How much is Jimmie Walker worth?
| Net Worth: | $500 Thousand |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Actor |
| Date of Birth: | June 25, 1947 (age 75) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 6 ft (1.85 m) |
“I’ve been on the road since 1967.” Jimmie Walker
About Jimmie Walker
Jimmie Walker, whose full name is James Carter Walker Jr., is an American actor, author, stand-up comedian, and radio personality that’s best known for his work in the CBS television series Good Times from the 1970s.
In addition to gaining mainstream recognition and a few Golden Globe nominations, he also created his popular catchphrase “Dy no mite”, which has been used on many television commercials and ads ever since. Presently, he continues to make sporadic appearances on television and tour the world with his stand up comedy troupe.
Jimmie Walker is famous for his role of JJ (James Evans Jr.) in Good Times. He was born on June 25, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the Theodor Roosevelt High School in his hometown and began acting during his early years. He continued his studies and entered the field of radio engineer with WRVR thanks to a federal program titled SEEK (Search for Evaluation, Education, and Knowledge).
In the early 16960s, he began working as a vendor at the Yankee Stadium, beginning with the 1964 World Series. At that time, he was given a silver dollar by the MLB professional baseball player Mickey Mantle, which to this day he still has.
In 1967, he began working full time with the WRVR, a radio station based in the Riverside Church.
At the same time, he was already making a name for himself with his work as a stand-up comedian in various venues and competitions in the New York area.
Working in popular films such as Airplane and Going Bananas as well as television series like At Ease and Bustin Loose is what helped the actor originally become rich. One of the first appearances that helped him gain some fame was at the Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In and Jack Paar Show talk shows. The casting director for Good Times found him through his performances on the two series and offered him a role in the CBS sitcom.
Jimmie went on to reprise the role of JJ in all of the CBS show’s 6 seasons and 133 episodes, which earned him an estimated $100,000 at the time, or about $500,000 adjusted for inflation. Even before the show’s conclusion in August 1979, he worked and performed for other projects such as Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Bob Hope television specials.
In 1975, while working occasionally as an on-air radio personality for the R&B music station KAGB 103.9 FM, he made his film debut in Sidney Poitier’s action/crime film Let’s Do It Again.
Towards the late years of the 20th century, he worked mainly as a guest and supporting actor on more than 20 television projects – Badge 373, The Larry Sanders Show, The Drew Carey Show, Star Dates, Everybody Hates Chris, and George Lopez to name a few. Since that decade, he has been consistently working as a radio host and personality for the stations WHIO, WLS, WOAI, and KKAR.
His final roles as a full-time actor came in the films Big Money Rustlas and Super Shark from the early 2010s. In 2012, he released his first book – the autobiography Dynomite: Good, Bad, Our Times. After nearly a decade of focusing on radio and stand up comedy, Walker made his return to acting in the 2019 television specials “Live in Front of a Studio Audience”.
Jimmie Walker was successful for his multiple genres and styles stand-up comedy. He built a huge audience not only from his audience who loved him on TV, but also because he used his own unique formats and rules that stood out among his contemporaries.
Being a television and film actor and stand up comedian is the reason why Jimmie Walker became popular in the first place. Throughout the 1980s, he landed his most successful roles in the films Airplane, Going Bananas and The Guyver. In 1987, he became a main cast member of the short-lived MCA sitcom Bustin Loose, which had only one season and 26 episodes featuring Walker as the protagonist.
Summing-Up
Jimmie Walker is known for being one of the funniest stand-up comedians to emerge from the 1970s. At that time, he impressed the casting director and producers of Good Times so he was given a leading role in the CBS sitcom that skyrocketed his name.
Despite failing to make millions of dollars during his long career (which spanned over five decades), Walker became a true sensation in America. He has appeared on many television series, films, talk shows, and realities, where he was able to portray his highly praised acting and abilities to make people laugh.
“There’s so many people that dislike you all the time, so when somebody loves anything that you do, you go ‘Yes! Finally!’ Even if it means the dyn-o-mite thing.” Jimmie Walker
