Net Worth Ranker
What Is Estelle Parsons’ Net Worth?
Estelle Parsons, a celebrated American actress, singer, and stage director, has accumulated a net worth of $6 million. Her career spans several decades, marked by significant contributions to both stage and screen.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Estelle Margaret Parsons was born on November 20, 1927, in Lynn, Massachusetts. Her parents were Elinor Ingeborg (née Mattsson), a Swedish native, and Eben Parsons, who was of English descent. Estelle attended Oak Grove School for Girls in Maine. In 1949, she graduated from Connecticut College. Before pursuing acting, Parsons studied law at Boston University School of Law. Before dedicating herself to acting in the early 1950s, she also worked as a singer with a band. She later moved to New York City and began her career in television, working as a writer, producer, and commentator for The Today Show.
Parsons made her Broadway debut in 1956 as part of the ensemble in the Ethel Merman musical *Happy Hunting*. Her off-Broadway debut came in 1961, and in 1963, she received a Theatre World Award for her performance in *Whisper into My Good Ear/Mrs. Dally Has a Lover*.
In 1964, Parsons’ talent was further recognized when she won an Obie Award for Best Actress for her performances in two Off-Broadway plays: *Next Time I’ll Sing to You* and *In the Summer House*.
Breakthrough Roles and Awards
Estelle Parsons’ career reached new heights with her role as Blanche Barrow in the 1967 film *Bonnie and Clyde*. Her compelling performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. According to IMDb, her salary for Bonnie and Clyde was $5,000. The following year, she received another Academy Award nomination for her role in *Rachel, Rachel* (1968). In 1970, she was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the film *Watermelon Man*, which grossed $1.1 million in theatrical rentals in the United States and Canada.
Parsons has also been nominated for Tony Awards for her work in *The Seven Descents of Myrtle* (1968), *And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little* (1971), *Miss Margarida’s Way* (1978), *Morning’s at Seven* (2002), and *The Velocity of Autumn* (2014). She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2004.
Television Career and “Roseanne”
One of Estelle Parsons’ most recognizable television roles was as Beverly Harris, the mother of Roseanne Conner, on the sitcom *Roseanne*. She played this role from 1989 to 1997 and later reprised it in *The Conners*. Her character was honored with a TV Land Award for Favorite Classic TV In-Law in 2003.
Parsons’ other television credits include appearances in *The Patty Duke Show*, *Love, American Style*, *All In The Family*, *Archie Bunker’s Place*, *Open Admissions*, *Frasier*, *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*, and *The Good Wife*, as well as *The UFO Incident: The Story of Betty and Barney Hill* and the PBS production of *June Moon*.
Later Career and Achievements
In addition to her acting roles, Estelle Parsons has also directed several Broadway productions. In 1979, she directed a production of *Antony and Cleopatra* at Interart Theatre in New York, incorporating Spanish into the show, which led to Joseph Papp inviting her to direct at the New York Shakespeare Festival, making her the first woman to do so. She served as the Artistic Director of the Actors Studio for five years, from 1998 to 2003. In 2004, Parsons was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame, celebrating her extensive contributions to theater.
Personal Life
Estelle Parsons married author Richard Gehman in 1953. They had twin daughters, reporter Abbie and actress Martha Gehman, before divorcing in 1958. Her grandson Eben Britton, Abbie’s son, is a former player for the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. In January 1983, she married Peter Zimroth, who has served as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Assistant District Attorney, and court-appointed monitor of the NYPD’s policies and practices regarding stop-and-frisk. They adopted a son, Abraham, born in February 1983.
