How much is Lorne Michaels worth?
| Net Worth: | $500 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional TV Producer |
| Date of Birth: | November 17, 1944 (age 76) |
| Country: | Canada |
| Height: | 1.7 m |
About Lorne Michaels
Lorne David Lipowitz, later Lorne Michaels, was born on November 17, 1944 and is a Canadian-American television producer and screenwriter with an estimated net worth of $500 million. Lorne Michaels, reshaped the late night talk show world; the creator of Saturday Night Live and the man who put both Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon behind the desk on Late Night was a hero until he died.
Michaels is a member of the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Has won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2004. He is the basis for two film villains and one television hero – Don Roritor, from Brain Candy; Dr. Evil, from Austin Powers; and Jack Donaghy, from 30 Rock. And, being a born Canadian, became a U.S. citizen in 1987.
Michaels was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as Lorne Lipowitz, the oldest of three children. After high school graduation, he attended the Forest Hill Collegiate Institute in Toronto and graduated in 1966 from University College, University of Toronto. While there, he majored in English, a degree he turned around and applied to film and television production.
Michaels started off as a writer and broadcaster for CBC Radio. His success there caught the attention of television producers in Los Angeles, eventually leading him to relocate to California i 1968. Michaels first gig in L.A. was as a writer with the award-winning comedy program, Laugh-In.
Shortly after, he returned to Canada and starred with Hart Pomerantz in the comedy program The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour. While it was still early days for the television producer and screenwriter, he began to make grand plans for himself and gave all to the perfection of his craft.
In 1975, Michaels, with Dick Ebersol and Herb Schlosser, created a late night variety program for NBC. The show brought together the eclectic group of improvisational actors and actresses to perform sketch comedy and also showcase musical groups. The show was called NBC’s Saturday Night.
When the show premiered, Michaels was a writer and producer. He was a known worker who put in all of his hours and more to keeping the show moving in the direction that he had envisioned. While it may seem like an obvious idea for a show today, at the time, it was quite revolutionary. To this day, the show is known for breaking some of the biggest names in comedy, including John Belushi, Jane Curtain, Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, Adam Sandler, Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman, Will Farrell, Tina Fey, and the list goes on.
The show’s sustained success provided Michaels with an opportunity to produce other programs for NBC. These include the Emmy award winning sit-com 30 Rock.
When David Letterman left NBC in the early 1990s, NBC turned to Michaels to produce the next version of Late Night. After some deliberation Michaels accepted the offer and his selection of new host for the show, was Conan O’Brien. Conan had been a writer for SNL but was unknown among many at NBC. He was often underestimated, even mocked, but as the show went on Michaels would be proven to be right.
When O’Brien left Late Night to host The Tonight Show, Michaels followed his plan and brought aboard former SNL actor Jimmy Fallon.
On April 3, 2013, it was announced that Michaels would be taking over as the executive producer for The Tonight Show. Consequently, The Tonight Show moved to New York in early 2014 as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
As of 2023, Lorne Michaels’s net worth is estimated to be over $500 million.
