How much is Terry Crews worth?
| Net Worth: | $25 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Actor |
| Date of Birth: | July 30, 1968 (age 54) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
About Terry Crews
Terrance Alan Crews is an activist, actor, comedian, artist, bodybuilder, and a former professional football player. Best known for his roles in Everybody Hates Chris and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, he’s made a name for himself with his comedic roles in both television series and films.
He has a strong drive to succeed, which can be seen both from his recent achievements and from his early ones. After graduating high school, he earned an art excellence scholarship and a full athletic scholarship at Western Michigan University. This led to an NFL career beginning in 1991, which was followed by his pursuit of acting in 1997.
Crews has stated that his true desire is to “go after equity and honor”. Because of this, he has used his platform to speak out against sexism and abuse, and to advocate for women’s rights. He has shared stories of the abuse his family faced at the hands of his father, who he has said was a violent alcoholic. In 2017, during the #MeToo movement, he came forward about his own experience as a victim of sexual assault.
Crews began his football career in 1991, when he was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams. But his rise to fame truly began in 1997, when he retired from the NFL and moved to Los Angeles, where he began to pursue a career in acting. “When I retired from the NFL, no one knew who I was, and I had to start all over. I ended up doing security in L.A., and I was just on movie sets and watching.” he has said. He got his first role in 1999: a character athlete known as T Money in the game show Battle Dome.
He played this character until 2001, when the show was cancelled after 2 seasons. Following the show’s cancellation, Crews made small appearances in films, commercials, and music videos. He failed to land any significant acting gigs until his breakout role came along in 2002, when he played Damon Pearly in Friday After Next, a “stoner comedy” film written and produced by Ice Cube.
His job in security on various film sets is what indirectly led to him gaining the role; he was assigned outside of Ice Cube’s trailer during the production of Next Friday. Later, the rapper/actor recognized him while Crews had a role as an extra in Training Day. Then he was given the opportunity to act in Friday After Next. The film wasn’t exactly a success in either the box office or in a critical sense, but nonetheless it gave Crews the exposure he needed to really start his career.
His fame began to grow even more with his roles in White Chicks (2004) and The Longest Yard (2005). But Crews gained significant public recognition due to his part in the UPN/CW sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris. He played Julius Rock, the father, until the show ended in 2009.
He went on to appear on the big screen in The Expendables (2010), Lottery Ticket (2010) and Bridesmaids (2011).
But he truly made a name for himself on television, with roles as Nick Kingston-Persons in TBS’s Are We There Yet? (2010-2013) and as Terry Jeffords in the Fox/NBC sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-).
However, his real life role as an activist has added to his fame. He is known for speaking out against toxic masculinity, sexism, and abuse, and he is a vocal advocate for women’s rights. In 2017, during the #MeToo movement, his story of sexual assault was significant, as he was one of the few men to speak out about the issue. He was included in the group of people Time named Person of the Year in 2017 for speaking out against sexual assault and harassment in Hollywood.
Following his big break with Friday After Next, Crews has found a great amount of success in the film industry. The Expendables and Bridesmaids are two of his highest-grossing film, raking in $274.5 million and $288.4 million in the box office worldwide, respectively.
He also earns money from voiceover performances, such as his role as Earl in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, as well as product endorsements, particularly his role in Old Spice commercials. Hosting shows such as America’s Got Talent and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? have also added to his income. While movies like Scary Movie 5 increased his audience.
However, his roles in successful films and television shows aren’t the only ways he earns money. Another source of income comes from his work as a furniture designer for Bernhardt Design; in 2017, the Terry Crews Collection was released at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. In addition to this project, he has also written two books: Manhood: How to Be a Better Man- or Just Live With One (2014), and Come Find Me, which he co-authored with Ken Harvey in 2018.
There are many talented actors and comedians out there, but not all of them make it big. What does one need to be truly successful? Well, the two key components are drive and passion, and Terry Crews has both of those. This has led to his natural talents taking him far in life, from getting an art scholarship after graduating high school, to getting a full athletic scholarship, and then, of course, to his big break in acting.
Crews had never taken acting classes, deciding instead to think of what the audience wanted to see, and basing his performance around that. Crews has stated that this method is what ultimately led him to success. However, finding an acting technique that worked for him wasn’t the only thing that led to his success. In 2019 Crews was interviewed on Money Talks, a series on CNBC Make It. During said interview, he was asked what one thing he would credit his success to, if he had to. His answer was, perseverance.
His mindset of keeping his eye on his goals, being one in a million, and being willing to go through failure and rough times has set him apart from others who have tried, failed, and given up on the same dream.
Summing-Up
Everybody has natural talents. But not everybody utilizes those talents to create a name for themselves. Terry Crews is an individual who combined his natural talent with perseverance and a desire pursue his dreams to create a good life for himself and his loved ones. His knack for comedic acting brought him fame in the television and film industries. This led to more sources of income including endorsements, voiceover work, and other projects. The definition of success varies from person to person. For some it solely means gaining fame and fortune. For people like Terry Crews, it means using the fame and fortune you gain for good.
