What was Garry Marshall’s Net Worth?
Garry Marshall was an American actor, director, writer, and producer who had a net worth of $50 million at the time of his death. Garry Marshall died on July 19, 2016 at the age of 81. His sisters are actress/director/producer Penny Marshall and TV producer Ronny Marshall Hallin.
Garry Marshall began his career as a joke writer for such comedians as Joey Bishop and Phil Foster, and then became a writer for “The Tonight Show” with Jack Paar. In 1961 he moved to Hollywood, where he teamed up with Jerry Belson as a writer for television. The pair worked on “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, “The Joey Bishop Show”, “The Danny Thomas Show”, and “The Lucy Show”.
His notable credits include creating “The Odd Couple” “Happy Days”, “Laverne and Shirley”, (which starred his sister Penny Marshall) and “Mork and Mindy.” He wrote and directed “The Flamingo Kid” and directing “Frankie and Johnny”, “Runaway Bride”,” Georgia Rule”, “Valentine’s Day”, “New Year’s Eve”, “Beaches” and “The Princess Diaries”.
Early Life
Marshall was born on November 13, 1934 in New York City, New York. He was the eldest child of Anthony Masciarelli, a director of industrial films, and Marjorie Ward, who was the owner of a tap dance school. Before Marshall was born, his father changed his Italian last name to Marshall. Marshall attended church as a child, having been baptized as a Presbyterian and then being raised Lutheran.
Marshall attended De Witt Clinton High School and then enrolled at Northwestern University. While there, he worked as a writer for “The Daily Northwestern,” writing the sports column. He was also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
Career
Marshall briefly served in the U.S. Army beginning in 1956 as a writer for “Stars and Stripes” and “Seoul News.” He was also the production chief for Armed Forces Radio Network and served much of his time in the Army in Korea.
Soon afterward, Marshall began his career as a joke writer for various comedians like Joey Bishop and Phil Foster. He also became a writer for “The Tonight Show,” writing with partners Fred Freeman and Jack Paar. In 1961, he and Freeman moved to Hollywood and started writing sitcoms together, beginning with “The Joey Bishop Show.” After Freeman left to return to New York, Marshall began working with writing partner Jerry Belson. The two worked together for much of the 1960s. They worked writing shows like “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” The Joey Bishop Show,” The Danny Thomas Show,” and “The Lucy Show.”
Marshall transitioned from only writing to begin working as a creator-producer on “Hey, Landlord.” The show only lasted one season from 1966 to 1967. Along with Belson, Marshall then adapted Neil Simon’s play “The Odd Couple” into a television series. The show became a success, lasting for five seasons and airing a total of 114 episodes.
During the 1970s, Marshall began working more on his own and with other writing partners. He created “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” and “Mark & Mindy.” All of these programs became successful. In the early 1980s, he met Hector Elizondo during a basketball game and the two became great friends. After Marshall began directing films, Elizondo appeared in every film that Marshall directed beginning with “Young Doctors in Love.” He appeared in so many of Marshall’s films that he was credited in their eight film together as “As Usual…Hector Elizondo.” One of Marshall’s most popular early films that he wrote and directed was the 1984 film “The Flamingo Kid,” also featuring Elizondo. Some of the other feature films he directed include “Beaches,” “Pretty Woman,” “The Princess Diaries,” and “Valentine’s Day,” all of which were big successes.
(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
In addition to writing, producing, and directing, Marshall also worked as an actor. He appeared in shows like “Murphy Brown” and films like “Soapdish” and “On the Lot.” He also appeared in his sister’s film “A League of Their Own” and in Albert Brooks’ film “Lost in America.” He voiced a character in two episodes of “The Simpsons.” While “Happy Days” was on air, he also appeared in two episodes as a drummer. He also played a drummer in a scene in “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” and in the film “Overboard.” In 2014, he appeared as a guest star role in a season 11 episode of “Two and a Half Men.”
Outside of film and television acting, he also worked in stage acting. He appeared in “Wrong Turn at Lungfish,” which he also wrote in collaboration with Lowell Ganz. Other credits include “The Roast” with Jerry Belson, “Shelves,” and “Happy Days: A New Musical.”
Throughout his career, Marshall was the recipient of many awards and honors, including the recognition at the PRISM Awards, the Producers Guild Awards, the TV Land Awards, the Writers Guild of America, the BAFTA Awards, and the American Comedy Awards, among others. In 1983, he received a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood.
Personal Life and Death
In March of 1963, Marshall married Barbara Sue Wells. During their marriage, they had three children together. One of their children is Scott Marshall, who went on to become a film director. He also co-authored a memoir with his daughter, Lori Marshall, called “Wake Me When It’s Funny.”
On the morning of July 19, 2016, Marshall passed away at a hospital in Burbank, California. He died due to complications of pneumonia after suffering a stroke. In the years following his death, a number of other individuals in Hollywood paid tribute to Marshall. Actor Harry Winkler paid tribute to Marshall on the show “Barry” in 2019. The same year, SAG-AFTRA made a Memoriam Tribute on the SAG Awards. Actress Julia Roberts also paid tribute during “Pretty Woman: The Musical” in 2018. In 2020, ABC aired the special “The Happy Days of Garry Marshall” which told the story of Marshall’s life.
Real Estate
In 1965, actress/singer/mother of Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds built an impressive mansion on a plot of beachfront property on one of Malibu’s most-exclusive oceanfront areas, known as Carbon Beach. In 1981 Debbie sold this home to Garry Marshall for an undisclosed amount.
In 2018, two years after his passing, Garry’s family put the home on the market for $18 million. In June 2019 they accepted $14.25 million. Here’s a video tour of the home:
Garry’s family continues to own his longtime primary home in the LA suburb of Toluca Lake.