards got his biggest work in Seinfeld. His appearance in the show sprouted up the era of a new beginning in his career. Even though he began his work in 1979, his rise in the industry was very obvious when he starred in the show.
He was known for playing the role of Kramer. He gave so much life to the character and made the scenes hilarious.
Michael Richards portrayed Cosmo Kramer in 170 episodes of Seinfeld and was one of the show's supporting actors.
He received $150,000 per episode from the show's fifth season. His salary then increased to $200,000 per episode in subsequent seasons, before the NBC network bumped it to $600,000.
FAQs
Who is Michael Richards?
Michael Richards is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedy star best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld.
Michael Richards was born on July 24, 1949, and raised in South Los Angeles, California, to Phyllis (Nardozzi), an Italian-American medical records librarian, and William Richards, an electrical engineer.
When he was 3 years old, his father died in a car crash and his mother never remarried.
He displayed so much love for acting at a tender age. He starred in multiple high school and college film productions. He was later trained in the US Army medic team during the Vietnam war.
He was an avid scholar and he graduated from Evergreen state college in Washington with a BFA in Drama.
A school bus driver by day and a comedy club role player by night! So was Michael’s lifestyle in the late 1970s and 1980s.
His great performances and character earned him a regular role play on the sketch comedy series Fridays (1980), where he created the character of Battle Boy, who liked to blow up army soldiers.
Everything finally came together for the elastic-faced comedian in 1989, after being cast as Cosmo Kramer, Jerry Seinfeld's wired, convulsive, frizzy-mop headed neighbor and pal on Seinfeld (1989).
The frenzied character earned him three Emmy awards, SAG awards, and instant cult status, making him more awards than any other character in the Seinfeld crew.
What is Michael Richards' net worth?
There are many speculations about his net worth. Some sources say $30 million and a few others state $50 million. It's fair to say that with the minimal gap in these figures, his net worth is a little above $30-40 million dollars in 2022.
How did Michael Richards earn his money?
A huge percentage of his net worth is owed to his role in the Seinfeld as Cosmo Kramer.
What are some of Michael Richards' career highlights?
Michael Richards is a 3-time Emmy award winner (in 1993, 1994, and 1997) and he was nominated 5 times (including 1995 and 1996)
Richards began his career as a stand-up comedian, with a feature on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special providing his first big break.
Micheal has made appearances in some other films including AirHeads, UHF” and Coneheads. He was considered for the lead role in the television series Monk but it didn’t work out for him. Still, he has done remarkably well throughout his career.
Richards had a minor role in the cult satirical TV miniseries Fresno in 1986, playing one of a pair of inept criminal henchmen.
In 1989, Richards had a supporting role in Weird Al Yankovic's comedy film UHF as janitor Stanley Spadowski.
And on television, he appeared in Miami Vice as an unscrupulous bookie; in St. Elsewhere as a television producer making a documentary about Dr. Mark Craig; in Cheers as a character trying to collect on an old bet with Sam Malone; and made several guest appearances with Jay Leno as an accident-prone fitness expert.
Here's a full list of some movies he appeared in (with dates);
- Night Court (1984)
- Miami Vice (1986)
- Tall Tales and Legends (1986)
- Mad About You (1992)
- Seinfeld (1998)
- Larry Sanders Show (1994)
- David Corperfield ( 2000)
- The Michael Richards show (2000)
- Kristie (2014)
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (2009)
How tall is Michael Richards?
Michael Richards’ height is 6.26 feet.
What is Michael Richards' ethnicity?
His ethnicity is Italian, Scottish, and English.
What is Michael Richards' nationality?
He is American. He was born and bred in the United States.
What is the Michael Richards show?
The Michael Richards Show is an American television sitcom created by Spike Feresten, Gregg Kavet, Andy Robin, and Richards, that debuted on NBC from October 24 to December 19, 2000.
The Michael Richards Show is about Vic Nardozza (Michael Richards), a lanky and bubbly P.I., working for McKay Investigative Services.
After the conclusion of his previous show, Seinfeld, Michael Richards teamed up with three former Seinfeld writers/producers in a comedy caper about a private eye in Los Angeles.
The character Nardozza was named after Richards' own mother, Phyllis Nardozzi.
Throughout the show, there are misunderstandings, and screw-ups, which get in the way of the job, but he always ends up getting it done.
This resulted in Michael Richards being two completely different people from scene to scene and this wasn't in line with an agreement with NBC as they insisted that Richards and the writers add some Kramer elements into the character.
The initial plan was for Richards to differentiate his character from Kramer, the role he immortalized on Seinfeld. However, the network disagreed and decided that the character would share characteristics with his previous role.
The efforts put into building the show ended in futility after too many negative reviews from the public. For NBC, there were serious financial concerns with the sluggish ratings, given that the network had given Richards a 13-episode guarantee at what insiders put at about $1 million per episode according to the Latin Times in 2000.
On paper, the Michael Richards show was meant to be a comedy show banger but as everyone least expected, it was painfully unfunny and full of identity crises.
The Michael Richards Controversy
The famous Michael Richards incident in 2006 when performing stand-up at the laugh factory in California.
During a set on November 17, 2006, at the Laugh Factory, Richards received reported heckling and interruptions from a small group of black audience members. Anger got the best of him and he reacted furiously.
He went on an expletive-filled and racist rant. Here's what he said that got the audience wild:
Kyle Doss, Interview on The Situation Room, said: "Look at the stupid Mexicans and blacks being loud up there."
That's the first thing he said and he kept on with his bit, after a while, I told him, "My friend doesn't think you're funny." Immediately I told him that, and that's when he flipped me off and said, "F-you N-word."
And that's how it all started.
However, he had a forgiving heart. Jerry Seinfeld urged him to apologize privately to civil rights leaders but they refused his apology reports.
He said at a live show: "I'm deeply, deeply sorry. I'm not a racist, that's what's so insane about this," he explained, causing audience members to laugh. He chastised them, saying "Stop laughing. It's not funny." Many were unconvinced by his apology, and it was subsequently parodied on Family Guy.”
He went on to say: “After that incident, I started crying. It caused me to cry”, “He clarified. “It was a self-centered reaction. I overreacted and should have just answered, “Yeah, you’re right”
The incident severely slowed down his career and damaged his reputation. Due to the buzz of the incident's coverage, he announced his retirement from stand-up in early 2007.
He came back to the spotlight in 2009 when he appeared in the 7th season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, the entirety of which revolved around a Seinfeld reunion.
Takeaway
Life and career success is more than making a quick buck. It’s a journey.
Michael Richards's life and career achievements portray this belief that you can achieve anything you want as far as you are determined, focused, and hungry for success.
Keep going, and never give up. Try again. Keep showing up just like Michael, one “yes" and one “opportunity" can turn your life around.
One “yes” you can say today to help you create a future for yourself and your family is to find the perfect business you can start right now… a business that makes a positive impact on the world while also making you extremely wealthy. If that’s what you want to do, check out this free video series that will help you find the perfect business.
